ARHT1003: Hollywood: Art, Industry

Running head: HOLLYWOOD: ART, INDUSTRY AND ENTERTAINMENT
Hollywood: Art, Industry and Entertainment
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HOLLYWOOD: ART, INDUSTRY AND ENTERTAINMENT1
“Happy Endings” in Hollywood is one among the most less analysed and over utilised
concepts in the discussions of popular cinemas1. Although it has rarely been addressed in any
detail, this term is still being ceaselessly employed by the filmmakers, audiences, scholars
and critics and also, at the same time, is the one that summons an entire host of assumptions
regarding the mainstream American filmmaking. This paper is going to elaborate on
interrogating on the question of “Why Hollywood movies tend to have happy endings?”
It is to note that happy endings are very commonly being considered as the
synonymous with the ending and the main couples in the movie are often seen as the
synonymous with the happy endings2. Also, the logical supplement of all these assumptions
also holds, the meaning that is often surrounding the claims to the impact that the Hollywood
movies ten to be closed by the happy endings with the engaged couple. It is also to mention
that the term “happy ending” is spoken in the Hollywood movies and it is usually being
exploded for circulating idealism in the profile of true hardships of life. One of the best
example of this is movie “Blonde Venus”. In this movie, the chemist Edward Faraday marries
a German cabaret singer named Helen and the couple settles in US. They also have a son
there named Johnny. Gradually, Ned develops the radium poisoning and he need to travel
Europe for his treatment but he has not potential enough to afford the trip. For his treatment,
Helen started working and went to work for the nightclub manager named Dan O’ Conner.
Eventually, misunderstanding started to develop in between these two. However, the movie
was brought to an end with a “happy ending”.
It is also to note that the Hollywood movies almost always have a happy ending as the
Americans do not like discomfort. Americans like happy feelings that let them avoid the
introspection, personal growth and introspection- things that art is accustomed to inspire3.
Happy endings basically make the viewers, especially the emotional ones, feel happy.
According to Grandy, Americans are obsessed with the happy endings4. It is to mention that
the sales strategy after the film making in the early 1940s as well as earlier than that used to
be depending on the whims of the executives of the studio. Those studies used to own the
movie houses which released the film for having the most control over the life of their
product and the other commodity that they attempted to have control over was on their stars.
There are many people who anticipate the ending of a movie to come with every fixings of
“Hollywood Ending”- the perfectly choreographed kisses, the fireworks and some well
predicted puppies5. There are also some individuals who desire a night at the movies to be
entertained in light hearted way. With the same, parents who try to attempt for a wonderful
outing with their children do not need to cram into a car of crankiness. There are many greasy
popcorn bits that are stuck to the sugar coated fingers and are sweater from their “Sour Patch
Kids”. The people who happily welcome happy endings in movies could leave with a big
smile and happiness and also they have a very warm feeling towards the story. There is no
need of racking the brains for getting the answers to meaning of life. Also, people then do not
need to reassess their choices for life. Hence, here lies the commercial need of happy endings
in Hollywood movies that helps in turning everything into happy ending.
1 Pennington, Jody. "James McDowell's Happy Endings in Hollywood Cinema: Cliché, Convention and the
Final Couple." American Studies in Scandinavia 48, no. 1 (2016): 97-99.2 Horeck, Tanya. "Happy endings in Hollywood cinema: cliché, convention and the final couple." (2014): 77-82.3 Matias, Cheryl E. "And our feelings just don’t feel it anymore”: Re-Feeling whiteness, resistance, and
emotionality." Understanding and Dismantling Privilege 4, no. 2 (2014): 134-153.4 Grandy, Christine. Heroes and happy endings: class, gender, and nation in popular film and fiction in
interwar Britain. Oxford University Press, 2016.5 Reid, Raziel. When Everything Feels like the Movies (Governor General's Literary Award winner, Children's
Literature). Arsenal Pulp Press, 2014.