While the impact that legendary actors and actresses have had on the development of the Hollywood film industry is well known, few have recognized the power of movie fans on shaping the industry. This book redresses that balance. It is a study of Hollywood’s golden era which examines the period from the viewpoint of the fans. Using fan club journals, fan letters, studio production records, and other previously unpublished archival sources, Samantha Barbas reveals how the passion, enthusiasm, and ongoing activism of film fans in Hollywood’s golden era transformed early cinema, the modern mass media and American popular culture.