You know movie stars when you see them, they're larger than life, and usually have some sort of mystique or mystery.

And they define the movies for generations from Chaplin and Pickford to Bogey and

Bacall to Denzel and Julia. But in an age of Disney and Marvel, the movie stars seems

to have been eclipsed by the franchises in which they appear.

So are we witnessing the death of the movie star?

I'm Aisha Harris and today we present an episode of NPR's consider this podcast.

NPR film critic Bob Mandela and I popped in to talk with host Scott Dettro

about the history of movie stars and their place in Hollywood today.

It's considered this from NPR,

Humphrey Bogart Carrie Grant, Betty Davis, Clark Gable.

During Hollywood's golden age, which existed roughly from the 1910s and 20s into the early 60s,

these actors weren't just stars.

Americans didn't have royalty, so these folks were our royalty.

That's NPR's film critic Bob Mandela.

He says long before the advent of franchises and intellectual property, major studios like MGM Paramount and Warner Brothers

depended on stars to sell their movies to hungry audiences.

Stars weren't just born, they were made.

MGM used to brag that they had more stars

than there are in heaven.

They created those stars.

They were actors, work-a-day actors,

who came to Hollywood, and they were groomed in a variety of ways.

...