The movies: an American idiom

the long version

This volume is an attempt to describe the historical relationship between the American motion picture and the environment in which it operates as well as the functions and problems of the movies as a mass medium with a vast potential for human betterment. The following readings dealing with American movies are drawn from journalists, critics, historians, sociologists, humorists, novelists, and other writers who simply admire the movies' contribution to American life.