As far back as the early to middle part of the 20th century, Hollywood produced a number of films that are remembered today as being classics. There is no doubt that these movie memories will continue, and deservedly so, to be thought of in this way. The time period stretching from the 1920s through the 1940s brought a great many changes to Hollywood and the motion picture industry.

The 1920s brought to film what is probably one of the most significant changes in movie history - sound. While the majority of motion pictures continued to be silent on the screen, the latter part of this decade would see a surge in the number of pictures being produced with sound. America loved going to the movies, and this was the beginning of a beautiful love affair that continues today. As with all love affairs, there were some bumps in the road. The stock market crash of 1929 brought to an end the financial security that many people had during the decade. Fortunately, Hollywood was not immediately affected by the economic changes.

The 1930s, although a difficult time economically, really defined a lot of what Hollywood has become. Sound in motion pictures was now commonplace and color began to show it's glorious screen potential. The publics movie going imagination was being fueled by the likes of John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, Shirley Temple, and a great many more all destined to become legendary. Unfortunately, the addition of sound to film was not kind to everyone. Many of the silent film stars were unable to successfully make the transition. The 1930s also helped to usher in some classic horror movies. Characters such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Mummy continue to be popular with today's monster movie fans.

With the 1940s came war. The United States, along with most of the world, was now immersed into World War II. Hollywood did their part in supporting the effort and the war movie genre exploded onto the scene. Many popular war titles, including Casablanca and The Battle of Midway, would earn a spot in classic movie history. Even after the wars conclusion Hollywood continued to produce postwar films such as The Best Years Of Our Lives that depicted the difficulties faced by many returning veterans.

It is these three decades that have had the most profound influence in shaping Hollywood as we see it today. In many ways the spirit of these decades still exists today, as this was an historic period in motion picture history and the Hollywood movie memories that it provided are destined to always be remembered but can never be duplicated.