In total, with this project I hoped to uncover some of the ways in which child actors were important to the messaging of the US government, the capitalist system, and the sources of media during the early 20th century. We can look at this through a variety of goals, which include geographic hegemony, creation of perfection as an outer image, or developing a strong gender binary in imagery. There are a variety of levels at which this is important to look at, be that theoretical, through qualitative and quantitative data, or when looking at individuals who influenced this system of production. If I were to have more time and were able to go further with this project, I would love to look more deeply into some more specifics of who these child actors were, and how their lives were affected by their treatment and their usage as figureheads of the ideal American childhood. Not many of these stars are still with us today, but first hand accounts would be incredibly interesting and useful to understanding the media’s power over the ideals of our society and the goals we create.

Children of Hollywood: The Creation of the Perfect Youth

Introduction|Literature Review|Data Analysis|Timelines|Conclusion|Sources