In Reply to: The 1948 Paramount case ended the Studio System posted by Dr.J on November 07, 2025 at 10:55:55
The "Studio System" was about how movies were made. It was the idea of a studio as a factory turning out product as efficiently as possible. It meant maintaining a stable of cast and crew that from which people could be assigned to various productions. And also maintaining a physical infrastructure available to the studio's productions. It was invented by Thomas Ince, on property that eventually became Pacific Palisades.
The Paramount Decree required Studios to spin off their movie theaters. That only peripherally affected studio production. The distribution arm of the studios dealt with the newly liberated theater chains.
What killed the Studio System was really MCA and Lew Wasserman. Before it acquired Universal, MCA was a talent agency. Wasserman was the Mike Ovitz of his day. MCA grew big enough to a point of equal leverage with the Studios. And Wasserman pushed for his clients to share ownership in the production. The deal he secured for Jimmy Stewart on Winchester 73 changed everything.