The Significance of California for Hollywood

Introduction

• Welcome message addressing various time zones.
• Topics for the lecture:
  • California's significance for Hollywood.
  • Hollywood boosterism and mass culture.
  • Pioneer mythology and the paradise myth.
  • Notable figures: Lois Weber.
  • Central Casting Bureau.
  • Related media: Short film noir, "Film Grace".

Why Los Angeles for Hollywood?

• Not a predetermined location for the film industry.
• Reasons for choosing LA:
  • Climate and varied topography suitable for filming.
  • Historical open shop and anti-union labor practices.
  • Escape high costs and Edison's monopoly on the movie industry from the East Coast.
  • Potential to flee to Mexico to avoid legal issues with Edison.
  • Cultural appeal: Romantic frontier and new West vision.
• Charlie Chaplin quote (1915) about LA being the land of the future.
• Shift in industry from agriculture to oil, aeronautics, and film.

Hollywood and the Paradise Myth

• Hollywood perpetuating the myth of California as a paradise.
• Other contributors to the myth:
  • Music, railroad companies, advertisements, newspaper articles.
• Pioneer mythology related to the paradise myth:
  • California as a place to start over, linked to American frontier ideas.
• Historical phases of the pioneer paradise myth:
  • Gold Rush, railroad industry, and the 1920s Hollywood boom.
• Advertisement example: "Sunsite Limited to California" showcasing Spanish fantasy past imagery.
• Emphasis on climate and regional culture.

Influence on Mass Culture

• Film as a transformative part of mass culture in the 20th century.
• Prior to film: Popular books, newspapers, magazines, music, leisure goods.
• Film: New aspect of mass culture, major urban institution.
• Communication through films and newsreels before TV and Internet.
• Films reflecting and shaping American identity:
  • Identity solidified by mass culture and films.
  • Movies as texts documenting and reflecting changes in self-image.

Films and Cultural Reflection

• Films as reflections of American culture, race, gender, and norms.
• Example: Racist catchphrase "I'm free white and 21"
  • Popularized in films, reflecting racial and societal norms.
  • Actor Harry Belafonte's response in film during the Civil Rights Movement.
• Films inadvertently feeding the Civil Rights struggle.

Conclusion

• Encouragement to watch a short film illustrating the use of the phrase "I'm free white and 21".
• Lecture to continue after watching the film.