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Hollywood (1980 TV series)

Hollywood
Hollywood-Brownlow-VHS.jpg
Thames Video Collection VHS 1 of 13
Genre Documentary
Written by Kevin Brownlow
David Gill
Directed by Kevin Brownlow
David Gill
Narrated by James Mason
Theme music composer Carl Davis
Composer(s) Carl Davis
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of episodes 13
Production
Producer(s) Kevin Brownlow
David Gill
Editor(s) Dan Carter
Trevor Waite
Oscar Webb
Running time c.50 mins (ex. commercials)
Production company(s) Thames Television
Distributor FremantleMedia
Release
Original network ITV
Original release January 8 (1980-01-08) – April 1, 1980 (1980-04-01)

Hollywood (also known as Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film) is a 1980 documentary series produced by Thames Television which explored the establishment and development of the Hollywood studios and its impact on 1920s culture.

The series consists of thirteen fifty-minute episodes, with each episode dealing with a specific aspect of Hollywood history. The actor James Mason, an enthusiast of the period, supplied the narration; a lilting score was contributed by Carl Davis.

Technical quality was an important aspect of the production. Silent films had often been screened on television from poor-quality copies running at an inaccurate speed, usually accompanied by honky tonk piano music. Hollywood used silent film clips sourced from the best available material, shown at their original running speed and with an orchestral score, giving viewers a chance to see what they originally looked and sounded like.

The producers filmed the recollections of many of the period's surviving participants, and illustrated their interviews with scenes from their various films, as well as production still photographs, and historical photographs of the Los Angeles environs. Some of these interviews are notable for being among the only filmed interviews given by their subjects.

Among the notable people who contributed interviews were:

ActorsMary Astor, Eleanor Boardman, Louise Brooks, Olive Carey, Iron Eyes Cody, Jackie Coogan, Dolores Costello, Viola Dana, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Janet Gaynor, Leatrice Joy, Lillian Gish, Bessie Love, Ben Lyon, Marion Mack, Tim McCoy, Colleen Moore, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Gloria Swanson, Blanche Sweet, John Wayne, and Lois Wilson.


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