mayers, the adolph zukors, mostly men in on the scene.hey were created as larger than life, all-powerful corporate beasts, while the true powers remained invisible. i've just been speaking with new york. (douglas gomery) behind the scenes, unknown to the public. and were able to maintain their power for decades. this studio will fall without me. take a break, monroe. this is a waste of time, i'll be talking to new york. we'll see the studio doesn't fall. (douglas gomery) it's the star system applied to the industry. although louie b. mayer was more famous than schenck. nicholas schenck operated the company, operated the theatres, operated world distribution. and in the 1940's, fired louie b. mayer. (narrator) ultimately, owning cinemas secured real economic strength. the large companies all owned theatres. and at the height of the studio era, 94 percent of their investment went into this real estate. the big studios were really extensive theatre chains simply making movies to fill their own cinemas. it was a monopoly actively encouraged i