The Threat of Television

Hollywood was threatened by television because it brought free entertainment to peoples' homes, and that conflicted with the movie industry's reliance on the films that they would exhibit at theaters. The threat came during the 1940s and 1950s after World War II, as lots of people bought homes in the suburbs that weren't close to cities and their movie palaces. They were attracted to the feasibility of television sets, as it provided entertainment in their homes that was free and could be watched at any time of the day. During this time, large movie conglomerates were forced to give up some of their power on the industry, and they had to loosen their influence on movie theaters. This weakened the movie industry and prevented it from getting back on its feet, because the studios were unable to get TV licenses. In addition, the Cold War brought the fear of communism and the blacklisting of several actors and directors who were suspected of sympathizing with the Soviet Union, which hurt the industry even more. Of the stars that were left, many of them flocked to television because of its hopeful future, and the end of the Golden Age in Hollywood came to an end.