SOME EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES OVER SPRING BREAK

The extra credit opportunities below continue with the Hollywood theme that we have recently studies in California History. Note: all of the assignments require writing a report. You may use the internet, books, or other sources. However, you must cite all of the sources you use. Also, computer-generate your report or write it neatly in ink. For all reports: do not cut and paste information. Write the report in your own words. If I suspect you have cut and pasted information, you will not get any credit.

1. Research Thomas Edison's invention of the movie camera. When did he invent it? How did it work? What was it made of? How did he invent it? Basically, write a research report gathering all of the information you can find regarding this historic invention.

2. Research Thomas Edison's Motion Picture Patent Company. This is the company that owned the patents to his camera, and that eventually helped to motivate moviemakers from the east coast to move to Southern California. Find out what you can about this company, Edison's patent laws and his patent enforcemenet.

3. Research an early Hollywood film studio. Find out all you can about the studio, including who owned it, where it was built, famous movies produced there, and famous film stars who worked for the studio, plus any other relevant information to the operation/history of the studio.

You may research any or all of the following early Hollywood film studios:

*Nestor Studios (Hollywood's 1st studio)

*20th Century Fox
*Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
*Paramount Pictures
*Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO)
*Warner Brothers

The above 5 studios were collectively known as the "Big 5 studios of Hollywood"

Other studios that came later:

*Universal
*Columbia
*United Artists

4. Research Cecil B. DeMille, who was an early Hollywood producer and who many consider the early "King of Hollywood." Include his biographical information, how he got started in movies, and his impact on Hollywood. What did he do? What were his accomplishments? You can be thorough in your report of DeMille and include all relevant information about his impact on Hollywood and the film industry.

5. Watch any movie that includes any of the early Hollywood film stars that we as a class researched. Once you have watched the movie, write a brief report. First, tell me what the movie was about. What occurred and who were the main characters? What type of movie was it? Then, focus on the Hollywood film star in the movie. What was his/her role in the movie?

Some of the film stars we researched:

*William Powell
*Edward G. Robinson
*Douglas Fairbanks
*Lionel Barrymore
*John Barrymore
*Gregory Peck
*Lon Chaney (Jr. or Sr.)
*Basil Rathbone
*Humphrey Bogart
*Spencer Tracy
*Rudolph Valentino
*James (Jimmy) Cagney
*James (Jimmy) Stewart
*Robert Taylor
*The Marx Brothers
*Buster Keaton
*Charlie Chaplin
*Clark Gable
*Mickey Rooney
*Cary Grant
*W.C. Fields

*Lauren Bacall
*Mae West
*Judy Garland
*Greta Garbo
*Ida Lupino
*Katharine Hepburn
*Myrna Loy
*Clara Bow
*Bette Davis
*Veronica Lake
*Jean Harlow
*Norma Shearer
*Marie Dressler