Star Promotion In order to remain economically sound during the Great Depression, Hollywood had to sell movies to a public that had very little money for them. Stars became integral to the merchandizing and promotion of films. They provided a guaranteed audience that would pay not just to see the movie, but anything and everything that possessed a connection with the star. After a star and a movie survived the studios' tests, the next phase was promotion. However, promotion did not focus on the film itself - it focused upon the star. After making a film, the star's image could be found in newspapers and magazines, his or her voice could be heard on the radio, or the star may even appear at an event and perform live in front of an audience. At every level, studios manipulated their star property in order to boost the economic prosperity of the film and the studio. "Publicity announcing a premiere drew an exclusive opening-night crowd. Previews of coming attractions whetted the appetites of loyal fans. Magazine articles, Sunday features, and news items stoked the interest of casual moviegoers. And, of course, movie ads in the local newspaper kept the audiences in touch with the current fare. These were the common, expected ways to present the latest Hollywood feature to the audience and together with publicity stunts, trivia contests, merchandising tie-ins, and the like they constituted motion-picture promotion." -Tino Balio, History of the American Cinema The promotion of the stars depended on each studio's publicity department. These departments managed every aspect of the star's life. From being in an automobile accident to trudging through a divorce, the publicity department's role was to do what best benefited the star's image - even if that meant exaggerating or erasing the incident. Publicity departments also handled the promotion of each star's movie and would utilize all forms of advertising, the studio's as well as magazines, newspapers, etc. in order to maximize profits. "In addition to Metro's own lavish advertising, the studio's publicity department persuaded more than thirty magazines and newspapers to run feature stories that read like ads; Howard Strickling could not have written a more flattering copy." -Gerald Clarke, Get Happy: The life of Judy Garland A director, such as Howard Strickling of MGM, some unit reporters, publicists, photographers, etc. composed a standard publicity department. The directors were in charge of polishing the final product - the star. Publicists would handle each individual star's affairs and unit reporters wrote promotional articles about each production that later would be distributed to newspapers and magazines. The publicity departments of each studio also handled the gossip that surrounded each star and used it as a promotional feature. The publicity departments would purposely plant some stories in order to maintain the persona of the star within the realm of the real world. Many gossip columnists did not bother to investigate information, rather, they depended upon the publicity departments to "leak" them information periodically. Photography provided a lucrative medium for the promotion and creation of a star's persona. Often photographs made the star appear polished - every hair in place, the perfect smile, and the glamorous glow. Many still-photographs depicted the star in his or her environment - the movie studio. These photographs would show important scenes from each movie and would be used in magazines, newspapers, and movie theater displays. The pictures also provided a bond between that star and the fans. Glamour photos would be printed in magazines and other mediums fans craved - sometimes even sent in response to fan mail requests. Willing to pay money for such souvenirs, fans allowed the studios to continue marketing their stars, and to continue creating the persona of the star that the fans loved. One of the most profitable mediums that the publicity departments and fans created were the fan magazines. Magazines such as Modern Screen and Photoplay often featured stories glamorizing each aspect of each star's life. Often these stories would discuss an actress's favorite food, toy (such as Shirley Temple's dolls), etc. When such subjects were discussed they served not only to feed the appetite of the fan's quest for knowledge about his or her favorite star, but also to blend the persona of the star with the merchandising world. This blending extended to other mediums such as radio. Premiers provided the most dazzling of all the studio's promotions of the star and the film. These events occurred weeks long after the standard promotions in magazines and newspapers began. Beginning with 42nd Street in 1933, film premiers became glamorous events. 42nd Street's premiere coincided with Franklin Delano Roosevelt's inauguration, and this timing on the part of the studios allowed the even to be connected with the festivities of the event. The connection made by the studios between the film and the president not only linked the movie with working to defeat the depression, it created an allegorical connection between FDR and Warner Baxter's role in the film. All of these publicity materials - the unit reporter's articles, the pictures turned into lobby cards and posters, etc. were packaged together by the studios. Then, the studios shipped these packages to newspapers and magazines. Publicity packages were often given to the exhibitors as well so that they could incorporate in their theaters and draw in audiences. A strategic part of Hollywood, studios utilized their "star power" on every level in order to maximize profits and to survive the Great Depression. | Selling Stars | Stardom or Serfdom? | Making Stars | | Star Promotion | Musical Stars | Last Updated December 17, 2000 [print version]