The modern studio system was forged in the early 20th century, most famously during Hollywood’s “Golden Age” (roughly 1927–1960). During this era, vertically integrated giants like Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Paramount, Warner Bros., and 20th Century Fox controlled every aspect of production. They owned the backlots, contracted actors and directors to long-term deals, and operated their own theater chains. This “factory system” churned out a steady stream of genre films—westerns, musicals, gangster pictures—with remarkable efficiency. However, a 1948 U.S. Supreme Court ruling (the Paramount Decree) forced studios to divest their theater chains, breaking their monopoly and ushering in an era of independent production.