The document discusses the concept of stardom in the film industry. It explores what defines a star and how the studio system cultivated and marketed stars in the early 20th century. Stars were treated as "human marketing devices" and studios tightly controlled their public images. However, this also stripped stars of freedom and individuality. While stardom provided financial benefits, the lifestyle put pressure on stars and many struggled with issues like drug abuse.

1. Stardom
“For the profit to be realised, there must be at least a promise of pleasure; enjoyment of the star has
to be paid for.” - Cook, Pam, The Cinema Book.
The theory of stardom comes with many questions. ‘What makes a star?’ ‘Why is a star?’ ‘How is a
star?’ And answering these questions, is as easy as answering, ‘nature or nurture?’.
So, what is a star?
Found in every industry whether that be sport, business, TV, or art, a star’s position is found by their
skills, talents, and achievements within an industry. In this case, the film industry.
But is that not just a celebrity? Almost. With a celebrity, yes, they are admired for their talents and
public persona, but their fame levels are basically fuelled by having to keep in the eye of the public’s
interest. Whereas with a star, they are a role model to society, admired and appreciated for their
hard work and association with their field.
Back to stardom, a topic most appreciated in the 40s to 50s. A time where young stars were in the
highlight of their careers, living it up in paradise. Getting what they wanted, when they wanted, as
they wanted with nothing to trouble or hold them back. They weren’t average like the rest of us,
they were superior and deserved the best of the best. Or at least, that was the picture painted to
present to the public.
To the public, a star is someone we can favour and relate to, admire and aspire to be. Bringing in the
term, role models.
As for the business world, stars were money. Stars were an image. Soft clay brands could mould into
whatever they wanted. Human marketing devices used to promote a film or product, where there
was a star, there was an audience. The bigger the star, the bigger the audience, so bigger the profit.
And for this to work hand in hand, is where the stardom paradox comes in. To be someone the
audience can love, a star must be ordinary developing a deeper connection to the audience. Allowing
them to see and relate to the “natural” human side of a star through sharing similar experiences to
the “average”, everyday person. Needing to differentiate the stars from the everyday person, is
where a star must also be extraordinary. We see they are just like us, but with an extra ingredient
giving the audience a reason to look up to and call these stars, “stars”.
Not always seen this way, in the early day’s actors were nothing more than their profession. Although
it was believed for a long time that actress Florence Lawrence was the first example of stardom with
her name being used in an article heading, staging her death in 1910. Originally known as the
‘Biograph Girl’, from there, it was proven a name can do a lot more for the marketing system.
Coming to light in 2019, a poster was discovered by a senior lecturer in film, Andrew Shail, over at
Newcastle University. A poster for a Pathe Frere film featuring the name ‘Max Linder’. Also from
1910, to the best of our knowledge, this may be the first ever film-star marketing product making
Max Linder, formally known as Gabriel Leuvielle, our first ever star.
With a not so positive experience of life, the drugs, the stress, the suicide, this is a familiar theme
that tends to run through a lot of our stars lives. Then, and still now. Marilyn Monroe, Shirly Temple,
Corey Feldman, and Jonathon Brandis. Only to name a few.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, incorporation is a great example. Known for having “more stars than
there are in Heaven”, as their slogan goes, a place of paradise where they had their own police force,

2. doctors, lawyers and even cooks at the snap of a finger. “MGM stars were not to be bothered by the
quotidian concerns of ordinary mortals.” As Gerald Clarke puts it in his biography for MGM actress,
Judy Garland.
Looking after their stars to protect their branding, if any negative stories were to get out about the
stars’ doings, coverage would be provided. Drug usage, verbal to sexual abuse, accidents where the
star would clearly be in the wrongdoing, any form of news, would only be shared in lies to the public.
And all it would cost these stars to live in this luxury, is their freedom and individuality.
To some, this may not sound like the worst of trades, until you realise you are stripped of all that
makes you, you. Gay? No one must know, we will arrange a forced, heterosexual marriage. Woman?
Share my bed or I will ruin you. Child? No childhood for you. Natural appearance? What is that you
dress how we dress you.
As stated to actor Mickey Rooney by the co-founder of the studio, Louis B. Mayer, that actors’ life,
wasn’t his life but did belong to Mayer, for as long as he was working for the studio. “MGM has made
your life.”
As for the conclusion to this, even Richard Dyer states “a conclusion is difficult” when overviewing
the case study of stars and stardom. But my conclusion, is that the world is pretty messed up. In
terms of everything, yes. But thinking of this, the film industry, although there is improvement
compared and these stars aren’t as afraid as they once were, there is more that can be done in
improving those in control, what they control and how they control.
Centring on the star system, how it works and who is involved, although this would work more as an
opinion, stardom can be considered more of a preference. As it always has been, to be a star you
must be the hottest celebrity at the given time. “Every man and every woman is a star.” (Crowley, A.
(1904). The Book of Law). We have stars who we can collectively agree are stars, those who have
deserved to have their names placed on the walk of fame. But there can also be stars, who won’t be
officially classed as stars, but to us we may showcase them that way as that is our individual
preference as an audience.

3. References
Cook, Pam, ‘For the profit to be realised, there must be at least a promise of pleasure; enjoyment of
the star has to be paid for’, The Cinema Book 1st
edition, British Film Institute, London, 1985, pp. 50.
Dyer, Richard, ‘A conclusion is difficult’, Stars, British Film Institute, London, 1998, pp. 160.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios slogan, ‘more stars than there are in Heaven’, never confirmed, but
assumed to be termed by Louis B. Mayer, the co-founder, producer, and executive head of MGM
studios.
Clarke, Gerald, ‘MGM stars were not to be bothered by the quotidian concerns of ordinary mortals’,
Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland, Warner Books, New York, 2001, pp. 66.
Louis B. Mayer, ‘MGM has made your life’, Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland, Warner Books, New
York, 2001, pp. 66-67.
Crowley, Alesteir, ‘Every man and every woman is a star’, The Book of Law, A.A., London, 1904.
Bibliography
Anger, Kenneth, Hollywood Babylon, Dell Publishing, New York, 1975.
Bordwell, David and Thompson, Kristin, Film Art: An Introduction 12th
edition, McGraw Education,
New York, 2019.
Clarke, Gerald, Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland, Warner Books, New York, 2001.
Cook, Pam, The Cinema Book 1st
edition, British Film Institute, London, 1985.
The Cinema Book 2nd
edition, British Film Institute, London, 1999.
The Cinema Book 3rd
edition, British Film Institute, London, 2007.
Dyer, Richard, Stars, British Film Institute, London, 1998.
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(27/11/23)
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer-Inc (27/11/23)
https://ownersmag.com/rise-and-fall-of-mgm/ (27/11/23)
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dies (29/11/23)
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