Chapter 7: The Late Silent Era in Hollywood, 1920-1928

In 1917, the Balaban & Katz chain of theaters in Hollywood pioneered the use of ______.

air-conditioning in theaters

Which of the following techniques did the big Hollywood companies employ during the post-World War I era to maximize their profits?

block booking

During the postwar decade, central to the American film industry's growth was a strategy of ______.

buying and building movie theaters

How did the biggest film production firms of Hollywood jockey for power during the post-World War I decade?

by combining production and distribution with expanding chains of theaters

How did the American production companies prove their willingness to experiment with unconventional films during the 1920s? by importing many successful foreign filmmakers by promoting unconventional films made by Japanese filmmakers by casting popular theater actors in these films by urging the government to fund these films

by importing many successful foreign filmmakers

In 1917, a group of local theater chains in America formed its own production company, First National Exhibitors' Circuit, to ______.

challenge the power of the big Hollywood firms

By building and buying theater chains in the postwar decade, the big producers of Hollywood ______.

ensured an outlet for their films

Which of the following techniques of the 1920s allowed a filmmaker to take live-action films, project each frame onto a piece of paper, and trace the outlines of its figures?

rotoscoping

Before the 1920s, films based on the Western genre of Hollywood were ______. primarily shown in big picture palaces with musical interludes seen as cheap, short features the epitome of late silent filmmaking in Hollywood the main films to be exported to foreign countries from America

seen as cheap, short features

Identify one of the films for which actress Janet Gaynor won the Best Actress award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the late 1920s.

Frank Borzage's Sunrise

Identify the country that had the most prominent film industry in the 1920s after the United States.

Germany

In the 1920s, the largest number of émigré filmmakers in Hollywood came from ______.

Germany

Identify a true statement about the practice of showing films to African Americans in the North of the United States in the 1920s.

The practice was for the races to sit in different parts of auditoriums.

Identify the true statements about the effects of the "Don'ts and Be Carefuls" list adopted by the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America in 1927. (Check all that apply.) Producers continued to circumvent the guidelines mentioned in the list. The list was replaced by the much more elaborate Production Code in the early 1930s. The list was adopted by the National Board of Censorship in 1930. Imported films became more popular than local films as they did not follow the guidelines mentioned in the list.

The list was replaced by the much more elaborate Production Code in the early 1930s. Producers continued to circumvent the guidelines mentioned in the list.

True or false: The third Mickey cartoon, Steamboat Willie, helped catapult Disney to the head of the animation business in the 1930s.

True Reason: This is true. The first two Mickey cartoons failed to find a distributor. A third, Steamboat Willie, incorporated the new sound technology and proved a huge hit. It helped catapult Disney to the head of the animation business in the 1930s.

MATCH Big palaces Medium palaces Second-run houses A piano player A live orchestra A chamber group or pipe organ

Big palace - live orchestra medium palace - chamber group or pipe organ second-run houses - piano player

Identify a true statement about the soft style of cinematography used in Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s. This technique was used to create adequately lighted scenes in a dark room using textured lenses. Cinematographers employed this technique by placing gauzy fabrics or filters in front of camera lenses to create soft, blurry images. With this technique, films were shot with a hard-edge, sharp-focus look with special lenses. Special lenses were used for this technique to keep the foreground action in focus while making the background distinct.

Cinematographers employed this technique by placing gauzy fabrics or filters in front of camera lenses to create soft, blurry images.

Which of the following was the famous Scandinavian genre of the 1910s to which director Benjamin Christensen's first American film harked back?

Circus genre

True or false: A strategy employed during the post-World War I era, block booking meant that any exhibitor who wanted certain films with high box-office potential could rent these films from production companies several months before their actual release dates.

FALSE This is false. Block booking meant that any exhibitor who wanted certain films with high box-office potential had to rent other, less desirable films from the same company.

True or false: The Hollywood films based on the Western genre were not popular until the early 1940s.

False Reason: This is false. One of the genres that gained in prestige in Hollywood during the1920s was the Western.

Identify the incidences that led the public to increasingly view Hollywood as promoting excess and decadence in the 1920s. (Check all that apply.) Films were exploiting subject matters like blues music Female actors were getting divorced to marry directors. Actors were being charged with manslaughter. Anti-government comedies were being made in excess.

Female actors were getting divorced to marry directors. Actors were being charged with manslaughter.

Which of the following was part of a vertically integrated firm that controlled big theater chains in the United States during the 1920s?

First National

Which of the following was part of a vertically integrated firm that controlled big theater chains in the United States during the 1920s? Fox Universal Warner Bros. First National

First National

Which of the following films was advertised by Universal as the first million-dollar movie of Hollywood in 1922?

Foolish Wives

Identify a true statement about European émigré filmmaker Ernst Lubitsch in the 1920s. He showed a mastery in the use of orthochromatic film stock in sets with no lights. His films were often criticized for their dark and humorless content. He moved to Warner Bros. and became the minor studio's most prestigious director. His films lacked the clever visual jokes otherwise seen in Hollywood films of the 1920s.

He moved to Warner Bros. and became the minor studio's most prestigious director.

Which of the following statements is true about the "Don'ts and Be Carefuls" list adopted by the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America in 1927? It dealt as much with the depiction of how crimes were committed as with sexual content. It aimed to provide power to independent filmmakers rather than big theater chains. It adhered to the official policy that required all films to follow an approach called socialist realism. It was an indication of the government's reliance on using cinema as a medium for propaganda.

It dealt as much with the depiction of how crimes were committed as with sexual content.

dentify a true statement about United Artists (UA), founded by Mary Pickford, Charles Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith in 1919.

It existed to distribute films produced independently by its owner

Identify the true statements about the firm Universal during the 1920s. (Check all that apply.) It had few theaters despite a strong distribution wing. It possessed neither theaters nor a distribution wing. It employed Carl Laemmle, who was in the forefront in hiring émigré directors. It had a small stable of prestige directors: John Ford, Raoul Walsh, F. W. Murnau, and Frank Borzage.

It had few theaters despite a strong distribution wing. It employed Carl Laemmle, who was in the forefront in hiring émigré directors.

Identify a true statement about the third Mickey cartoon, Steamboat Willie, in the late 1920s.

It incorporated the new sound technology.

Which of the following was one of the results of using panchromatic film stock in Hollywood films during the 1920s?

It permitted filmmakers to shoot a greater variety of subjects without having to worry about using filters, special paint, and the like.

Identify a true statement about the film The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which was released in 1921.

It reflected the growth of Hollywood and its newly ambitious productions in the 1920s.

Identify a true statement about the panchromatic type of film stock, which was a major innovation in the 1920s.

It registered the whole range of the visible spectrum with nearly equal sensitivity.

Which of the following is true of United Artists (UA) when producer Joseph Schenck took over its management in 1924?

It still failed to make a profit in most years.

Identify the true statements about Warner Bros. in the 1920s. (Check all that apply.) In 1924, it drew on Wall Street investors' new willingness to put money into the film industry. It was a distribution firm, owning neither production facilities nor theaters. It began a major expansion, acquiring theaters and other assets. In 1925, it produced a series of Cecil B. De Mille's films.

It was a distribution firm, owning neither production facilities nor theaters. It began a major expansion, acquiring theaters and other assets.

Identify the true statements about the United States during World War I. (Check all that apply.) It was no longer the center of world finance. The center of world finance shifted from New York to London. It was being dominated by a conservative, probusiness approach. The country's movies continued to make inroads in many foreign countries.

It was being dominated by a conservative, probusiness approach. The country's movies continued to make inroads in many foreign countries.

Identify the disadvantages of using panchromatic film stock in the 1920s. (Check all that apply.) It was expensive. It provided low illumination to an image. It was sensitive only to the purple, blue, and green portions of the visible spectrum. It deteriorated quickly if not used right away.

It was expensive. It deteriorated quickly if not used right away.

Identify a true statement about First National Exhibitors' Circuit, founded in 1917 by a group of local theater chains in the United States.

It was formed by combining production, distribution, and exhibition of films.

Identify a true statement about the film Wings, released by Paramount in 1927.

It was the first film to win the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award (later dubbed "Oscars") for best picture.

Which of the following is a true statement about Paramount-Publix during the post-World War I decade?

It was the first production-distribution-exhibition firm with a truly national theater chain.

Identify a true statement about the American film industry in the 1920s.

Its films bore traces of the fast pace of life in the Jazz Age.

Who won the first Best Actress award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (later dubbed "Oscars") in the late 1920s?

Janet Gaynor

Match the terms associated with the lighting systems used by the big production companies of Hollywood in the 1920s (in the left column) with their functions (in the right column). Low fill light Backlight The key It came from one side of the camera, while a dimmer secondary light from the other side created fill that softened shadows and kept backgrounds visible but inconspicuous. It kept the scene's backgrounds inconspicuous. It outlined the main figures with a glow.

Low fill light- It kept the scene's backgrounds inconspicuous. BacklightIt outlined the main figures with a glow. The keyIt came from one side of the camera, while a dimmer secondary light from the other side created fill that softened shadows and kept backgrounds visible but inconspicuous.

Marcus Loew moved into production by acquiring Metro in 1919 and then Goldwyn Pictures in 1924. This resulted in the origination of ______.

MGM

The merging of Famous Players-Lasky with Balaban & Katz, a Chicago-based theater chain, in 1925 resulted in a firm that Adolf Zukor re-named as ______.

Paramount-Publix

Identify the firms that constituted the Big Three at the top of the American film industry in the 1920s. (Check all that apply.) Identify the firms that constituted the Big Three at the top of the American film industry in the 1920s. (Check all that apply.)

Paramount-Publix First National Loew's (MGM)

Cecil B. De Mille's biggest religious production of the post-World War I era was ______.

The King of Kings

Identify one of Paul Leni's films that reinforced Universal's orientation toward horror films in the 1920s.

The Man Who Laughs

Identify a true statement about the American film industry during the postwar decade.

The average weekly attendance at American movie theaters doubled.

Which of the following is a true statement about the group of firms known as the Little Five of the American film industry in the 1920s? This group was renamed Publix Theaters in the 1930s. These were the first production-distribution-exhibition firms of America. These firms owned few or no theaters. Stanley Company of America was one of these firms.

These firms owned few or no theaters.

Identify a true statement about the dark studios of the big production companies of Hollywood in the 1920s. These were used to store all the unsuccessful films of the production company. These kept out most of the sunlight and allowed only a keyhole-sized stream of sunlight to illuminate the scenes. These were used to store big films, which were scheduled to release in the year ahead. These kept out all sunlight and allowed entire scenes to be illuminated by artificial lights.

These kept out all sunlight and allowed entire scenes to be illuminated by artificial lights.

Identify a true statement about the 1920s laws concerning the way Hollywood films were shown to African Americans in the South of the United States.

These laws required that exhibitors separate their white and Black patrons.

Identify the features of the atmospheric picture palaces of America in the 1920s. (Check all that apply.) They had a dark-blue dome with light-bulb stars and moving clouds that were cast onto the ceiling by projectors. They often incorporated elaborate ornamentation based on Italian baroque and rococo styles. They had decor that imitated exotic places, such as a Spanish villa or an Egyptian temple. They offered only one piano or violin player as the musical accompaniment to films.

They had a dark-blue dome with light-bulb stars and moving clouds that were cast onto the ceiling by projectors. They had decor that imitated exotic places, such as a Spanish villa or an Egyptian temple.

Identify the features of conventional picture palaces in the United States in the 1920s. (Check all that apply.) They gave the spectator the impression of sitting in an auditorium that opened onto a night sky. They had huge chandeliers, domes, and balconies that dominated the interiors. Their decor imitated Egyptian temples or Spanish villas. They often incorporated elaborate ornamentation based on Italian baroque and rococo styles.

They had huge chandeliers, domes, and balconies that dominated the interiors. They often incorporated elaborate ornamentation based on Italian baroque and rococo styles.

Identify the features of conventional picture palaces in the United States in the 1920s. (Check all that apply.) They gave the spectator the impression of sitting in an auditorium that opened onto a night sky. They often incorporated elaborate ornamentation based on Italian baroque and rococo styles. Their decor imitated Egyptian temples or Spanish villas. They had huge chandeliers, domes, and balconies that dominated the interiors.

They often incorporated elaborate ornamentation based on Italian baroque and rococo styles. They had huge chandeliers, domes, and balconies that dominated the interiors.

Identify a true statement about unconventional films in Hollywood in the 1920s.

They were not ruled out in the American film industry.

Which of the following production companies pioneered the genre of horror films in the United States during the 1920s?

Universal

Identify the firms that constituted the Little Five of the American film industry in the 1920s. (Check all that apply.) Warner Bros. First National Loew's (MGM) Universal Fox

Warner Bros. Universal Fox

During the 1920s, Black roles in mainstream Hollywood films were ______.

based on stereotypes

In the 1920s, the firm Universal, under its founder Carl Laemmle, continued to ______.

concentrate on relatively low-budget films

True or false: The 1920s were a period of hardship for every sector of society in the United States, especially filmmakaing.

false This is false. The 1920s were a period of prosperity for many sectors of society in the United States. American consumer goods, including movies, continued to make inroads in many foreign countries.

In the 1920s, Hollywood was viewed by the public as promoting excess and decadence because of certain events, such as _____.

famous people were dying of drug addiction

What came to be known as the "the Lubitsch touch" in the 1920s?

filmmaker Ernst Lubitsch's ability to hint at sexual appetites and his clever visual jokes

Which of the following are Roaring Twenties subject matter, exploited by many post-World War I films? (Check all that apply.) flappers Gospel music bands jazz music bootleg liquor women's liberation

flappers jazz music bootleg liquor

The 1920s were the first decade during which American firms systematically sought ______.

foreign talent

Cecil B. De Mille's sex comedies of the 1920s presented adultery as a(n) ______.

frivolous and glamorous pastime

Josef von Sternberg's Underworld (1927) did a great deal to establish the ______ in Hollywood.

gangster genre

Scandinavian director Benjamin Christensen came to Hollywood in the 1920s with MGM and gained popularity for making several ______.

gothic thrillers

After the screening of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in the United States in 1921, which of the following gradually became a minor American genre?

horror films

Universal hired German director Paul Leni in the 1920s. His films reinforced Universal's orientation toward ______.

horror films

A true statement about using panchromatic film stock in Hollywood films during the 1920s is that ______. it permitted filmmakers to make shots of actors who were not wearing makeup it could capture only the green, blue, and purple hues that were used in the films it generated a radical change in the look of films it needed a variety of filters and special paints to shoot diverse subjects

it permitted filmmakers to make shots of actors who were not wearing makeup

Identify the factors that made Wings, released by Paramount in 1927, the epitome of late silent filmmaking in Hollywood. (Check all that apply.) its usage of orthochromatic film stock to shoot distinguished subjects its careful use of motifs its heightened authenticity due to filming location its sophisticated use of continuity editing, selective lighting, and camera movement

its careful use of motifs its sophisticated use of continuity editing, selective lighting, and camera movement

A problem with Erich von Stroheim's Foolish Wives (1922) was that ______.

its first version ran over six hours

The most obvious indication of the growth of Hollywood in the post-World War I period was ______.

its increasing vertical integration

The triumph of Rex Ingram's The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) was probably mainly because of ______.

its stars who played the doomed central couple

An accurate statement about the American film industry during the postwar decade is that ______.

major Wall Street investment firms became interested in the young film industry

Which of the following did the big theaters of Hollywood offer in addition to the feature during the 1920s? (Check all that apply.) a guided tour of the picture palace newsreels and comic shorts a lavish dinner after the feature live-action playlets interspersed with the film program

newsreels and comic shorts live-action playlets interspersed with the film program

In the 1920s, hiring the best European personnel was one of Hollywood's way of ensuring that ______. no country would grow powerful enough to challenge Hollywood in world film markets it would always be ready to promote talented filmmakers from around the world its audience did not get bored of the local movies that were being shown there was enough diversity in the American film industry

no country would grow powerful enough to challenge Hollywood in world film markets

Cecil B. De Mille's The King of Kings (1927) was controversial for its ______.

onscreen depiction of Christ

Identify the major features of the picture palaces of Hollywood in the 1920s. (Check all that apply.) open ventilation and large windows modestly designed lobbies and ceilings orchestral accompaniment to the films seating for thousands of patrons

orchestral accompaniment to the films seating for thousands of patrons

In the 1910s, films by Black-controlled production firms in the United States ______.

showed mainly positive images of Black heroism during World War I

The soft style of cinematography, used by Hollywood cinematographers in the 1920s and 1930s, derived from ______.

still photography

Which of the following thrust Warner Bros. to the forefront of the American film industry in the 1920s? the firm's investment in conventional picture palaces the firm's adoption of French Impressionism in its films the firm's focus on producing films with a social realist approach the firm's investment in new sound technology

the firm's investment in new sound technology

In the 1920s, the film industry in the United States benefited from ______.

the high level of capital available during this period

Identify one of the factors that helped make the flashily dressed, heavily armed gangster a prominent image in Hollywood films in the 1920s.

the rise of organized criminal activity associated with Prohibition

A feature of the atmospheric picture palaces of Hollywood in the 1920s was that ______.

they gave the spectator the impression of sitting in an auditorium that opened onto a night sky

An accurate statement about African American actors in Hollywood during the 1920s is that ______.

they seldom found regular work

A feature of conventional picture palaces in the United States in the 1920s was that ______.

they were imitations of legitimate theaters

Why was the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) formed by the main studios of Hollywood in the 1920s? (Check all that apply.) to allow foreign films to release in America to promote government-sponsored films to clean up Hollywood's image to forestall government censorship

to clean up Hollywood's image to forestall government censorship

Identify one of Will Hays's strategies when he was elected as the head of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) in early 1922. to pressure the directors to stop casting married actresses in sex comedies to eliminate morals clauses from studio contracts to ban satirical, anti-government comedies to pressure the producers to eliminate the offensive content of their films

to pressure the producers to eliminate the offensive content of their films

An accurate statement about the films produced by Black-controlled production firms in the United States in the 1910s is that the films usually showed ______.

traditional Black comic stereotypes