Universal studio was founded by Carl Laemmle, a German Jewish and is the second oldest studio in Hollywood. He realized the potential of the moving pictures and the success of Universal Studio has proved him right.

Hollywood has been credited with many successful and memorable movies over the years. The movie industry began in the early 1900s and as of now, there are many famous studios involved in the production of movies and their brand names and logos have become familiar among people.

Of these studios, Universal studio is credited with some of the biggest hits that Hollywood has seen. It goes to the credit of Universal studio that they have been successfully able to tide over the hard times that the movie industry had to face from time to time. It started with the switch from the era of silent movies to the talkies and Universal Studio was able to manage the transition successfully.

The next issue that faced the movie industry was the breaking away of movie stars from the production houses in an effort to be more independent. This happened in the 1950s and Universal Studio again managed to pull up act together by channeling its energy into making of TV shows and movies made especially for television.

In the initial years, Hollywood was churning out low budget westerns and serials. Over time, the standards of scripts and production also improved. In the 1930s, Universal Studio released All Quiet on the Western Front, a movie based on World War I. It went on to win the Academy Award for the Best picture.

Subsequently, Universal Studios became synonymous with horror movies after they produced successful movies like Frankenstein and The Mummy and Dracula. Some of their lighthearted movies have featured memorable performances from Mae West, Deanna Durbin and WC Fields. In the 1950s, many stars including the heartthrob Cary Grant were on contract with Universal Studio. Other stars like Doris Day and Rock Hudson helped create magic with the romantic comedy Pillow Talk whereas James Stewart helped create another sensation by talking to a giant rabbit in the movie Harvey.

Universal Studio has taken risks to produce movies that had difficult subjects. These movies like the depiction of Nazi Germany through the holocaust movie The Schindlers List was not supposed to appeal to a larger audience. But its success took everyone by surprise. Similarly, Twelve Monkeys, a movie dealing with the subject of mental illness also received critical acclaim. And who can forget the blockbusters like the Jurassic Park and ET. It is surprising to note that Universal Studio has had hits to its credit in every decade.

Author: Kenneth Scott