The Golden Age of Hollywood: A Pathfinder
Contents
Introduction
Scope
Names to Know
Subject Headings and Call Numbers
Online Databases and Encyclopedias
Print Resources
Audiovisual: Web-based
Software
Websites
Extension Ideas
Introduction
What is a golden age? According to Princeton University’s WordNet database
(http://wordnet.princeton.edu) a golden age is, “a time period when some activity or skill
was at its peak.” Some synonyms are prime, peak, and heyday. The Golden Age of
Hollywood was from approximately 1930 to 1948. What was so great about this time?
Well first of all, many of the movies our culture still views as the being the best were
made; films like Casablanca, Citizen Kane, and even The Wizard of Oz. Also, the use
of sound in movies had just been perfected. Can you imagine any technological change
that would affect your experience at the movies as much as adding sound? The major
movie studios had massive control over their directors, their stars, and their films,
including the theatres that ran them. There were five major studios and three minor
ones. These eight studios produced 95% of all the films during this period, and took
home most of the money too. They essentially had a monopoly on the entire industry.
Films that fit into a predetermined genre were popular, and each studio carved out their
own genre niche. For example, MGM is famous for their Golden Age musicals. The
Golden Age of Hollywood ended partially because television gained popularity, partially
because the studios began to lose their monopoly, and partially because nothing can
last forever. History is fascinating because it can help to explain where we are today.
Film history is no different. If you examine the gangster films of the 30s perhaps you’ll
see The Sopranos or Pulp Fiction in a whole new light.
Source: Voss, Karen (2001). “Classical Hollywood Cinema.” American Film Institute. Retrieved May 28, 2006 from Fathom Online
Learning at http://www.fathom.com/course/10701053/index.html
Scope
This pathfinder is intended to help you dive into researching all aspects of the Golden
Age of Hollywood. Whether you’re interested in the classic films of the era or are just
intrigued by the glamorous stars and the powerful film moguls, you should be able to
find something to help you. Maybe you have no clue about classic Hollywood and just
want to learn a little or have a report due on some aspect of the 1940s. Again,
whatever your goal, this resource should be helpful. I have included many general and
non-academic sources that will help you gain a base of knowledge about the Golden
Age of Hollywood, as well as some more specific tools that will be able to handle your
focused research needs. When choosing the inclusion of all materials listed I answered
the questions: Is it relevant? Is it unique? Is it reliable? Is it easy to use? Hopefully
you’ll find the answer to these questions is a resounding yes. You’ll notice I selected
mainly web-based resources. This was for several reasons. Web-based materials
have the advantage of being accessed from anywhere, being updated frequently, being
free (for the most part), and being able to take you places that you would not get to go
otherwise. This pathfinder is primarily meant for high school upperclassmen, although
younger students with good research skills certainly may find it useful.
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Names to Know
Actors
Bing Crosby
Bob Hope
Cary Grant
Clark Gable
Fred Astaire
Humphrey Bogart
Jimmy Stewart
Marx Brothers
Spencer Tracy
Directors
Alfred Hitchcock
Frank Capra
George Cukor
George Stevens
Howard Hawks
John Ford
Orson Welles
Victor Flemming
Vincent Minnelli
Actresses
Betty Davis
Carole Lombard
Ginger Rogers
Greta Garbo
Joan Crawford
Katherine Hepburn
Mae West
Marlene Dietrich
Films
42nd Street- 1933
King Kong- 1933
It Happened One Night1934
The Wizard of Oz- 1939
Gone with the Wind- 1939
The Philadelphia Story1940
Citizen Kane- 1941
Casablanca- 1942
The Big Sleep- 1946
Notorious- 1946
Genres
Gangster Movie
Melodrama
Musical
Screwball Comedy
Western
Studios
MGM
Paramount
RKO
Twentieth Century Fox
Warner Brothers
Sources:
Edlin, April (2003). “The Golden Age of Hollywood: 1930s-1940s.” Retrieved May 25, 2006 from
http://ils.unc.edu/dpr/path/goldenhollywood/major_names.htm
“Motion picture, history of the.” (2006). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved May 31, 2006, from Encyclopædia Britannica
Online: http://search.eb.com/eb/article-52153
Voss, Karen (2001). “Classical Hollywood Cinema.” American Film Institute. Retrieved May 28, 2006 from Fathom Online Learning
at http://www.fathom.com/course/10701053/index.html
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Subject Headings and Call Numbers
Film Genres
Comedy Films
Gangster Films
Melodrama in Motion Pictures
Musical Films
Western Films
Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.)- History
Motion Picture Industry- History
Motion Picture Studios- California- Los Angeles- History
Motion picture actors and actresses- United States- Biography
791.43
791.4392 for autobiographies/biographies
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Online Databases and Encyclopedias
May want to use these to gain a general understanding of the history of films, look up
specific people, studios, and films. **Read articles on five big studios: MGM, RKO,
Paramount, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Brothers, search for names of actors, films,
genres (western, musical film), large article under motion picture and motion picture,
history of (especially section on Hollywood studio system), Hollywood. No articles on
specific movies, but if you type into basic search will bring back articles where the film is
mentioned (for Wizard of Oz will bring up Judy Garland, musical film, MGM, and Arthur
Freed).
Biography Resource Center (accessible through Inspire)
“The Biography Resource Center is a database of biographical information on more
than 185,000 people from throughout history, around the world, and across all
disciplines and subject areas…Search for people based on one or more personal facts
such as birth and death years and places, nationality, ethnicity, occupation or gender, or
combine criteria to create a highly-targeted custom search path.” –Indiana University
Libraries (http://www.libraries.iub.edu/index.php?pageId=400&resourceId=40)
Encyclopedia Britannica Online
“The equivalent of the printed Encyclopædia Britannica and more. A fully searchable
and browsable collection of authoritative references, including Britannica's latest article
database, hundreds of articles not found in the print Britannica. Thousands of
illustrations; references to biographies, geography and yearbooks.” Indiana University
Libraries (http://www.libraries.iub.edu/index.php?pageId=400&resourceId=85)
Internet Movie Database: http://imdb.com
“Hundreds of thousands of entries provide detailed information for movies…’Awards
and Reviews’ provides reviews from authoritative sources such as the New York Times,
Roger Ebert, and Slate, as well as reader-supplied evaluations. Movie information
includes directors, producers, actors, plot summaries, character names, running times,
trivia, soundtracks, release dates, box office grosses, alternate versions, Academy
Awards and other awards information, and much more.” – Librarians’ Internet Index
http://lii.org/pub/topic/film
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Print Resources
Canby, Vincent, Maslin, Janet, & Nichols, Peter M. (editors) (1999). The New York
Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made.
“This volume compiles alphabetically the original reviews of the 1000 "best" films as
selected by New York Times critics from 1927 to 1998. The selections come largely
from the "Ten Best Films" chosen at the end of each year…The result is fascinating in
two respects. First, the book provides easy access to historical criticism…Second, it
encourages reflection on the politics of taste.” –Library Journal (accessed through
www.amazon.com)
Stevens, George Jr. (editor) (2006). Conversations with the Great Moviemakers of
Hollywood’s Golden Age: At the American Film Institute.
“Stevens opens each chapter with a succinct, entertaining description of the artist and
his or her work, followed by a fascinating Q&A. He has edited the material with grace
and clarity, allowing the personality of each subject—as well as an inside look at the
industry—to emerge…As invaluable as the book is for film historians and future
filmmakers, it’ll also delight anyone fascinated by movies and their makers.” –Publishers
Weekly, starred review (accessed through www.amazon.com)
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Audiovisual: Web-based
Archive Classic Movies: http://archiveclassicmovies.com
From the introduction, “This site is dedicated to classic movies and serials from
Hollywood’s Golden Age, and will hopefully provide free and convenient access to some
of these films. All movies on this site are in the public domain, and generously hosted
by archive.org…” (http://www.archiveclassicmovies.com/main.html). You can watch
movies that are being played on the site itself or download movies by podcast. To use
this resource to its full capabilities you must have Quicktime and ITunes (can download
from http://apple.com/quicktime/download.win.html and/or
http://apple.com/itunes/download)
Bogart Film Clips: http://home.mchsi.com/~filmclips
View free clips and theatrical trailers from over a dozen Humphrey Bogart films,
including golden age classics Casablanca, The Big Sleep, and The Maltese Falcon.
Must use RealPlayer to view files (can download free from http://www.real.com).
Judy on Radio: http://www.jgb.com/rpndx.htm
This resource is a site from the Judy Garland Database:
http://www.jgdb.com/index.html. You can listen to free MP3 files of over 20 Judy
Garland radio appearances, mainly during the 1940s. Includes performances of “The
Trolley Song” from Meet Me in St. Louis and Lux radio shows of The Wizard of Oz and
A Star is Born. Most files are about thirty minutes long, although some are over an
hour. Uses Quicktime player (can download for free at
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download.win.html).
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Software
Britannica Profiles: Hollywood and the World of Movies. Britannica, n.d.
Available for Windows 98 or higher or Macintosh 10.2.2 or higher.
“…takes film lovers on a lively tour of the history of the movie business, from the early
stars to the idols of today. Chronicling the powerful and the beautiful along with the
latest trends of the international motion picture industry, this CD will entertain and
educate the curious fan and the serious film buff.” – Product description from
http://www.amazon.com
Cinemania 97. Microsoft Home, 1996. Available for Macintosh and Windows
computers.
Product features, “Roger Ebert, Leonard Maltin, and Pauline Kael reviews, access to
more than 4,000 biographies of movie professionals….cross-referencing of actors,
filmmakers, and more.” – http://www.amazon.com
Hollywood: 75 Years of the Silver Screen. Atari, 2004. Requires Windows 98 or
higher or Macintosh Mac OS 10.2.2 or higher.
Product features, “Oscar winners gallery; information on Academy Award winners, facts
about Hollywood today and the history that surrounds it, browse articles A-Z or by
subject such as actors or directors, thousands of online magazine articles and videos,
and over 350 photos, 500 biographies, and 220,000 web links.” http://www.amazon.com
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Websites
*AFI’s 100 Years…: http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/100yearslist.aspx
"’This is the American Film Institute's list of America's 100 Greatest Movies, selected by
AFI's blue-ribbon panel of more than 1,500 leaders of the American movie community.
Click on movie titles to find out more’ about each film.” – Internet Public Library
http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/ent50.00.00/
Class Act, Those Golden Movie Musicals: http://www.classicmoviemusicals.com
Site creator Jim Johnson says, “Class Act is an attempt to share what I have learned
with others who enjoy the movie musicals. It is not intended to be an exhaustive source
of information….but I think it is a unique resource. Hyperlinks are a wonderful tool for
interconnection of related facts. Class Act allows you to select a movie of interest, read
a few facts about it and view a few pictures, then through hyperlinks, you can follow one
of the cast members through the other movies he/she made and learn about his/her
career…You can select a song by title and follow the hyperlink to find out what movies it
was performed in and who wrote it…” –Class Act, Introduction
http://www.classicmoviemusicals.com/intro1.htm
Classic Movies: http://www.classicmovies.com
“A treasure trove of information and discussion about classic movies from the "Golden
Age of Hollywood." The author is the former About.com Guide to Classic Movies and his
new site is for "fans of classic Hollywood films and old, vintage movies, with hundreds of
pages of content featuring tributes to classic movie stars, actors, actresses, directors,
filmmakers, composers, and other movie people, news about celebrity deaths, and
information about movies for sale, plus other articles on subjects of interest to classic
movie fans." – Internet Public Library http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/ent50.40.00/
*Costume Designers Guild Hall of Fame:
http://costumedesignersguild.com/halloffame.htm
This site has pictures and brief biographies of several famous Golden Age costume
designers, including Edith Head (Notorious- 1946, The Bells of Saint Mary’s- 1945,
Holiday Inn- 1942) and Walter Plunkett (Gone with the Wind- 1939, The Gay Divorcee1934, Little Women- 1933).
Greatest Films: http://www.filmsite.org
“Site specializing in classic Hollywood films with detailed overviews of many of the
greatest films in cinematic history. Features 100 selected greatest films including
greatest moments, famous scenes, a famous film quotes quiz & hundreds of vintage
movie posters. With a special section on film genres and links to major film search
engines.” – Internet Public Library http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/ent50.00.00/
Moderntimes, Classic Film Pages: http://moderntimes.com/palace/introduction.html
This site is a portal to six main pages on different aspects of classic movies. Sections
that are especially of interest are: Midnight Ramble
(http://moderntimes.com/palace/black) which is about the role of blacks in Golden Age
movies, Screwball Comedy (http://www.moderntimes.com/screwball/define.html) which
is devoted to this major genre from Golden Age, and Palace Classic Films
(http://www.moderntimes.com/palace) which houses hundreds of images from films
throughout the Golden age. Throughout the entire Moderntimes site are links to other
classic movie sites and useful bibliographies.
*National Film Preservation Board: http://www.loc.gov/film
“This Board ‘works to ensure the survival, conservation and increased public availability
of America's film heritage.’ The site includes the National Film Registry, documents
related to film preservation research, and the directory ‘Public Motion Picture Research
Centers and Film Archives.’ A nice selection of related links in ‘Other Film Resources’
rounds out this site. From the Library of Congress.” – Librarians’ Internet Index
http://lii.org/pub/subtopic/316
Reel Classics, Elizabeth’s Classic Movie Homepage:
http://www.reelclassics.com/index.html
Extensive website with thirteen main sections. Of note are: the Audio/Visual Gallery,
which has both movie clips and music clips, the Articles section, which has current
articles as well as historical articles, and the Stars and Films sections, which has pages
devoted to specific movies, actors, and famous screen teams. The site is still under
construction, but there is enough good information here to make it worth your while.
*Roger Ebert, Great Movies Introduction:
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=greatmovies_intro
Famed movie critic Roger Ebert started this bi-weekly feature to review films from the
past. Not all of the films are from the Golden Age of Hollywood, but many are, including
The Adventures of Robin Hood- 1939, The Big Sleep- 1946, Casablanca- 1942, Citizen
Kane- 1941, and Duck Soup- 1933. The reviews for these films are really more like
essays, with personal anecdotes and historical musings. Ebert has published print
editions of his Great Movies series, currently available in two volumes: The Great
Movies and The Great Movies II.
*Turner Classic Movies: http://www.tcm.com
This resource is much more than just a website for a television network. The
multimedia section has numerous theatrical trailers and film clips. There is also a great
database, with over 13,000 titles listed from the 1930s and 1940s. A search for To
Have and Have Not (1945) brings back an overview, the credits, quotes, multimedia
links, a synopsis, and genre information, among other things. You can search for
people (actors, directors, musicians, etc) or film titles.
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Extension Ideas
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Created by Anne Wartman for L595- Electronic Materials for Children and Young Adults
Created on May 29, 2006, last Updated on June 1st, 2006