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The Playful flapper here we see, The fairest of the fair. She's not what Grandma used to be, -- You might say, au contraire. Her girlish ways may make a stir, Her manners cause a scene, But there is no more harm in her Than in a submarine. She nightly knocks for many a goal The usual dancing men. Her speed is great, but her control Is something else again. All spotlights focus on her pranks. All tongues her prowess herald. For which she well may render thanks To God and Scott Fitzgerald. Her golden rule is plain enough - Just get them young and treat them rough.

Ah, what a lovely way to sum up my favorite era, the roaring 1920’s. The piece to the left is titled "The Flapper" and was written by the lovely Dorothy Parker. On screen, Louise Brooks defined a Flapper in the 1925 movie "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". (According to Mick Smith, Hollywood historian and PCR co-editor, Louise Brooks was not in the 1928 "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" but in the 1926 "The Other Blonde". Hope this helps with any probable confusion.---Nolan) F. Scott Fitzgerald defined the time with The Great Gatsby and John Held Jr. gave his take in art.

In the 1920’s Hollywood was full of excess and scandals. Some of which are worse than anything we hear today, except from me. Clara Bow was accused of sexual romps with her Great Dane (poor Scooby), no kidding, and it ruined her career. Roscoe "fatty" Arbuckle was accused of rape in 1917 of a young starlet Virginia Rappe, at the St. Francis Hotel. All charges were eventually dropped, and what a mess it was, but his career was never the same.

By the end of the 1920’s the movie business was almost entirely centered in Hollywood, with 20 studios, and was a $2 billion dollar business. During this time films were done assembly line style (it worked for Ford didn’t it?). They were cut into categories: make-up, costumes, directing, writing etc. Not only was Hollywood getting away from its Vaudeville roots but becoming larger than life. The demand for films was greater than ever and the business was growing rapidly. Stars like Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford were icons and hero’s during a time of ups and downs.

It was during the 1920’s that studios controlled their artists more than any other time in film history. Personally, this wasn’t too bad of an idea. At least back then they kept their damn mouths shut for the most part *cough* Michael Moore. Nearly all actors and directors were owned by studios, usually one of the "Big Five". The big five included:

1. Warner Brothers, incorporated in 1923 and owned by 4 Polish brothers. I’m surprised it ever got off the ground with that background. Their first major player was none other than Rin Tin Tin, hmmm casting couch?. Okay, how many Poles does it take to make a film studio?...4 apparently. Much less than I would have thought.

2. Paramount, originally Feature Players and Feature Play Corporation merged in 1916 to become Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. Eventually in 1935 it became what we now know today as Paramount Pictures.

3. RKO (which had come from the Mutual film corporation, circa 1912) brought us all the wonderful Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers movies we could have ever dreamed possible. Nightmares for some.

4. My favorite - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), formally Loew’s Inc, The studio known for its lion’s roar, at the beginning of every MGM film, was first viewed in 1928. The three studio’s Metro Pictures (1915), Goldwyn Pictures Corporation (1917), and Louis B. Mayer Pictures Company (1918) became one in 1924.

5. Fox Film Corporation later known as 20th century Fox in 1935 (20th century Company was founded in 1933 by Daryl Zanuck). Those crazy Zanuck’s are so damn talented! Richard, Lili Fini, hello people!!! Although I will say, I can’t really respect a studio that brought us 9021-no.