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  • : 13
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  • Thames Television
  • Documentary History

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1
1x1
Pioneers
Episode overview
The evolution of film from penny arcade curiosity to art form, from what was considered the first plot driven film, The Great Train Robbery, through to The Birth of a Nation, films .. show full overview
1x2
In the Beginning
Episode overview
Hollywood is transformed from a peaceful village with dusty streets and lemon groves to the birthplace of the industry in California. Silent film transcends international boundaries to .. show full overview
1x3
Single Beds and Double Standards
Episode overview
Fast success in Hollywood brings a cavalier party lifestyle, which led to shocking scandals such as Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle's trial and subsequent acquittal for manslaughter. To tone .. show full overview
1x4
Hollywood Goes To War
Episode overview
The outbreak of World War I provides Hollywood with a successful source for plots and profits. Peacetime curtails the release of war movies, until the release of King Vidor's The Big .. show full overview
1x5
Hazard of the Game
Episode overview
Silent films are often remembered for slapstick gags and dangerous stunts. Stuntmen took anonymous credit for very little pay and could not reveal their involvement. Stuntmen Yakima .. show full overview
1x6
Swanson and Valentino
Episode overview
Two of the great romantic legends of the silent screen are profiled. Rudolph Valentino's on-screen persona is remarkably different from his real personal life, as recounted by his .. show full overview
1x7
The Autocrats
Episode overview
Two of Hollywood's greatest directors, Cecil B. DeMille and Erich von Stroheim. One worked with the Hollywood system, the other against it. DeMille's pictures, lavish in detail and cost, .. show full overview
1x8
Comedy - A Serious Business
Episode overview
Hollywood learned very early how to make people laugh. Comedy was king, and battling for the throne were stars like Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, Harry Langdon and Charlie Chaplin. In a .. show full overview
1x9
Out West
Episode overview
'The Old West' was still in existence in the silent days. Old cowboys and outlaws re-lived their youth, and got paid for doing it, by working in films. The 'western craze' really begins .. show full overview
1x10
The Man With the Megaphone
Episode overview
Silent film directors were flamboyant pioneers, making up their technique as they went along. Filming 'indoor' sets on open outdoor lots and combating the elements, communicating with .. show full overview
1x11
Trick of the Light
Episode overview
Skilled cameramen had the ability to turn an actress into a screen goddess, and were valuable assets to studios and stars. With the aid of art directors, they achieved some of the most .. show full overview
1x12
Star Treatment
Episode overview
Producers discovered the effect of 'star power' on their box office bottom line. Creating Hollywood stars becomes its own industry, resulting in the Hollywood Star System, from which .. show full overview
1x13
End of an Era
Episode overview
Silent films had universal appeal, simply by replacing intertitles and dialogue cards for the foreign markets. Sound film was experimented with in many forms since the 1890s, but did not .. show full overview

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