Traces the motion picture industry through the 1940s, looking at the federal lawsuits and congressional hearings that buffeted Hollywood in the prewar years; discussing the industry's support of the war effort both off- and on-screen; and analyzing the box-office bust of the postwar era.

Introduction -- The motion picture industry in 1940-1941 -- The Hollywood studio system in 1940-1941 : duals, B's, and the industry discourse about its audience / Janet Staiger -- Prewar stars, genres, and production trends -- The motion picture industry during World War II -- The Hollywood studio system, 1942-1945 : selling Mildred Pierce : a case study / Mary Beth Haralovich -- Wartime stars, genres, and production trends -- Regulating the screen : the Office of Information and the Production Code Administration / Clayton R. Koppes -- The postwar motion picture industry : SAG, HUAC, and postwar Hollywood / Gorham Kindem -- The Hollywood studio system, 1946-1949 -- Postwar stars, genres, and production trends -- Documenting the 1940s / Thomas Doherty -- Television and Hollywood in the 1940s / Christopher Anderson -- Experimental and avant-garde cinema in the 1940s / Lauren Rabinovitz.