Rudolph Valentino. Courtesy of Donna Hill.
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New York's "Roxy" Theater, which no longer exists. Courtesy of Cinematreaures.org
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Charlie Chaplain in "The Circus." Courtesy of Daid Robinson.
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Movies and Movie Stars
A very popular form of entertainment in the 20’s was going to see a silent film. Movies appealed to every type of crowd. There were comedies with stars like Charlie Chaplain and Buster Keaton, adventures, which had stars like Rudolph Valentino and Douglas Fairbanks, and several other genres including westerns and epics. Movies could be viewed in a variety of different places as well. Theaters could be small and local or you could go to a movie “Palace” like Detroit’s Fox Theater, New York’s Roxy “Cathedral of the Motion Picture,” or New York’s Capitol Theater.
The Jazz SingerAlthough sound in movies was introduced in 1923. It didn’t take off until October 6th, 1927, when Warner Brothers released “The Jazz Singer” starring Al Joleson. After that, silent movies stars slowly became less popular, with “Talkies”, as they were called, taking their place.
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A theater showing "The Jazz Singer" starring Al Joleson. Courtesy of David Pietrusza.
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