Hollywood History
Folk, Pop and Agit-Prop: Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger After ‘A Complete Unknown’
Seeger was shaped by the 1930s, Baez by the 1960s, and both, like Dylan, had a moment of decision that defined their allegiances.
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The Blacklisting of a Great Artist: Paul Robeson’s Exile From Hollywood
A preeminent artist-activist of the mid-twentieth century, his banishment by the studios lasted longer than any other performer of the blacklist era — twenty-five years, ending only with his death.
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100 Years Later, Revisiting Buster Keaton in the Multiverse
The comedian-auteur labored over his fifth and shortest feature film for five months before unveiling what would become a prescient Jazz Age meditation on the relationship of audiences to screens.
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Shut Up and Entertain: The Long Push to Keep Politics Out of Hollywood
For decades, studios veered between "make-no-waves" and occasional preachiness, but for most of Hollywood history what helped filmmakers gauge the political temperature of moviegoers was that the two sides shared the same basic value system.
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As Broadcasting & Cable Goes Dark, a Former Editor In Chief Reflects on the 93-Year Legacy of Magazine
Launched in 1931 when radio reigned, the trade kept a critical eye on politics, news, entertainment and advertising — and where they all intersected.
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How Paramount’s First Big Sale Spurred a New Hollywood Era in 1966
When mineral-producing conglomerate Gulf + Western snapped up the historic studio, the industry was at a crossroads. But a series of key moves kicked off a run of feature hits that fueled decades of growth.
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The Rise of Mega Studios: How MGM Remade Hollywood 100 Years Ago
The goal of the Metro, Goldwyn and Mayer deal in April 1924 was to eliminate production overlap between the companies, pooling resources to create "more pictures and better pictures."
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For Francis Ford Coppola’s Go-for-Broke Movies, All Roads Lead to Cannes
The director readies his self-funded epic 'Megalopolis' for the Croisette, with echoes of his 'Apocalypse Now' journey 45 years ago accompanying him.
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Oscars Big Snub? ‘Casablanca’ Win Marked Boiling Point at Warner Bros.
At the time, it was seen as the ultimate Academy Awards snub that sent the town abuzz: When studio mogul Jack Warner stole the Oscars statuette from Hal Wallis on stage it proved the last straw in an increasingly contentious relationship.
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The Ruthless Rise and Fall of Paramount Pictures During Hollywood’s Golden Age
The venerable movie studio, now up for grabs, once defined the industry's zeal for consolidation, pioneering vertical integration and serving as the model for each of its major rivals.
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‘Dr. Strangelove’ Was a Nightmare Comedy. Time Forgot the Nightmare Part
Stanley Kubrick's feature is such a sidesplitting laugh riot that, sixty years later, the radioactive level of fear and trembling in the atmosphere may have dissipated — unless you were there at the time.
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Was This Hollywood’s Worst Year Ever?
At the very least, between a box office that hasn't yet recovered, the end of Peak TV, layoffs everywhere, the threat of AI to creative work and production halts, 2023 wasn't great.
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