Exclusion From Cinema History (04:50)

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Paula Wagner was one of the first female producers in Hollywood. Screenwriter and director Robin Swicord describes being an anomaly in the industry. Film Historian Ally Acker learned that in the 1920s there were many powerful women in film.

Women Who Built Hollywood (07:49)

Half of all films made before 1925 were written by women because women and Eastern European Jews were not welcome in other jobs. Swicord shares a brief history of how women gained access to careers in film. Margaret Booth talks about her experience working in the early days of film.

First Female Directors (11:06)

Director Alice Guy Blanche made films after work when she was done with her secretarial duties; she founded Solax Studios. Lois Weber was the most successful female director of her time. Screenwriter Frances Marion won two Academy Awards and was the highest paid screenwriter from 1915 to 1935.

Changes in Hollywood (07:42)

Anita Loos wrote "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," which launched a musical comedy and the famous film starring Marilyn Monroe. Hollywood writers were more respected than directors. Talking films and the economic crash changed the film industry and lead to most women being pushed out of powerful positions in Hollywood.

Women as Movie Stars (06:50)

Following Hollywood’s turn to big business, women went from behind the camera to in front of the camera becoming icons of the film industry. Ida Lupino, the creator of “The Filmmakers,” could not have become a successful director if she had not first been a famous actress.

Second Wave of Women Pioneers (08:15)

After World War II, women entered a range of professions; the government created propaganda to coax women into going back home. Acker gives a brief history of women in film that were overlooked and taken advantage of. The Women's Movement of the late 1960s brought women like Sherry Lansing back into film.

Future of Female Leaders in Hollywood (03:29)

The independent film movement reopened doors for women in film. Kathryn Bigelow was the first female director to win the Best Director award at the Academy Awards and is one of very few female action directors.

Credits: Women Who Run Hollywood (00:36)

Credits: Women Who Run Hollywood