Who Were the Movie Stars of the 1930s?
When movies first became popular, actors toiled away in near anonymity. However, by the "Golden Age of Hollywood" in the 1930s, the major studios recognized the appeal of familiar faces and started promoting films with "stars." Katherine Hepburn, Shirley Temple, Clark Gable and Joan Crawford were just some of the celebrities who emerged as film stars during the '30s.
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Leading Ladies
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Joan Crawford was one of the first stars of the 1930s in such films as "Possessed," "The Women" and "The Dancing Lady." Greta Garbo was famous for mysterious characters in "Camille," "Anna Karenina" and "Ninotchka." One of the biggest box office draws was heavy set Marie Dressler, who was seen in "Anna Christie," "Min and Bill" and "Emma." She was nearly 65 when she appeared in her final picture, 1933's "Christopher Bean."
Leading Men
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Clark Gable appeared with every female star of the decade, including Jean Harlow, Crawford and Garbo. His most famous role is probably Rhett Butler in "Gone With the Wind." Other leading men included Spencer Tracy, Tyrone Power and James Cagney. John Wayne also emerged in the '30s, though his first lead role at age 22, in 1930's "The Big Trail," was not a hit. His starmaking role came at the end of the decade with "Stagecoach."
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Action Heroes
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The action heroes of the 1930s included Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan, Buster Crabbe as Flash Gordon, and the singing cowboy, Gene Autry. Another major action star was Errol Flynn, the lead in "The Charge of the Light Brigade," "Captain Blood" and "The Adventures of Robin Hood."
Horror Heavies
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Universal Studios was best known for horror films. Films such as "Dracula," "Frankenstein" and "The Mummy" made stars out of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Karloff and Lugosi worked together eight times, beginning with 1934's "The Black Cat."
Comedians
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Silent film star Charlie Chaplin was still a standout in the '30s. His last silent film, 1936's "Modern Times," satirized the 20th Century's rapid industrialization. Other important comedians of the era included W.C Fields, the Marx Brothers and Laurel and Hardy.
Child Stars
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Shirley Temple was the biggest box office draw between 1936 and 1938, beating out the likes of Bing Crosby, Gary Cooper, Crawford and Gable. Temple, born in 1928, made her first film in 1932. According to IMDb, by 1939 she had appeared in 43 more. One of the biggest was "The Littlest Rebel" from 1935, which includes one of her tap dances with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Mickey Rooney became famous for the "Mickey McGuire" series of comedies in the late '20s and early '30s. He also appeared in the "Andy Hardy" series alongside Judy Garland. Garland's most legendary film, "The Wizard of Oz," was released in 1939.
The Sex Pots
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Sex appeal was as important in the 1930s as it is today. Harlow's racy performances in "Red Dust" and "Red-Headed Woman" spurred a movement to clean-up Hollywood. Her life was cut short by kidney disease in 1937. Mae West became famous for double entendres in such films as "I'm No Angel" and "She Done Him Wrong," while German actress Marlene Dietrich was known for sexual ambiguity.
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