Before Hollywood became known for being the center of the film industry, directors filmed on the East Coast. It wasn’t until the 1910s when films started moving west to California, due to lack of locations. By the 1920s, Hollywood became what the public knows it to be.

With the rise of Hollywood, came the Golden Age of film. However, the first film to be associated with this era was “Birth of a Nation” (1915). With this film being racist and responsible for the upbringing of the KKK, it showed films can be capable of technical creations and stories that affect social consciousness. After this film, Hollywood went a new direction for how they wanted to be presented.

With this new direction, major studios such as MGM, Paramount, Fox, and Warner Bros. dominated Hollywood. These major studios held stars and directors under strict long-term contracts, which controlled every aspect of production and distribution for film.

Many innovations were created during this time such as technicolor, widescreen formats, and CinemaScope. CinemaScope would “squeeze” the film onto a standard 35mm film, then“unsqueezes” the image back into the original wide proportions when projected for a theater.

This era produced many stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn,  James Dean, Gregory Peck, and Elizabeth Taylor; while producing many genres of film such as musical, western, noir, comedies, and horror films. The most iconic films released during this time were “The Wizard of Oz” (1939), “Casablanca” (1942), “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952), and “Psycho” (1960).

During the Great Depression, the film industry was not affected; however, it gave audiences a chance to escape from reality. With this desire of escapism came the opportunity for the film industry to flourish.

By 1948, it was ruled in United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc that major Hollywood studios violated antitrust laws through monopolistic practices resulting in studios separating their production and distribution from their own theaters circuits. This allowed more independent films into theaters and reduced the control of major studios. It later led to the decline of theater attendance in some areas, which also signaled the end of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Overall, the Golden Age created a legacy for not only film, but for Hollywood as well. With the studio system creating a stable industry, the concept of a movie star, the Hollywood walk of fame,  and created a time where going to the movies was a special event that brought communities together.