THE MOVIE STAR, AND THE REST...: On the turn-of-the-century stage, star performers drew big crowds. But in the first decade or so of the movie business, few stars shone. Audiences flocked more to the novelty and excitement of the medium, and filmmakers considered actors simply one tool among many at their disposal. By the 1910s, though, moviegoers were growing more curious about the actors and actresses on screen, performers were pushing for more prominent credits, and producers were realizing that you could successfully publicize a movie by promoting its most popular stars.
Two essays in the reader Hollywood's America examine the rise of the movie star during the late 1910s and early 1920s. Charles Musser looks at Charlie Chaplin, whose "Little Tramp" character became one of the most beloved and identifiable icons in movie history. During the 1910s, movie theaters promoted Chaplin shorts simply by placing a life-size cut-out of the Tramp on the sidewalk outside, with the legend "I am here today." The Tramp's appeal was obvious, even in a charming trifle like 1916's The Pawnshop; Chaplin expressed the everyday frustrations of the working class through physical comedy that spoke to viewers of all backgrounds. The phenomenal success of the Tramp films made Chaplin rich, famous, and hugely influential -- in short, a movie star.
Lary May's essay (drawn from his excellent book, Screening Out the Past) focuses on Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. While they played a wider variety of characters than Chaplin did, both Fairbanks and Pickford favored the same types of roles again and again: he, the dashing and athletic young adventurer; she, the pure yet independent modern woman. Here again, these stars' on-screen personas neatly reflected the culture of their times. But what really catapulted Pickford and Fairbanks' stardom to a new level was their off-screen life together. They were the first movie-star couple, the precursors to Liz & Dick, TomKat, and Brangelina -- their private lives tracked in fan magazines and gossip columns, their salaries discussed with wonder and amazement, their commercial and cultural impact felt far beyond the nickelodeon.
Today, we continue to debate the qualities of a "movie star," compiling list after list of Hollywood's biggest performers. Even more interesting is the tricky business of distinguishing an "actor" from a "movie star." Ask performers to define themselves in these terms, and you'll get some very puzzling responses indeed. So instead, I'll ask you. What exactly is a "movie star"? And is being a "movie star" somehow different from being an "actor"? If so, how? Please show all work and provide specific examples to support your wild generalizations.
Two essays in the reader Hollywood's America examine the rise of the movie star during the late 1910s and early 1920s. Charles Musser looks at Charlie Chaplin, whose "Little Tramp" character became one of the most beloved and identifiable icons in movie history. During the 1910s, movie theaters promoted Chaplin shorts simply by placing a life-size cut-out of the Tramp on the sidewalk outside, with the legend "I am here today." The Tramp's appeal was obvious, even in a charming trifle like 1916's The Pawnshop; Chaplin expressed the everyday frustrations of the working class through physical comedy that spoke to viewers of all backgrounds. The phenomenal success of the Tramp films made Chaplin rich, famous, and hugely influential -- in short, a movie star.
Lary May's essay (drawn from his excellent book, Screening Out the Past) focuses on Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. While they played a wider variety of characters than Chaplin did, both Fairbanks and Pickford favored the same types of roles again and again: he, the dashing and athletic young adventurer; she, the pure yet independent modern woman. Here again, these stars' on-screen personas neatly reflected the culture of their times. But what really catapulted Pickford and Fairbanks' stardom to a new level was their off-screen life together. They were the first movie-star couple, the precursors to Liz & Dick, TomKat, and Brangelina -- their private lives tracked in fan magazines and gossip columns, their salaries discussed with wonder and amazement, their commercial and cultural impact felt far beyond the nickelodeon.
Today, we continue to debate the qualities of a "movie star," compiling list after list of Hollywood's biggest performers. Even more interesting is the tricky business of distinguishing an "actor" from a "movie star." Ask performers to define themselves in these terms, and you'll get some very puzzling responses indeed. So instead, I'll ask you. What exactly is a "movie star"? And is being a "movie star" somehow different from being an "actor"? If so, how? Please show all work and provide specific examples to support your wild generalizations.
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