Hollywood (documentary)
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Hollywood, also known as Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film was a documentary series produced in 1980 which discussed the establishment and development of the Hollywood studios and its impact on 1920s culture.
The series consisted of thirteen one hour episodes, with each episode dealing with a specific aspect of Hollywood history. It was produced by Thames Television, and was written and directed by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill. The actor James Mason provided narration.
Technical quality was an important aspect of the production. Silent films had often been screened on television from poor-quality copies running at the wrong speed, usually accompanied by honky tonk piano music. Hollywood used silent film clips that were sourced from the best available material, shown at their original running speed and with orchestral scores, giving viewers a chance to see what they originally looked and sounded like.
The producers recorded the recollections of many of the period's notable artists, and illustrated their interviews with scenes from their various films, as well as production still photographs, and historical photographs of the Los Angeles environs. Subjects such as Rudolph Valentino and Clara Bow were represented by film scenes, but where possible the series made use of contemporary interviews by survivors of the era.
Among the notable people who contributed interviews were:
Actors - Mary Astor, Eleanor Boardman, Louise Brooks, Jackie Coogan, Dolores Costello, Viola Dana, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Janet Gaynor, Leatrice Joy, Lillian Gish, Bessie Love, Ben Lyon, Colleen Moore, Gloria Swanson, Blanche Sweet, John Wayne (in one of his last interviews), and Lois Wilson.
Directors - Clarence Brown, Frank Capra, George Cukor, Allan Dwan, Byron Haskin, Henry Hathaway, Henry King, Lewis Milestone, Hal Roach, King Vidor and William Wyler.
Also interviewed were dancer Agnes de Mille, writer Anita Loos, writer Adela Rogers St. Johns, stuntman Yakima Canutt, and Rudolph Valentino's brother, Albert Valentino.
