Studio System

In the studio system of Classical Hollywood, stars' traits and trademarks would move from film to film. Actors like Humphrey Bogart would maintain certain characteristics throughout every movie that they were in. Bogart, for example, was rarely found in a movie without his trademark raincoat and fedora. In addition to the recurring clothes, Bogart's characters were basically all the same. He was always tough and cynical, but he would often show his honorable side by the end of the film. Now, Bogart was a Warner Bros. star, which allowed the studio to make just about any film starring that kind of character and put Bogart as the leading man, and, due to his popularity, they were able to profit immensely from it. Warner Bros. was able to place Bogart in gangster movies, including High Sierra. The studio then changed to detective movies, where Bogart played the same basic character, though no longer on the wrong side of the law. Notable Bogart detective films include The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep. He also starred in Casablanca and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, in both of which he played his trademark character. Basically, Warner Bros. was able to make any movie that starred a tough and cynical character, because they had Bogart on contract and just about everyone wanted to see him play that character, no matter what the movie was about.

Bogart in his fedora and trenchcoat.