The story of film from its beginnings to the end of the studio system.
Universal
Universal is the oldest studio in
Hollywood. Carl Laemmle who founded the company was the most appealing
of the moghuls known affectionately as Uncle Carl. In 1912 his
Independent Motion Picture company (IMP) combined with Powers' Picture
Plays, Bison Life Motion Pictures, Nestor, Eclair and Champion to form
Universal.In 1915 Universal City : a 230 acre film-making city was
established by Laemmle. Among the stars that worked there in the silent
days were Mary Pickford, Wallace Reid, Francis Ford (brother of
director John), Harry
Carey, Rudolph Valentino, Conrad Veidt
and above
all Lon Chaney.
The Man of a Thousand Faces gave Universal a lasting taste for horror with The Hunchb ack of Notre Dame (1923) and Phantom of the Opera (1925).In the early 1920s Erich Von Stroheim's films made a lot of money for Universal. As a fellow German immigrant Laemmle must have sympathised with Von Stroheim when he acted out the story to get the finance for his first feature Blind Husbands (1919). Laemmle employed a talented young production chief Irving Thalberg who clashed with Von Stroheim over the extravagances of Foolish Wives (1922) and Merry Go Round (1923).
The early years of the sound era saw Universal at its peak with Showboat (1929), Broadway (1929) and The King of Jazz (1930). The most prestigious production was Lewis Milestone's All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). In the early 30s the studio embarked on its second and most famous horror cycle begun by Bela Lugosi in Dracula (1931) and Boris Karloff in Frankenstein (1931). Despite these successes by the mid 30s the studio was beginning to have financial problems.
In 1936 the Laemmles lost control, the studio was only saved from bankruptcy by Deanna Durbin in Three Smart Girls (1937).In the Forties Universal's output was mainly low budget horror, costume exotics made on the cheap and B westerns. The only major stars under contract were Abbott and Costello.
The studio was merged with International
Pictures in 1946 to become
Universal
International and much later MCA (the Music Corporation of
America)
took control. Universal were as well prepared as anyone to enter the
Television age and the age of the agent. From
1950 they had a
profit-sharing agreement with star James Stewart which led to films
like Harvey (1950) : they also issued all Hitchcock's films from The
Birds (1963) on.They started the age of the modern blockbuster with
Jaws (1975). Films like E.T. (1982) and Back to the Future (1985)
helped them rise to the top table of movie companies while many of
their former mighty rivals have disappeared from the scene.
Throughout its history Universal released large numbers of films in a variety of genres. Best remembered for its horror films and weepies such as Magnificent Obsession and Imitation of Life first filmed in 30s and remade 20 years later, the studio also produced many cheap musicals, westerns and comedies. In later years the studio upgraded its product and more recently it was the home of many of the movies of Steven Spielberg culminating in Schindler's List.
Lon Chaney Snr and Jnr, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Deanna Durbin, Donald O' Connor, W.C. Fields, Abbott and Costello, Maria Montez, James Stewart, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, Doris Day
Erich Von Stroheim, John Stahl, Douglas Sirk, Henry Koster, James Whale, Robert Siodmark, Alfred Hitchcock, Anthony Mann, Don Siegel, Steven Spielberg
Best Picture :
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Hamlet (1948) (Rank, distributed by Universal)
The Sting (1973)
The Man of a Thousand Faces gave Universal a lasting taste for horror with The Hunchb ack of Notre Dame (1923) and Phantom of the Opera (1925).In the early 1920s Erich Von Stroheim's films made a lot of money for Universal. As a fellow German immigrant Laemmle must have sympathised with Von Stroheim when he acted out the story to get the finance for his first feature Blind Husbands (1919). Laemmle employed a talented young production chief Irving Thalberg who clashed with Von Stroheim over the extravagances of Foolish Wives (1922) and Merry Go Round (1923).
The early years of the sound era saw Universal at its peak with Showboat (1929), Broadway (1929) and The King of Jazz (1930). The most prestigious production was Lewis Milestone's All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). In the early 30s the studio embarked on its second and most famous horror cycle begun by Bela Lugosi in Dracula (1931) and Boris Karloff in Frankenstein (1931). Despite these successes by the mid 30s the studio was beginning to have financial problems.
In 1936 the Laemmles lost control, the studio was only saved from bankruptcy by Deanna Durbin in Three Smart Girls (1937).In the Forties Universal's output was mainly low budget horror, costume exotics made on the cheap and B westerns. The only major stars under contract were Abbott and Costello.
The Films
Throughout its history Universal released large numbers of films in a variety of genres. Best remembered for its horror films and weepies such as Magnificent Obsession and Imitation of Life first filmed in 30s and remade 20 years later, the studio also produced many cheap musicals, westerns and comedies. In later years the studio upgraded its product and more recently it was the home of many of the movies of Steven Spielberg culminating in Schindler's List.
The Stars
Lon Chaney Snr and Jnr, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Deanna Durbin, Donald O' Connor, W.C. Fields, Abbott and Costello, Maria Montez, James Stewart, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, Doris Day
The Directors
Erich Von Stroheim, John Stahl, Douglas Sirk, Henry Koster, James Whale, Robert Siodmark, Alfred Hitchcock, Anthony Mann, Don Siegel, Steven Spielberg
Academy Awards
Best Picture :
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Hamlet (1948) (Rank, distributed by Universal)
The Sting (1973)
Universal Releases (1913-1958)
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Written content of the Golden Age of Hollywood Website (except where indicated) copyright Derek McLellan, 2007.