[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.experimented with the mechanism of off-casting - giving the star rolesthat contradicted her vamp image.Klaprat sees Davis cast in a series ofroles as 'the good woman', a type in which she appears as the saviourrather than destroyer of men.This new image first appeared with ThatCertain Woman (1937), after which Klaprat observes a pattern emerging asDavis's roles alternate between the good woman and the vamp.In TheLetter (1940), Davis returned to the vamp, followed by the good woman inAll This and Heaven Too (1940).This pattern continued with her vampishroles in The Little Foxes (1941) and In This Our Life (1942), andcompassionate roles in The Great Lie (1941) and Now Voyager (1942).As Klaprat suggests, 'Offcasting not only provided the variation to sustainaudience interest, but also served to enhance the image of the star as agreat performer' (1985: 375).This diversity of roles itself became an imagethat could be publicised, with advertisements for The Corn is Green (1945)claiming 'There are as many Bette Davises as there are Bette Davis-starring pictures! That's part of Miss Davis's greatness: the ability to makeeach character she plays stand by itself, a distinct and memorabletriumph of screen acting' (quoted in Klaprat 1985: 375).Publicists would plant stories about stars in the trade and popularpress but the primary publicity tool was the press book.Publicitydepartments would prepare a separate press book for each film released.Press books were mailed to exhibitors with the intention of offeringtheatres useful information and advice for publicising films.It wasstandard for the press book to include a cast list and synopsis of the film.The book would provide a display of advertisements and posters availableto exhibitors for display in windows, theatre lobbies or the local press(see Sennett 1999).The publicity department would also send pressbooks to newspapers, including prepared reviews for those local papersand radio stations that did not hire their own film critics.These variousmaterials all found a point of focus and coherence in the images of stars.Press books included short biographies of the leading players in the films,accompanied by photographic portraits of stars.The graphic style ofposters and advertisements would also foreground the role of stars.For55 SHORT CUTSDark Victory (1939), the Warner Bros, publicity department preparedreviews focusing on the performance of Bette Davis, along with printedquotes from the star and her character, and a range of posters portrayingDavis.The images of stars were therefore central to publicity campaigns,and in the assortment of materials included in the press book, exhibitorswere offered a pre-packaged version of a star's image available for localmarketing drives.Stars were also used in other methods of promotion, includingpersonal appearances and road shows.Personal appearances would seestars turning up for glittery premieres in main cities.For the premiere ofGone With the Wind (1939), MGM not only transported the entire cast toAtlanta but also other stars contracted to the studio, including ClaudetteColbert and Carole Lombard (see Sennett 1999).Personal appearances bymusical stars were particularly effective, for a star could display his or hertalents in song-and-dance numbers performed for the assembled public.For dramatic performers, the studio may have writers draft a special shortscene for live performance, in which stars would play the roles in whichthey appeared in the film.Road shows required stars to make asuccession of appearances on a tour of the cities and towns where a newrelease was opening.Bette Davis added to her reputation as a rebelliousstar when she flatly refused to participate in the ordeal and indignity ofthese tours (see Sennett 1999).The marketing appeal of stars was not employed purely for thepromotion of movies.Stars were also used to promote the sale of otherproducts in secondary or ancillary markets.Charles Eckert (1978) sees thegrowth of a consumer economy in the United States during the 1920s as aperiod in which the film industry intensified efforts to link up with the highstreet in using star images to market household and fashion products.Assuggested in the previous chapter, stars represent the ideological valuesof wealth, freedom and individualism on which a consumer economy isbuilt.During the 1930s, stars were central to the development ofHollywood as a showcase for fashions, furnishings, accessories,cosmetics and other items available on the high street.An importantdevelopment in the relationship between Hollywood and the high street56 THE STAR SYSTEMcame in 1930 when Bernard Waldman established the ModernMerchandizing Bureau.Waldman produced fashion lines based onclothing worn by female stars in films.All the studios (except WarnerBros., which launched its own Studio Styles in a similar capacity) providedWaldman with sketches or photographs of styles prior to the release of afilm, and manufacturers would then produce styles based on thesedesigns.The Bureau would send the completed garments to retailers,accompanied by publicity materials on the stars and the films.Initially,the studios offered styles for no charge, believing in the value of freeadvertising.Waldman opened his chain of Cinema Fashions shops and by1937, the company owned 400 shops while also providing star-endorsedstyles to nearly 1,400 other outlets.With star-related promotions for cosmetics and toiletries, the Holly-wood showcase addressed the market in ways that perceived women tobe the primary category of consumer [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]