Emily Carman’s new book Independent Stardom: Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System is a real eye-opener. Most of us are under the impression that in Hollywood’s formative studio era, movie stars, and especially female ones, had no say in their careers and utterly lacked independence. But Carman shows that’s not the case at all in her heavily researched book.
Given recent headlines about women in Hollywood such as Jennifer Lawrence not getting the same pay as men, it’s quite a shock to find out that, 80 years ago, female stars like Carole Lombard, Barbara Stanwyck, and Irene Dunne were leveraging their box office draw and successfully challenging the patriarchal film industry by working on a freelance basis to take control of their careers. Carman’s book is a fascinating read, revealing a previously undocumented chapter in the history of women’s labor.
Emily, who lives in downtown Santa Barbara and commutes to Los Angeles to teach film studies at Chapman University, became obsessed with movies and actresses from the 1930s in the fourth grade, when she chose to write a book report on Katherine Hepburn. Most weekends you will find Emily buoyantly excited about taking in all of Santa Barbara through her long hikes. She’s particularly fond of Franceschi Park.