Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood
Season 1 Episode 3 - The Dream Merchants (1920-1928)
The Hollywood studio system flowered in the 1920s, headed by strong-willed leaders -- most of them immigrants and small-time entrepreneurs and many of them Jewish. Each studio had its own house style. MGM, headed by Russian-born Louis B. Mayer with Irving Thalberg as his "boy wonder" production head, was super-glossy. Warner Bros., eventually to be led by brother Jack, provided grit, while Paramount, headed by Hungarian-born Adolph Zukor, lent glamour. Laemmle's Universal Pictures produced lavish spectacles and a series of fantastic dramas starring Lon Chaney. The movies' influence grew more powerful, affecting real life in terms of fashion, attitudes and behavior.
Episodes in Season 1
Peepshow Pioneers (1888-1907)
60 min
The Birth of Hollywood (1907-1920)
60 min
The Dream Merchants (1920-1928)
60 min
Brother, Can You Spare A Dream? (1929-1941)
60 min
Warriors and Peacemakers (1941-1950)
60 min
Attack of the Small Screens (1950-1960)
60 min
Fade Out, Fade In (1960-1969)
60 min
