Talking+Movies,+Al+Jolson+stars+in+the+Jazz+Singer,

Home 1920's Topics __1920’s Project Assignment__ Louis B. Mayer and the American Film IndustryAl Jolson and Talking Movies Brian Moser & Blaine Furey in action || ||
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__Task One---DESCRIBE YOUR TOPIC -Due Tuesday, February 7__ Each topic includes an association or movement and an individual. Please write __two__ extended power paragraphs that address the following prompt:**Explain the achievements associated with your topic. Who and what were altered? Describe why both were significant in the 1920s. Explain the relationship between the individua****l and the association or movement.** POST PARAGRAPHS HERE
 * Support the ideas in each paragraph with evidence from a minimum of three  credible sources.
 * Select only signed  sources from the LC databases--each source must have a credible author.
 * Establish the credibility of the author the first time a source is referenced.
 * Credit sources with internal citations and in a Works Cited.
 * Insert the Works Cited after the Third Task.
 * Post the paragraphs to the wiki. Timely posting of completed tasks earn 10 points.

Brian Moser:

The 1920s were a period of hard work for some, and play and relaxation for others; For those fortunate enough to have wealth and free time, they wanted something new to help invigorate their lives. For some, this came in the form of the film industry. One important father of this new form of entertainment was Louis B. Mayer. Born in Russia in the late 1800s, Mayer immigrated to America where he started his own business. At around this time, the latest innovation in movies was the nickelodeon (not the TV network), which were small personal boxes that could play short movies for private enjoyment. Inspired by this craze, Mayer decided to open up his own theater, "and announced that it would be 'the home of refined entertainment devoted to [popular] moving pictures and illustrated songs'" (Reader's C). With this success, Mayer developed a chain of nickelodeons all over New England and created his own distributing company, the American Feature Film Company. Eventually Mayer gained enough success to move to Los Angeles and create his own film empire. After another string of successes, "a pending merger between Metro Pictures and the Goldwyn Company was broadened to include Mayer Productions" (Reader's C) a company we now know as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM. Through this new production company, Mayer fostered the careers of many new actors and actresses and was responsible for classic movies such as //A Night at the Opera, An American in Paris, and The Wizard of Oz// (Reader's C).

While Louis Mayer was a man who helped the movie industry thrive, he wouldn't have gotten the chance if it were not for his parent company, MGM. MGM was created in 1924 when three successful companies pooled their resources, writers, actors, sets, studios, and more were exchanged to form "the consummate studio during Hollywood's classical era" capable of producing "quality films on a scale unmatched in the industry" (Schatz 153). Less than a year after its birth, MGM already had two huge hits, //Ben-Hur// and //The Big Parade//. MGM also gave rise to a large group of stars like Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, and Lionel Barrymore. Interestingly, MGM was strongly opposed to the movement to sound films, but when the change was finally unavoidable, in 1928 the company was easily able to transition to the new medium, which gave birth to the iconic "Three Roars" from MGM's mascot, Leo the Lion (Schatz 155). With the runaway success of the "Talkies", MGM was "now on par with Paramount, Fox, and Warner Bros in terms of revenues and resources" (Schatz 155). The main difference in capital between MGM and competitors was the size of its theater chain. In the early years, the founders of MGM had decided "against wholesale theater expansion [keeping the number] to about 150 first-class downtown theaters" while Fox and others had more than 1000 theaters (Schatz 155). This low maintenance cost in comparison to competitors was the factor that eventually led to MGM's survival during the industry-killing years of the Great Depression.

BLAINE FUREY: As technology was rapidly increasing in the 1920s, the entertainment business went through dramatic alterations. One of the most notable changes was the introduction of talking movies. While some producers were skeptical of this advancement, "It remained for the comparatively obscure and financially worried Warner Brothers to take a chance on the new process, which they named Vitaphone" (Crafton). This decision is what introduces talking movies to the American public and leaves them in awe wanting more. The Jazz Singer, the first movie Warner Brothers produced using Vitaphone, was a huge success. Not only did the movie receive temporary fame, but, "//The Jazz Singer// demonstrated the enormous potential of this new technology and whetted movie audiences' appetite for talkies" (Batchelor). With this single movie came a promise of a long lasting and profitable future for the movie industry, and this promise was surely fulfilled. //The Jazz Singer// will forever be referenced when it comes to the talkies, as well as the star of the show, Al Jolson.

Originally a vaudeville entertainer, Jolson was one of the most popular stars at the time, which benfitted Warner Brothers at the box office. //The Jazz Singer// is, in a nutshell, about, "...young Jakie Rabinowitz who defies the traditions of his devout Jewish family by singing popular tunes in a beer hall" (Batchelor). This culture clash eventually tears Rabinowitz between his family and his passion. Considering Jolson's Jewish heritage and career choice, it has been thought that it is loosely based on his life.Jolson's career sky rocketed from there, "While the rest of the motion picture industry scrambled to produce movies with sound, Jolson followed up his big hit with two more talking pictures: //Say It With Songs// (1929) and //Big Boy// (1930)" (ABC CLIO). Jolson and Warner Brothers worked together to achieve success with //The Jazz Singer// as well as evolve into super stars of the movie industry. This is most obvious when considering Vitaphone technology had been available for about a year before this production, but it wasn't utilized or appreciated. This changed when,"...The Jazz Singer made a huge impact on audiences. This was due largely to Jolson's charismatic personality and the fact that he ad-libbed spoken introductions and bits of dialogue in many of the song sequences" (McCaffrey). Jolson captivated Americans across the country, who now craved more talking movies and more Jolson.

<span style="background-color: #9008b6; color: #7dff00; display: block; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">__Task Two-EVALUATE YOUR TOPICS INFLUENCE-Due Friday, February 10__ <span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: left;">Please write two extended power paragraphs which each cite a minimum of three credible sources. Discuss the scope of influence of your topic on the 1920s. How extensive was the influence? Which part of society was influenced? Did the change endure or stimulate additional changes? What is the topic's legacy? What impact did the topic have in the Twenty-First century.

Brian Moser:

Mayer's rise in the movie industry started with his purchase of a nickelodeon in 1907. From here, he moved into distribution and eventually started his own production company, Louis B. Mayer Productions. During his time with MGM, "Mayer's management skills and his capacity to turn out first-class pictures [secured] him the role of vice president and general manager" (Schatz 154). During his reign, Mayer was "dubbed 'Hollywood Rajah' ... and indeed he was the consummate power not only at MGM but throughout Hollywood during its vaunted Golden Age" (Schatz 154). Though he could be a tough boss to work under, "those within the MGM fold were rewarded with the highest salaries and the best film making resources in Hollywood" (Schatz 154). Mayer's success helped MGM to survive the Great Depression and by the 1930s, "MGM ruled the industry and Mayer was, without question, Hollywood's most powerful figure" (Schatz 154). After World War II, the people developed "a darkening view of the human condition" and had little time for the escapist tone in Mayer's movies (Reader's C). After years of losses, "in August in 1951... the most powerful figure in Hollywood for nearly a quarter of a century was forced to resign from the company he had founded" (Reader's C). He tried his hand in private production and tried to regain control of MGM but failed and he died of leukemia in 1957.

MGM's survival during the Great Depression was the first of many enduring periods of success for the company. Their domination of the industry meant that MGM "turned a profit every year during the 1930s, while its assets actually increased" (Schatz 155). MGM's profits during the decade equaled three quarters of the entire industry's profits. MGM also "accounted for nearly one-third of the Academy nominees for Best Picture" and its actors "drew roughly one third of the best actor and best actress nominations as well" (Schatz 155). This dominance gave way for the iconic //Wizard of Oz// and the classic //Gone With the Wind//, two of the most revered and remembered movies of all time. MGM had secured its place through World War II and the post-war period. During the '50s, MGM produced a few other hits like //An American in Paris// and //Singin' in the Rain//. The 1960s had more success, with more popular hits "notably //Dr. Zhiavago//, //2001: A Space Odyssey//, and //Blow Up//" (Schatz 160). After the '60s, MGM started to decline in profits and successful movies. Ownership of the company changed hands many times during the next twenty years until finally Sony bought it in 2004. While MGM's grandeur has faded since then, the iconic "Three Roars" of Leo the Lion and the MGM name will remain one of the faces of the movie industry for years to come.

BLAINE FUREY: The 1920s were a prosperous time that allowed many Americans leisure time to spend how they please. For many, this included movies. Movies were meant for everyone- families, couples, the young, the old, the rich, the poor. This peak of interest was enhanced due to the Vitaphone. By 1928, according to Pop Culture Universe, "...some 300 theaters across the nation were wired to exhibit sound films" (Batchelor). Although this was not a serious matter of health or politics, relative to the entertainment industry, talking movies were a revolution. A simple way of seeing this influence is going to your local movie theater. How many silent films are they playing? Not only were the movies themselves altered from the Vitaphone, but Americans were influenced by the depiction of the Jewish family in //The Jazz Singer//. This was mainly due to, " Unlike earlier Jewish films,// The Jazz Singer // was viewed by millions of Americans in theatres across the nation, many of them completely unfamiliar with Jewish life" (Rohrer). There were many prejudices held against the unfamiliar culture of Jewish-Americans that were addressed in //The Jazz Singer// that allowed people to understand more about this religion. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">POST PARAGRAPHS HERE

<span style="background-color: #9008b6; color: #7dff00; display: block; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 19px; text-align: left;">Task ThreeJUDGE THE IMPACT OF THE INDIVIDUAL & ASSOCIATION---Due Feb. 15 <span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: left;">Now that you have a basic understanding of your topic, and you know the scope of its influence, explain the forces that produced or created the topic. Additionally, what were the driving forces behind the society's reaction to your topic? Use the criteria described in the the Great Man Continuum to determine your topics long-run influence on society. Place your topic on the continuum and justify the reasons for your placement. Please confine your analysis to two extended power paragraphs with each citing a minimum of three credible sources. <span style="color: #008000; display: block; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">POST PARAGRAPHS HERE

<span style="background-color: #7dff00; color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">POST WORKS CITED HERE

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 19px; text-align: left;">R Rubric for all three tasks:

Outstanding paragraphs include the following elements: ✓ Accurate power paragraph format with each paragraph citing evidence from three different sources. ✓ Correct research components such as credibility statement, internal citations, Works Cited entries ✓ Thoughtful and thorough response to the each prompt ✓ A variety of sentences with interesting, clear diction ✓ Photos exemplifying the influence of the individual and association or movement ✓ Place your topic on the Great Man Continuum; ✓ Complete the criteria table to justify the reasons for your placement.