MANILA, Philippines?Despite the fact that I grew up during the ?50s and fondly remember the great epics and musicals made after the Pacific War, film historians state that Hollywood?s most decisive years were between 1920 and 1929.

That was when that glitzy town became truly organized into a worldwide business concern. America?s film capital, despite competition from Europe, established itself as the center of the movie world. Its techniques were aped, and its aesthetics were accepted globally.

Movie actors became so eminent that they were soon called ?stars,? because they lit the world with their talent and charm. Fans, who avidly watched their movies and read about their lives and loves, wanted to be like them!

Indeed, who could question the appeal of America?s Sweetheart, Mary Pickford; the swashbuckling Douglas Fairbanks, and The Little Tramp, Charlie Chaplin? Theda Bara, Gloria Swanson and Pola Negri paved the way for the likes of Greta Garbo, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Katharine Hepburn.

Experimentation

It was a decade of experimentation and discovery, as technical advancement came by leaps and bounds. Major stars like Pickford, Fairbanks and Chaplin formed United Artists to market their films more effectively.

Rudolph Valentino ?forced? Hollywood?s publicists to create the term, ?Latin Lover??because he was able to captivate women everywhere with his smoldering looks, dark eyes and tango dips. So, when he passed away at age 31, he pre-dated the phenomenal fan response accorded to James Dean when the latter died in a motorcycle accident.

The Keystone Cops gave a different rhythm and speed to film humor. Before sound, humor was largely visual and physical. DW Griffith produced the trendsetting classics, ?Intolerance? and ?Birth of a Nation.? The cost of the former?$2.5 million?stunned producers. In one scene, Griffith actually cast 4,000 extras!

As cost of production increased with technical advancement, studios took over control and power. MGM, Warner Bros. and Universal became prominent studios. They signed actors up to lengthy contracts, commissioned scripts from America?s best writers, and produced films that were gobbled up by a world enamored by Hollywood?s Star Factory. Movies were becoming sophisticated, so scripts also became increasingly important.

Stars held sway, but producers controlled the purse strings and their productions? quality. Producers learned the power of a blockbuster, as well as the flatulent impact of a flop.

?Intolerance,? now considered a great film, was a resounding flop. Therefore, it took many years before Griffith could direct another movie. However, that decisive decade made Hollywood the Dream Machine it is today!