ABSTRACT
The 1920s had been a decade of tremendous growth and prosperity for the American motion picture industry, with all phases of production, distribution, and exhibition expanding rapidly as movie-going became the nation’s – and indeed much of the world’s – preferred form of entertainment. Following the industry’s conversion to sound films in 1927–28, the so-called ‘talkie boom’ capped this halcyon period, providing an additional market surge at the decade’s end and further solidifying the dominant position of Hollywood’s major studio powers. The talkie boom was so strong, in fact, that Hollywood was touting itself as ‘Depression-proof’ in the wake of Wall Street’s momentous collapse in October 1929, and the American movie industry enjoyed its best year ever in 1930 as theatre admissions, gross revenues, and studio profits reached record levels.
