Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood

Moguls & Movie Stars: A History Of Hollywood is an excellent documentary series that originally aired on Turner Classic Movies in late 2010. The series covers a wide array of material from the beginning of cinema in the 1880's through the decline of the mogul dominated Hollywood studio system in the 1960's, with everything in between. The set is divided into 7 episodes on 3 discs, running approximately 7 hours. Also included is a 40-page booklet with vintage photographs and each episode has bonus reflections by film historians and writer/producer Jon Wilkman. I will include a very brief description of each episode and the people discussed within them. Each one contains much more than I'm listing and gives you a great idea of how Hollywood went through its many transitions.Episode 1: Peepshow Pioneers (1889-1907) - The series begins with a look at film in its infancy, taking a look at people such as Thomas Edison, Auguste and Louis Lumière and Georges Méliès. Also covered is the role of the newly arriving immigrants in America and their role in shaping the history of cinema, particularly in starting some of the earliest Nickelodeons for people to view movies.Episode 2: The Birth of Hollywood (1907-1920) - Most early American movies were filmed in and around large cities, such as New York and Chicago. These locations proved problematic for a lack of variety in shooting locations and for legal reasons. To solve their problems, many key players in the industry began to migrate west to California, establishing Hollywood as a movie maker paradise in the 1910's. Included in this episode are legends such as Charlie Chaplin, Samuel Goldwyn, Cecil B. DeMille, D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford and Lillian Gish.Episode 3: The Dream Merchants (1920-1928) - The 1920's proved to be the decade that brought us true Hollywood moguls. Many of the previously mentioned immigrants had accumulated vast amounts of wealth in their Nickelodeons, prompting them to produce their own films. Upon moving to Hollywood, many of them founded their own production studios which lead to the creation of many of the companies we still know today. Included are Louis B. Mayer (MGM), Adolph Zukor (Paramount), Carl Laemmle (Universal), and all four of the Warner brothers.Episode 4: Brother Can You Spare a Dream (1929-1941) - During this period the film industry faced some major changes and hardships, such as the introduction of "talkies" and the Great Depression. This period also marked the arrival of many European filmmakers to Hollywood (Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock and William Wyler to name a few), bringing with them unique styles and perspectives which would change movies forever.Episode 5: Warriors and Peacemakers (1941-1950) - When America entered World War II the future of Hollywood was uncertain. Many filmmakers actually joined the military and saw combat, such as Frank Capra, John Ford, William Wyler and George Stevens. The directors took these experiences and made patriotic films and documentaries which helped our countries morale and helped rally us through the end of the war.Episode 6: The Attack of Small Screens (1950-1960) - As the title says, this episode covers how Hollywood changed in response to growing popularity of Television. Many of the studio moguls were forced out during this decade which lead to a change in how movies were made. Films were now more realistic and a new generation of actors thrived in the new environment. Included are Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Sidney Poitier, Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.Episode 7: Fade Out, Fade In (1960-1969) - The last episode of the series covers what was basically the death of the old Hollywood system. Most of the moguls had either died or been forced out of the companies they started. Power shifted to directors and a few other individuals, such as agent Lew Wasserman, who is covered extensively in episode seven. The 1960's also marked another huge landmark in American cinema, the abolishment of the Hays Code, which had restricted movie content for decades. These factors, along with a new appreciation for foreign films, lead to what is now commonly called "New Hollywood".

Wonderful chronology on the history of Hollywood. The narrator overuses the term "moguls and movie stars" to the point where it becomes a bit annoying but this is a minor quibble over what is otherwise a rich and enjoyable journey through the rise and fall of the major movie studios.

This series covers the film era from before the beginning of the movies up through the end of the 1960s. Its unique (though not exclusive) contribution is its focus on the moguls that built the industry, all of them immigrants who started their lives in poverty. I have watched several documentaries of this type. The only one that that I think tops it is the documentary series "Hollywood" by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill. This latter series covers film through the silent era and just the beginning of sound, as an explanation of why the silent era ended. Unfortunately for film buffs, the Brownlow and Gill series has been tied up in various legal disputes, and is available only in the limited number of VHS and laserdisc copies made before the beginning of this unpleasantness.

"Moguls & Movie Stars" is a great set of DVDs that tell the story of Hollywood and how the studio system was built and how the studio system ended. Some of the archival film clips have rarely been shown and help to illustrate the story.I have one complaint. Christopher Plummer is too solemn of a narrator for this documentary. I believe that a narrator who varied his speaking voice a little better would have been preferred.Highly recommended.

It's getting harder and harder to find a new way to do Hollywood History series. This one, focusing onThe Moguls, has found a brand new way to look at Hollywood. Very well done!

Just an awesome "start-to-finish" movie on the beginnings of Hollywood, and all the cast of people (from owners, director, actors to the beginnings of theaters and even how film was made) and the wonderful early ideas which started moving pictures that told stories...and entertained the masses ! GREAT movie !! "Two-thumbs up...WAY UP !"

Having watched this three times with groups of students, my only criticism is that it oversimplifies the history of Hollywood in ways that irritate those who know more of the story. But consider that when you fit the whole history into seven one-hour episodes, broad brushstrokes cannot account for the many details.It's really well done. Always interesting. Very eye-opening. Worth watching more than once.

Very fascinating and loved seeing all the old true movie stars

The story of the Silents is extremely well told in Moguls & Movie Stars: A History Of Hollywood (Please note this is Region 1 Discs), is packaged like a hard back book (digi book) with three disc on the outer covers and includes inside, a 40-page booklet with vintage photographs. The three-disc set is divided into seven episodes of approximately one hour duration plus bonus items with reflections by film historians on various aspects of this excellent box-set. This Turner Classic Movies in production covers a wide array of material from the beginning of cinema in the 1890's through the decline of the mogul dominated Hollywood studio system in the 1960's. At the heart of this fast paced series are the lives and work are the men and woman who created a century of cinematic history. This production is much better than the recent shown `Film Odyssey' (released by Network DVD in April 2012). The seven hours flies along at a brisk pace, the interviews are short and to the point, with excellent narration by Christopher Plummer, making it one of those DVD's that you can watch over and over again because there is so much in it. There are of course other discs out there about individual studios such as, `When The Lion Roars', `Warner Bros The Last Moguls', `20th Century Fox The First Fifty Years' etc..Highly recommended definitely one of my top ten box sets for the Desert Island, (Old Peoples Home!) picture quality obviously variable due to age of material, but very good on the modern interviews.

Exceptionally Good

i love this series on hollywood and how the film studios evolved and developed into the money-makers and star-makers they became. the detail and depth is quite simply, breath-taking and exhausting. however, i was most disappointed that comedy legends laurel and hardy were not mentioned, not once. if lesser talented teams like the marx brothers can be mentioned and discussed, then so can laurel and hardy.

I have been a fan of TCM for many years, and this video, hosted by Robert Osborne, is a fascinating insight into the history of Hollywood.

Very good.