Movie Milestones & History

1. Movie Milestones & History The 1940s

2. 1940 - “Pinocchio” released This was Disney’s second feature-length animated film, following after “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937. “Pinocchio” is one of the best examples of the Disney studio’s animation talent.

3. 1940 - “Fantasia” introduced Disney’s groundbreaking “Fantasia” introduced “Fantasound,” a stereo-like, multi-channel soundtrack.

4. First Hollywood Agents 1940 The first agents began to assemble creative talent and stories in exchange for a percentage of a film’s profits.

5. “Grapes of Wrath” 1940 The classic adaptation of John Steinbeck’s 1939 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, was the most popular left-leaning, socialist-themed movie of pre-World War II Hollywood.

6. “Tom and Jerry” introduced 1940 Tom and Jerry, created by Hanna & Barbera, made their debut in “Puss Gets the Boot.” Tom was called Jasper and Jerry didn’t have a name yet.

7. Japan bombs PearlHarbor Dec. 7, 1941 The world changes forever in a day of infamy as Japan bombs the U.S. Navy installations at Pearl Harbor. America enters World War II.

8. 1941 - “Citizen Kane” released One of the most highly regarded movies in cinema history, with many ground-breaking film techniques –such as overlapping dialogue, layered sound and non-linear storytelling (flashbacks).

9. Mount Rushmore completed. 1941 Took 14 years to complete.

10. “The Maltese Falcon” released. 1941 The first generally acknowledged film noir was released. It was the first detective film to the shadowy noir style in a definitive way.

11. Hollywood “goes to war.” The Office of War Information (OWI) stated that film makers should consider seven questions before producing a movie, including this one: "Will this picture help to win the war?" The War Production Board imposed a $5,000 limit on set construction.

12. U.S. government eases restraints on Hollywood. The U.S. government eases initial restraints on the depiction of brutality by the Japanese.

13. D-DayJune 6, 1944 Allied soldiers from the United States, England and Canada storm the beaches off the coast of Normandy, France. The operation eventually freed Western Europe and led to the defeat of Germany.

14. 1945World War II ends. Nazi Germany surrenders on May 8. Japan surrenders on Aug. 15. World War II ends.

15. 1945 – Government eases Hollywood restrictions. At the conclusion of the war, the federal government ended restrictions on the allocation of raw film stock, midnight curfews, and bans on outdoor lighting displays as well as censorship of the export and import of films.

16. 1945 – HUAC begins witch hunt. The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), an organization created in 1938 with the goal of domestically stopping subversive activities, un-Americanism and communism, was made into a permanent standing committee. By 1947, the Hollywood motion picture industry became one of its main targets when the committee initiated an investigation of Communist influence there.

17. Slinky is born! 1945 One of the most popular toys ever is born this year.

18. Post-war Hollywood censorship The Motion Pictures Code allowed films to show drug trafficking so long as the scenes did not "stimulate curiosity."

19. HUAC strikes. In Washington, D.C., the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) subpoenaed 41 witnesses in an investigation of alleged communist influence in the Hollywood movie industry. In 1948, the "Hollywood 10" was charged with contempt of Congress and jailed for refusing to cooperate with its inquiries and answer the question, "Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?"

20. HUAC strikes. (cont.) Eighty-four of 204 supporters of the Hollywood 10 were blacklisted. Many promising and established careers were destroyed by anti-Communist blacklisting – reflected during the 1950s in the growth of sci-fi films showing paranoia of aliens and anything foreign.

21. More Hollywood censorship The Motion Pictures Code forbade derogatory references to a character's race.

22. Actors are freed from the studios’ grip. Now that the big studios were forced to divest themselves from owning lucrative theater chains, many Hollywood stars were making their last films (or were about to make their final film) under long-term contracts with the studios.

23. Famous Movies of the 1940s Citizen Kane Red River Casablanca The Third Man Double Indemnity The Ox-bow Incident Grapes of Wrath Miracle on 34th Street It’s A Wonderful Life Sergeant York Bambi The Big Sleep Treasure of the Sierra Madre Laura

24. Film History The 1950s

25. Television Affects Hollywood Early 1950s Movie attendance drastically declined due to the rise of television. By 1951, 50% of U.S. homes had a television set.

26. Television Affects Hollywood (cont.) Early 1950s Because television had become more affordable and permanent, movies fought back. Hollywood began to develop ways to counteract free television’s gains by the increasing use of color and by introducing wide-screen films and gimmicks.

27. Korean War 1950-1953 Began when the North Korean Communist army crossed the 38th Parallel and invaded non-Communist South Korea. Russia supported North Korea and the U.S. supported South Korea. The Korean War was one of the first episodes of the Cold War.

28. Decline of Studio System 1950s Studios were ordered to sell off theaters. They had to separate different companies for production, distribution and exhibition. Average ticket price for a movie: $0.51

29. Censorship Challenges 1951 The Motion Pictures Production Code specifically prohibited films dealing with abortion or narcotics.

30. Groundbreaking Film 1951 “The Day the Earth Stood Still” Hailed by many as one of the finest science fiction films ever.

31. Congressional “Witch Hunts” Continue 1951 Two of the Hollywood 10 were imprisoned and the eight remaining members of the 10 were convicted of contempt of Congress. HUAC opened a second round of hearings in Hollywood to investigate communism in the film industry, leading to the blacklisting of 212 individuals actively working in Hollywood at this time.

32. Groundbreaking Film 1952 “Singin’ in the Rain” Has been voted one of the greatest films of all time in international critics' polls, and is routinely called the greatest of all the Hollywood musicals.

33. Television and Film 1953 The Academy Awards (Oscars) were televised for the first time, on black-and-white NBC-TV.

34. More Actors Become Free Agents 1953 Following the lead of James Stewart a few years earlier, seven-year contracts with actors were replaced by single-picture or multi-picture contracts.

35. Godzilla Is Born 1954 Godzilla makes his screen debut.

36. Movies Reflect Cold War Tensions Mid-1950s Reflecting Cold War tensions, the Red Scare and paranoid anxiety, fear of Communists began to appear on screen.

37. Movies Reflect Cold War Tensions (cont.) mid-1950s Lots of science fiction, horror, and fantasy films reflected this Cold War paranoia. This is the Monster movie decade, and Sci-Fi films about outer space and traveling to other worlds. Other sensationalist sub-genres like beach party films, kung fu films, biker films, juvenile delinquency pictures, etc., would proliferate.

38. Censorship Challenges Mid-1950s Two film adaptations of author George Orwell's cautionary novels, the animated feature film “Animal Farm” and the film noirish “1984” werealtered. The U.S. government modified and softened the message in both films to make the tone of each film more overtly anti-Communist. Both works were changed to include more upbeat endings.

39. Civil Rights 1955 Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a public bus in Montgomery, Ala.

40. Groundbreaking Film 1955 “Rebel Without A Cause” Was enormously influential, a milestone in the creation of new idea about young people, it altered the way young men could be seen in popular culture. They could be more feminine, sexier, more confused, more ambiguous.

41. Censorship Challenges 1956 The Motion Pictures Production Code forbade racial epithets in films, but began to permit references to abortion, drugs, kidnapping, and prostitution under certain circumstances.

42. Television and Film 1956 Movie studios opened their vaults for television rentals and sales. Studios began selling their film libraries to TV. “Wizard of Oz” was the first feature-length film broadcast on TV in prime time.

43. Groundbreaking Film 1956 “Rock Around the Clock” The first film dedicated entirely to rock ‘n roll.

44. Technological Advances 1956 The first practical videotape recorder (VTR) was developed by the AMPEX Corporation in 1951. The first commercially-feasible ones (with 2-inch tape reels) were sold for $50,000 in 1956. Videotape became a staple of TV productions.

45. Groundbreaking Film 1956 “The Searchers” Voted one of the greatest movies of all time. Arguably one of the most influential movies in American history.

46. Groundbreaking Film 1956 “The Ten Commandments” The epic of epics.

47. Disney Rules Disney dominates the 1950s “Cinderella” 1950 “Treasure Island” 1950 “Alice in Wonderland” 1951 “Peter Pan” 1953 “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” 1954 “The Lady and the Tramp” 1955 Disneyland opens 1955 “Mickey Mouse Club” debuts 1955 “Old Yeller” 1957 “Sleeping Beauty” 1959

48. The U.S. Grows 1959 Alaska and Hawaii become the 49th and 50th states.

49. Up next… The 1960s!