Movies-+p8

=__**1950's Movies**__= By: Kaitlin

In the 1950's many stars were born. This was the decade of major stars such as: James Dean, Judy Holliday, Marilyn Monroe, **Marlon Brando**, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Jimmy Stewart. Stars in this decade caused a sensation. These people would not have been famous if not for the movies. Movies caused quite a stir in these years.


 * __History__**

A majority of Americans believed their life could be better. You ask why we invent movies? This is why. The first movie was the Oberammergau Passion Play in 1898. This unforgettable story of life and death is performed on stage (not as a movie) every ten years following the Thirty years war. It was the first COMMERICAL motion picture ever produced. There is much controversy over what the first movie was, but there is known fact this is it. Thomas Edison was the first to go see the NON-COMMERCIAL motion picture.

The play was in the minds of some in the year 1634. This is when at Pentecost, the Oberammergauers promises made on the day were fulfilled. They performed this in a cemetary overtop of the new graves brought about by the victims of the plague. Performed as a stage play in Germany, this movie is the early day version of //The Passion of the Christ.//

The first American made machine to allow moving pictures or movies to be seen was called the "wheel of life" or the "zoopraxiscope". It was made in 1867 by William Lincoln. The way it works is you look through an opening in the zoopraxiscope to look at the moving graphics. This is very different from what we have today. If this had not been invented many of our lives would be different. This is how it all began.

Though many people believe the first motion picture camera was invented by a Frenchman called by the name of Louis Lumiere that is only half true. The first motion picture camera was invented in the time around 1895 by others who made almost the same camera as Louis Lumiere. What made Lumiere's invention different from the others is that his contained the Cinematographe. It contained a film processing unit, was portable, and contained a projector. You received 3 features in one.

It was then that movies or motion picture were all the rage. Most people say that Lumiere's invention supported this world wide expansion more than the other inventors. 1895 was the year the Lumiere brothers presented the first circulating picture film in which the viewers were paying attention to more than 1 person.

As I told you, the Lumiere brothers were not alone in their new inventions. The Edison company was side-by-side in the race for credibility of the first invention in 1891. They demonstrated the Kinetoscope that had only a single person viewing the motion picture. Later, in the year 1896 the Edison company invented the Vitascope projector. It was the first major successful projector found in the United States.


 * __Happenings in 1950's__**

1950 was the year that Americans walked around with fear on their faces. The fear was that the cold war was going to heat up. Everywhere was fear of communism. Opposing war in Korea could only give off the message that you are a communist. Movies or war were all that people discussed.

1951, where over 300 Hollywood personalities were known as communists. They were named this by their "buddies" in show buisness because their "buddies" wanted to save their own career. Many out of the 300 or more retired. Retiring meant that you either decided to go into the musical buisness, move to Europe, or some found work in Hollywood. Those who found work in Hollywood were lucky. The creation of televisions caused movie sales to go down.Also, Americans were seperated into 2 groups. 1. Pro-peace and Anti-nuclear 2. Communist

1952 the movie community decided to win their audiences back by making musical into movies. The Academy award winner of this year was the movie/circus //The Greatest Shown on Earth.// Moviegoers begin to make a 3-D sensation by wearing the 3-D glasses. These glasses made the screen pop out and make the movie feel alive. On the down side, they gave people headaches.

1953 Marilyn Monroe is still on a roll after her picture appered in Playboy. She was now known as an American sex symbol. This was because of her performances in //Nagara//, //Gentlemen Prefer Blondes//, and //How to Marry a Millionaire// as well as Playboy. In this year Audrey Hepburn appeared in her American debut movie //Roman Holiday// which won her an academy award. This year's academy award winning movie was //From Here to Eternity.//

1954 Marlon Brando, once again, took the world by storm. Seeing him in the movie //The Wild One// caused a sensation of fashion and personality worldwide. After that, leather jackets were found everywhere, from New York to L.A. This created the scene of the "Greasers". 3-D effects made it all worth while. The year's Academy Award winning movie was //On the Waterfront// starring Marlon Brando.

1955 the most popular actress at the time, Grace Kelly, divorced her husband, Joe Dimaggio. She was in movies such as the movie: //The Bridges at Toko-Ri.// Marilyn Monroe appeared in the movie //The Seven Year Itch.// Teens were bored of the unexcitement that surrounded them.

1956 was the year of the drive-in movies. 4,000 or more drive-in theaters were in operation. Big hits were booming in by the dozen. //The Ten Commandments, The King and I, and Around the World in Eighty Days// happen to be superbly popular. James Dean came alive after 3 months of being "dead" in the movie buisness. Although he had been dead, Dean still received 4,038 pieces of fan mail. This is more than any other movie friendly of that year. Grace Kelly decided to abandon her personality and homeland in the U.S. and marry a Prince in a foreign country. While, Marilyn Monroe increased in popularity.

1957's fad was rock n' roll. Hollywood filled their pockets whenever they placed a rock and R&B performer on the big screen.There were also many horror movies such as the movie //The Twenty- Seventh Day.// Humphrey Bogart died of Cancer of the Esophagus this year. He was 57 years old.

1958 was Elvis Presley's first performance in //King Creole.// America still had its share of horror films. //Gigi// won this years Best Picture Academy Award. //Damn Yankees// was the year's top musical.

1959's favorite kinds of movies were horror- comedy. It was all about the cheap thrills such as: //Teenagers from Outer Space// and //Attack of the Giant Leeches//. Rock Hudson and Doris Day were easily the biggest stars of the year. The most popular fresh face was young Sandra Dee, who was 17 years of age. She appeared in such movies as- //Gidget, A Summer Place,// and //Imitation of Life. Ben- Hur// was this years top movie.


 * __Why Movies are Important__**

Since, at this time, the cold war was heating up, Americans needed something to be able to enjoy to put their mind off of everything around them. This is why the movies are important at that time. They would put themselves in the movie they were watching. Resulting in a not so dull life. We have only respected what freedoms we have 1 time in history, but the year 1776 is vaguely remebered in our minds. It is the year we received our freedom. From then on we have taken advantage of it with racism and women's rights. Movies let us use our freedom and make a connection between our lives and the people around us to relieve us of stress or cause different kinds of stress. It is suprising that such a little thing can make such a difference.

Decades have never passed where there wasn't an occurance that was written in history whether it is the first World War or 9/11 in America, they were all important. In the 1950's people were persuaded into thinking they saw UFO's, seen through new eyes wearing 3-D glasses, or pretended to be tough by wearing a black leather jacket and acting tough. The people of this time liked far fetched and fantasic movies. They were like we are now. The 1950's were all about stepping up in television with Drive-in movie fads and Three Dimensions. Horror was just beginning to grow into what it is today in 2007. Movies caused fashion, intrigue, false viewings, and communist beliefs.

"The cinema is an invention without a future" -Louis Lumiere

__Bibliography__ Dan Epstein //The 50's Pop Culture// //Philedelphia:// Chelsea House Publishers1999/2000

"Movies in the 1950s." DISCovering U.S. History. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. //Student Resource Center- Gold.// Thompson Gale. Cook Memorial Public Library. 5 Feb. 2007 

Feinstein, Stephen //The 1950s: From the Korean War to Elvis// Berkley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2000

__Picture Bibliography__ "Calender by film" //The Astor Theatre.// 1999-2007. 14 Feb. 2007. Astor theatre. 12 Feb. 2007.

//Ben-Hur.//

//The Ten Commandments.// //Rebel Without Cause//