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PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Movie Pioneers

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PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Movie Pioneers
By Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: Sunday, November 21, 2004

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

I'm Sarah Long.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about three people who helped make Hollywood the center of the movie industry.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

When you hear the name Hollywood, you probably think of excitement, lights, cameras and movie stars. Famous actors are not the only important people in the entertainment business. Directors and producers are important, too. Today, Hollywood is full of producers and directors. However, very few are as famous and successful as Hollywood's first motion picture businessmen, Cecil B. DeMille, Samuel Goldwyn and Louis Mayer.

((("There's No Business Like Show Business", CDP-8244)))

 
Cecil B. Demille
VOICE TWO:

Cecil Blount DeMille was born in Ashfield, Massachusetts in Eighteen-Eighty-One. Both his parents were writers of plays. His father died when he was twelve years old. His mother kept the family together by establishing a theater company. Cecil joined the company as an actor. He continued working in his mother's theater company as an actor and a manager until Nineteen-Thirteen. That year, he joined Jesse L. Lasky and Samuel Goldfish to form the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company. Goldfish later changed his name to Samuel Goldwyn.

VOICE ONE:

The three men started making motion pictures immediately. They loved working in the movie business. They were deeply interested in its creative and financial possibilities. DeMille, Lasky and Goldfish began working on a movie version of the popular American western play, "Squaw Man." DeMille urged that the movie be made in the real American West. He chose Flagstaff, Arizona. DeMille and the company traveled to Flagstaff by train. When they arrived, DeMille thought the area looked too modern. They got back on the train and keep going until they reached the end of the line. They were in a quiet little town in southern California. The town was called Hollywood. DeMille decided2 this was the perfect place to film the movie.

"Squaw Man" was one of the first full-length movies produced in Hollywood. It was released in Nineteen-Thirteen and was an immediate1 success. DeMille is considered the man who helped Hollywood become the center of the motion picture business. He quickly became a creative force in the new movie industry. His success continued with "Brewster's Millions," "The Call of the North" and "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine."

VOICE TWO:

Cecil B. DeMille was among the very few filmmakers in Hollywood whose name appeared above the title of his movie. His name was more important to movie-goers than the names of the stars in the movie. DeMille's movies were known to be big productions. He combined a lot of action, realistic storytelling and hundreds of actors to make some of Hollywood's best movies. He made many kinds of movies including westerns, comedies, romances4 and ones dealing5 with moral issues

DeMille gained a great deal of fame with the kind of movie known as an epic6. An epic tells a story of events that are important in history. DeMille's epic movies were based on the settling of the American West, Roman history or stories from the Bible. His first version of the historic7 film "The Ten Commandments" was a huge success among silent films in Nineteen-Twenty-Three. In Nineteen-Fifty-Six, he released a new version of "The Ten Commandments" to include sound. It is broadcast still on American television during the Christian8 observance of Easter.

VOICE ONE:

Cecil B. DeMille produced and directed seventy movies. In Nineteen-Forty-Nine he received a special Academy Award for "thirty-seven years of brilliant showmanship." He died of heart failure in Nineteen-Fifty-Nine.

One of DeMille's last films was "The Greatest Show on Earth." It won the Academy Award for best picture in Nineteen-Fifty-Two. It was about people who performed in the circus. Some people say it was a fitting9 subject because Cecil B. DeMille often was called the greatest showman in Hollywood.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

In Eighteen-Ninety-Five, a thirteen-year-old boy from Warsaw, Poland found his way to the United States. Samuel Goldfish was alone. He had no money. He found work as a glove maker3. He continued working in the glove-making industry until he was almost thirty years old.

 
Samuel Goldwyn
VOICE TWO(cont):

In Nineteen-Thirteen, Samuel and his wife's brother, Jesse L. Lasky, and Cecil B. DeMille formed the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company. It produced the movie, "Squaw Man."

In Nineteen-Sixteen, Goldfish started a business with Edgar Selwyn. They combined their names Goldfish and Selwyn and called the new company Goldwyn. Samuel Goldfish liked the name and changed his to Samuel Goldwyn in Nineteen-Eighteen. The Goldwyn Company made many successful motion pictures. Yet, the company was not a financial success.

In Nineteen-Twenty-Two, Samuel Goldwyn was forced to leave the company. The Goldwyn Company then joined with Metro10 Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Productions to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, known as MGM. Samuel Goldwyn was not part of the deal. He promised never to be a joint11 owner of another company. He formed his own company Samuel Goldwyn Productions.

VOICE ONE:

Samuel Goldwyn was one of the great independent producers during the "Golden Age" of Hollywood. Most of his films were successful financially and popular with critics. He insisted that his films be well made and of high quality. This became known as the "Goldwyn Touch."

Goldwyn usually paid for his films himself. He bought the best stories and plays to be made into movies. He employed the best writers, directors and actors. And he discovered new actors including Lucille Ball, Gary Cooper, Susan Hayward and Will Rogers.

Goldwyn was extremely independent. He had a strong desire to control every element of the production and marketing12 of his films. He made all decisions concerning his films including choosing directors, actors and writers. His best films include "The Little Foxes," "The Best Years of Our Lives" and "Porgy and Bess." His movies received many Academy Awards.

VOICE TWO:

Samuel Goldwyn was known also for his sense of humor. He created funny expressions. In Hollywood they are known as Goldwynisms. One of his most famous expressions was "Include me out."

In Nineteen-Forty-Six, Goldwyn received the Irving Thalberg Memorial Award for his excellent movie productions during the Academy Award ceremonies that year. He died in Nineteen-Seventy-Four.

Samuel Goldwyn was in the movie business for almost sixty years. He is considered one of the most influential13 film producers ever.

(MUSIC)

 
Louis Mayer
VOICE ONE:

Louis B. Mayer began as a theater operator in Havermill, Massachusetts in Nineteen-Oh-Seven. Over the next several years he bought more theaters. Soon he owned the largest group of theaters in New England. In Nineteen-Seventeen, Mayer formed his own movie production company. In the early Nineteen-Twenties, Louis B. Mayer Pictures joined two other companies to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Mayer was appointed vice14 president and general manager of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He had a strong fatherly way of supervising15 the company and actors.

The company had some of the biggest names in show business including Judy Garland, Clark Gable, Katherine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. A popular expression used at the time was M-G-M had "more stars than there are in heaven." M-G-M produced some of the most popular movies of all time including "The Wizard of Oz," "Gone with the Wind" and "The Philadelphia Story."

VOICE TWO:

In the Nineteen-Thirties and Nineteen-Forties, Louis B. Mayer was the most powerful businessman in Hollywood. He earned more than one-million-two-hundred-thousand-dollars a year. He was paid more than anyone else in the United States.

In Nineteen-Fifty, Mayer received a special Academy Award for "excellent service to the Motion Picture industry." He died in Hollywood, California in Nineteen-Fifty-Seven. He was seventy-two years old.

VOICE ONE:

Cecil B. DeMille, Samuel Goldwyn and Louis B. Mayer are remembered for their excellent movies and their continuing influence in the motion picture industry. They led the way for movie producers and directors of today and those still to come.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written and directed by Lawan Davis. Our studio engineer was Keith Holmes. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Sarah Long. Join us again next week for People in America in VOA Special English.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 immediate aapxh     
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的
参考例句:
  • His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
  • We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
2 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
3 maker DALxN     
n.制造者,制造商
参考例句:
  • He is a trouble maker,You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼,你不要跟他在一起。
  • A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。
4 romances 77fde962e29a8f3190981e749a316f8f     
n.浪漫史( romance的名词复数 );爱情小说;恋爱;传奇色彩
参考例句:
  • The Arabian Nights and Treasure lsland are romances. 《一千零一夜》和《金银岛》都是传奇故事。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Most teenage romances are transitory. 绝大多数青少年的恋情都转瞬即逝。 来自辞典例句
5 dealing NvjzWP     
n.经商方法,待人态度
参考例句:
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
6 epic ui5zz     
n.史诗,叙事诗;adj.史诗般的,壮丽的
参考例句:
  • I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗,而写了这个小故事。
  • They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。
7 historic AcNxw     
adj.历史上著名的,具有历史意义的
参考例句:
  • This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
  • We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。
8 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
9 fitting 8sszzP     
n.[pl.]设备,家具,配件,试穿;adj.适合的
参考例句:
  • I'm going to a fitting tomorrow.明天我要去试穿新衣。
  • The President's address was a fitting end to a bitter campaign.总统的讲话为一场激烈的竞选运动适时画上了句号。
10 metro XogzNA     
n.地铁;adj.大都市的;(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国,主要经营零售)
参考例句:
  • Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗?
  • The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。
11 joint m3lx4     
adj.联合的,共同的;n.关节,接合处;v.连接,贴合
参考例句:
  • I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤,肩膀脫臼了。
  • We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。
12 marketing Boez7e     
n.行销,在市场的买卖,买东西
参考例句:
  • They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
  • He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。
13 influential l7oxK     
adj.有影响的,有权势的
参考例句:
  • He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
  • He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。
14 vice NU0zQ     
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的
参考例句:
  • He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
  • They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。
15 supervising d5279d2ad6a17d3600fa632b054358e0     
v.监督,管理( supervise的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • She had something to do in the house, supervising that native. 她待在家里,究竟还有点儿事情可以做做,可以监视那个土人。 来自辞典例句
  • In addition, nuisance law fails to provide a systematic mechanism for supervising emissions. 另外,妨害法不能提供一个监督排放的系统性机制。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

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