In the classical Hollywood era, the studio systems allowed producers to churn out movies at a fast rate. One aspect of this system, the use of stars, is one of interest and importance.
The star system allowed studios to link certian stars with certian traits. This way, if you saw a particular star in a movie, you could be sure that the star would carry the same trait in any movie or appearance they appeared in. This kind of cut and paste taticts used made star a marketable commodity. Also, stars were used to promote other stars, thus not only adding worth to the star that is doing the promoting, but also the star that is being promoted.
For example, Judy Garland is always depicted as a young, innocent girl that always sings. The prime example of this that everyone knows about is The Wizard of Oz. Garland's character, Dorothy, is a youthful girl who's only wish is to get back home. Along the way, she doesn't hesitate to be caught in a musical number or two. Another example is the clip "Dear Mr. Gable":
In the following clip, Garland is shown with her standard attributes (young, innocent, and can sing) and uses these attributes to promote another star in the same studio, Clark Gable. In this way, both Garland and Gable get increased exposure and added importance to the public.
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