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Does Vertical Integration Spur Investment? Casting Actors to Discover Stars during the Hollywood Studio Era

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  • F. Andrew Hanssen
  • Alexander Raskovich

Abstract

The Hollywood studio era of the 1930s and 1940s was remarkable for its abundance of glamorous stars. In this paper, we investigate whether the vertical structure of the Hollywood studios, by ensuring studios’ claims to “star capital,” spurred higher levels of investment in discovering stars than was (or is) achievable under alternate regimes (such as today’s film-by-film contracting). The vertical structure consisted of backward integration into talent through long-term contracts and forward integration into exhibition through ownership of theater chains. The investment involved the experimental casting of novice actors to gauge audience appeal. Collecting data on thousands of actors whose careers span nearly three-quarters of a century and conducting several sets of tests, we find evidence of higher levels of investment in actors working under the vertical structure of the studio era than in actors working under alternate regimes.

Suggested Citation

  • F. Andrew Hanssen & Alexander Raskovich, 2020. "Does Vertical Integration Spur Investment? Casting Actors to Discover Stars during the Hollywood Studio Era," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 63(4), pages 631-666.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlawec:doi:10.1086/710067
    DOI: 10.1086/710067
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    Cited by:

    1. Jeremy M. Losak & Benjamin J. Posmanick & Raymond D. Sauer, 2024. "On the Value of a Premium College Football Player: Evaluating the Literature," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 25(4), pages 472-506, May.
    2. Andrew Weinbach & Phillip Kamau Njoroge & Robert Salvino & Arch Woodside, 2024. "Strategic behavior, artistic integrity, and tradeoffs in popular music," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 42(3), pages 483-497, July.
    3. Thomas J. Miceli, 2022. "Investing in talent development: Theory and applications," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(6), pages 1641-1650, September.
    4. Daniel Keniston & Abigail Allison M. Peralta, 2022. "Taxes and the Labor Supply of the Stars," NBER Working Papers 30698, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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