THE FILM STUDIOS BRAND
One of my things is having a love of the old Hollywood and hard cover books on each of the major studios.
For most of the twentieth century Hollywood was run by major studios. They all had their own brand and of course there was the brand within a brand. This is how they were up to the 1950's.
MGM: ( Irving J Thalberg -1936) Louis Mayer Sam Goldwyn
Big budget musicals and dramas and likeable friendly stars.
Clark Gable James Stewart Cary Grant Gene Kelly Judy Garland
Warners Jack Warner
Moderate budget well told contemporary movies with major stars Bogart ,Cagney and Bette Davis.
The exception being big budget colour movies with their biggest star Errol Flynn
Columbia Harry Cohn
Moderate budget but very well made films. Some big budget films
Great black and white photography.
Big name character actors as leads.
Tragically The Three Stooges saved this studio and were only ever on small wages.
Paramount Adolf Zukor
Mainly Comedies. Bid budget With comedies you don't need big name directors. Just tradesman like.
The Marx Brothers, Bob Hope Bing Crosby, Abbott and Costello, Martin and Lewis.
Dramatic Stars Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich William Holden
2oth Century Fox Darryl F Zanuck
Glossy Dramas . Glossy B grade films
Tyrone Power Gregory Peck
RKO Howard Hughes
Lower Budget films
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals. Robert Mitchum
The studio where big names went to make personal independent films.
Eg Billy Wilder with Double Indemnity.
Whether the film was good or bad each of these studios had a mark which typified the studio.
