Hollywood Endures Tests of Scandal, Depression, TV and Blacklist Across Tumultuous Decades
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1921 brought scandals and censorship that threatened Hollywood, leading to the formation of the Hays Code for content control.
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The Great Depression years of the early 1930s were financially devastating for the film industry.
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In 1948, Hollywood was hit hard by the rise of television, the Paramount Decree forcing studios to sell their theaters, and the beginning of the Hollywood blacklist.
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While some years seem dreadful at the time (like 1937), they can spur innovations that pay off later (like Hollywood's "Greatest Year" campaign in 1938).
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Though 2023 has faced challenges like strikes and AI concerns, it still saw major hits and remains better than the plague year of 2020.