The concept about the studio I found the most interesting was the concept of actor "stables." The performers were contracted and guaranteed to work for a certain amount of time or films. The heads of Warner, MGM, Paramount, and many others used this concept to the fullest, cranking out every movie possible within each actor's contract. This accomplished two things. Firstly, it created stars out of the most overworked actors; many participants would often attend the theater only to see their favorite star again. It also fueled the production line aspect of the business. By always having great actors available, films could be created at an astonishing rate, weeding out the time necessary to find or negotiate talent. An example of this was Humphrey Bogart. He had already been in many a picture before Casablanca came along. When it did, the studio already had him and he archetype ready to shoot. The system was highly effective through acceptance of character repetition and quantity over quality.
This guided the way studios made films by relying on the actors to carry the film, not the plot. Humphrey Bogart did not play Rick in Casablanca, he played classic Humphrey Bogart, smooth, forceful, and torn. The studios would alter films around what filled their "stable," and not their page. Often audiences would be treated to a western, with a dancing scene simply because Gene Kelly happened to be cast.
The studios made the most efficient use of what they could get their hands on, and it worked.
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