A Century of Cinema The American Movie
A concise survey traces cinema from Edison era sneezes and early shorts to Hollywood stars and the star system, noting the rise of Los Angeles, the studio blacklist era, and a shift to a youth market through the 1960s to today with rising costs and home video growth.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Thomas Edlison
Fred Ott
May Irvin
John C. Rice
New York
Latham Brothers
Paris
Lumiere Brothers
Edwin S. Porter
Edison
Black Maria Studio
Motion Picture Patents Co
Selig Company
Count of Monte Cristo
Santa Monica
New Jersey
Los Angeles
Hollywood
Biograph
Florence Lawrence
Gladys Smith
Mary Pickford
Adolph Zukor
Pickford
United Artists
Charlie Chaplin
Douglas Fairbanks
Lillian Gish
Rudolph Valentino
Woodrow Hison
D.W. Griffith
Virginia Woolf
Patton
Steven Spielberg
George Lucas
Milton Berle
Cinerama
Jane Russell
Chaplin Leads Century's Brightest Film Stars
A list by Associated Press editors highlights 25 top stars and pairings shaping cinema across decades. Chaplin and Keaton defined screen comedy, Pickford captivated worlds, Garbo exuded mystery, and stars from Gable to Monroe shaped Hollywood history with enduring influence and iconic collaborations.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Los Angees
Associated Press Entertainment
Charlie Chaplin
Internationa
Buster Keaton
Mary Pickford
Lillian Gish
D.W. Griffith
Douglas Fairbanks
Chaplin
United Artists
Erroll Flynn
Rudolph Valentino
Greta Garbo
Stan Laurel
Oliver Hardy
Lark Gable
James Cagney
Studios and Scandals Shape Hollywood Through the Wars
The era from World War I to postwar decades transformed Hollywood as major studios organized power blocs and launched propaganda. Tainted by actor deaths and scandals, the industry built the Academy, saw Oscar ceremonies grow, and faced TV’s rise and widescreen experiments. Characters like Zukor, Mayer, Warner, and Disney defined a booming, evolving cinema culture.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Halls
Clark Gable
James Stewart
Tyrone Powe
Disney
Hollywood
Communist Party
Berlin
Edison
Justice Department
Adolph Zukor
Paramount Pictures
William Fox
20Th Century Fox
Louis B. Mayer
MGM
Harry, Albert, Sami
Jack Warner
Academy
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Winnner
Bette Davis
Harmon Oscar Nelson
Warner Bros
Tyrone Power
Wake Island
Tokyo
Also Mentioned on This Page
Bos Thomas
Porter
Astar
Stewart
Grant
Davis
Hanks
Streep
Brando
Valentino
Garland
Bogart
George M. Cohan
Judy
Garbo
Barbra Streisand
Cary Grant
Archie Leach
Katharine Hepburn
Spencer Tracy
Hepburn
Fred Astaire
Ginger Rogers
Fred
Ginger
Shirley Temple
Humphrey Bogart
Lauren Bacall
John Wayne
Marion Brando
Actors Studio
Laurence Olivier
Marilyn Monroe
Sidney Poitier
Hattie McDaniel
Jack Nicholson
Robert de Niro
Screen
Meryl Streep
Nicholson
Mickey Mouse
Walt Disney
Academy OF Country Music
Thara
Plear
The
Kinleys
Wik
Guo Dave Adameon Pue
Ottawa Municipal Auditorium
Bob Carlton
Ee Shakespeare
Glenn Livingood Penzier Architects
New Hampshire
Thy Udietanty of
Kansas School of Fine Ars
Ant Dance
Eddie Daniels
aCe
Dave Douglas
Surat
Bremen
Lied Center
Hone
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!