Classic Hollywood

Classical Hollywood is often associated with stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Carey Grant, and Katherine Hepburn, but rarely is it connected to the directors who created the iconic films. The Hollywood star system made the actors the main representation of a movie. Advertising for a film revolved around which actors were cast in the film. A set audience was expected to follow a specific studio because of the actors hired.

Just by listing a certain name, the audience could accurately predict which genre the film was. By contract, stars were linked to studios and branded as a certain character. If you saw the name Fred Astaire, you most certainly knew you would see him sing and/or dance. Hollywood studios became associated with the genres their actors appeared in. A star may have been popular enough for their name to appear in the title of the film, guaranteeing a large audience. If Fred Astaire and Judy Garland were with MGM, they would be making as many musicals as possible. Studios profited off of the star system, producing over fifty films a year and managing success even with a few flops.

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