'Starlets' Examines Hollywood's Early Leading Ladies at 9 pm Sunday

Hollywood's A-list stars of today owe a lot of credit to Tinsel Town's original leading ladies.

The stories of the iconic actresses of the Golden Age are featured in Newsmax TV's new original "Starlets: The Ladies Who Made Hollywood," which premieres Sunday at 9 p.m.

When to Watch:
9 p.m. ET Starlets: The Ladies Who Made Hollywood
Sunday on Newsmax – Find It Here

The new documentary not only takes a look back at the early Hollywood days, and the women who shaped the system for generations to follow, but what these women originally contributed to the industry and how the studio system has changed.

"'Creating 'Starlets' was a journey into the DNA of cinema," said Philip Hopkins, president of Film Masters, a consortium of historians and film enthusiasts who seek to celebrate and preserve classic film. "We wanted to go beyond the silent frames of the silver screen to show the raw ambition and talent of icons like Clara Bow, Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford, and Bette Davis."

"These women didn't just star in movies, they invented the very concept of the modern movie star and built the foundation of the industry we know today," he added.

Pulling from Film Masters' vast collection of archival film and images, leading film historians, including Maria Tura and Sloan De Forest, author of the Turner Classic Movies book "The Essential Directors: The Art and Impact of Cinema's Most Influential Filmmakers," speak to the subject matter.

Film historian and writer Julie Kirgo also contributed, while historian, film expert, and screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner penned the script. Together, these experts bring to light how these women of early Hollywood paved their own way and expanded roles both in front of and behind the camera.

Specifically, the film looks at Mary Pickford, who lobbied and advocated for actors and fundamentally changed the studio system, to Barbara Stanwyck, who blazed across the screen and pushed the boundaries of what could be done on camera.

The influence of Clara Bow, who challenged societal norms and thrilled audiences in the Jazz Age, and Joan Crawford, who proved she could act across all genres, are also explored.

Directed and edited by Daniel Griffith, it also examines how early Hollywood often found new stars from the stage and how the studio system will continue to change in the future.