
Independent Stardom
Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System
Emily Carman(Author)
University of Texas Press
Published on 15. December 2015
Book
Hardback
236 pages
978-1-4773-0731-1 (ISBN)
Article exhausted; check different version
Description
Runner-up, Richard Wall Memorial Award, Theatre Library Association, 2016
During the heyday of Hollywood's studio system, stars were carefully cultivated and promoted, but at the price of their independence. This familiar narrative of Hollywood stardom receives a long-overdue shakeup in Emily Carman's new book. Far from passive victims of coercive seven-year contracts, a number of classic Hollywood's best-known actresses worked on a freelance basis within the restrictive studio system. In leveraging their stardom to play an active role in shaping their careers, female stars including Irene Dunne, Janet Gaynor, Miriam Hopkins, Carole Lombard, and Barbara Stanwyck challenged Hollywood's patriarchal structure.
Through extensive, original archival research, Independent Stardom uncovers this hidden history of women's labor and celebrity in studio-era Hollywood. Carman weaves a compelling narrative that reveals the risks these women took in deciding to work autonomously. Additionally, she looks at actresses of color, such as Anna May Wong and Lupe Velez, whose careers suffered from the enforced independence that resulted from being denied long-term studio contracts. Tracing the freelance phenomenon among American motion picture talent in the 1930s, Independent Stardom rethinks standard histories of Hollywood to recognize female stars as creative artists, sophisticated businesswomen, and active players in the then (as now) male-dominated film industry.
During the heyday of Hollywood's studio system, stars were carefully cultivated and promoted, but at the price of their independence. This familiar narrative of Hollywood stardom receives a long-overdue shakeup in Emily Carman's new book. Far from passive victims of coercive seven-year contracts, a number of classic Hollywood's best-known actresses worked on a freelance basis within the restrictive studio system. In leveraging their stardom to play an active role in shaping their careers, female stars including Irene Dunne, Janet Gaynor, Miriam Hopkins, Carole Lombard, and Barbara Stanwyck challenged Hollywood's patriarchal structure.
Through extensive, original archival research, Independent Stardom uncovers this hidden history of women's labor and celebrity in studio-era Hollywood. Carman weaves a compelling narrative that reveals the risks these women took in deciding to work autonomously. Additionally, she looks at actresses of color, such as Anna May Wong and Lupe Velez, whose careers suffered from the enforced independence that resulted from being denied long-term studio contracts. Tracing the freelance phenomenon among American motion picture talent in the 1930s, Independent Stardom rethinks standard histories of Hollywood to recognize female stars as creative artists, sophisticated businesswomen, and active players in the then (as now) male-dominated film industry.
Reviews / Votes
"Carman upends conventional wisdom in this valuable and informative historical study of the business practices of freelance actresses during the 1930s." * Publishers Weekly * "Independent Stardom: Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System (published by University of Texas Press) tells a story that can shift perspectives on how Golden Age Hollywood operated." * The Shepherd Express * "Carman's work is important, not only as an alternative history of Hollywood labor, but also as guide for working on workers in early cinema." * Media Industries Journal *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Austin, TX
United States
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
37 b&w photos
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
538 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4773-0731-1 (9781477307311)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Emily Carman is an assistant professor of film studies in the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Independent Stardom Is Born
Chapter One. 1930s Hollywood: The Golden Age for Talent
Chapter Two. The [Freelance] Contract in Context
Chapter Three. Labor and Lipstick: Promoting the Independent Persona
Chapter Four. Independent Stardom Goes Mainstream
Appendix One. Key Freelance Deals of Independent Stardom Case Study Stars, 1930-1945
Appendix Two. Motion Picture Archives and Library Materials Consulted
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Introduction: Independent Stardom Is Born
Chapter One. 1930s Hollywood: The Golden Age for Talent
Chapter Two. The [Freelance] Contract in Context
Chapter Three. Labor and Lipstick: Promoting the Independent Persona
Chapter Four. Independent Stardom Goes Mainstream
Appendix One. Key Freelance Deals of Independent Stardom Case Study Stars, 1930-1945
Appendix Two. Motion Picture Archives and Library Materials Consulted
Notes
Bibliography
Index