Prewar Stars, Genres,
and Production Trends

Authorship, Film Style, and the Rise
of the Producer-Director

The rapidly changing social, economic, and industrial conditions in 1940-1941 created a curious paradox in terms of the actual films and filmmaking of the period. On the one hand, the Hollywood studios enjoyed the benefits of the improving economy, especially in the surging first-run market, and they continued to rely on established star-genre formulas to exploit that market. Indeed, familiar stars and standardized story forms remained the chief organizing principles in virtually all phases of the industry. But on the other hand, the acute demand for A-class product and the increasing clout of top filmmaking talent created unique opportunities for innovation and individual creativity in the production process-opportunities which a good many filmmakers actively pursued. This had a significant effect on the films...