From Douglas Fairbanks to George Lucas: USC’s School of Cinematic Arts turns 90

A statue of Douglas Fairbanks in the center of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Photo/USC School of Cinematic Arts

By Susan King | April 6, 2019

ON FEB. 4, 1929, USC, IN COLLABORATION introduce a course of study that would “We didn’t become an independent with the recently founded Academy of lead students to a bachelor’s degree in school until sometime in the early 1980s,” Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, added a cinema. Initially known as the department noted Dean Elizabeth M. Daley. “At one new class to the curriculum: Introduction of cinematography, it was renamed the point it got folded into the department to the Photoplay. department of cinema in 1940. Thirteen of performing arts. But from 1929 on, Among the instructors were silent years ago, it was renamed the School of they never ceased to add classes all the cinema’s superstar and first academy Cinematic Arts. time. They were teaching television by president Douglas Fairbanks, his wife, the Nine decades after “professor” Fairbanks the 1950s.” legendary actress, producer and academy taught Introduction to Photoplay, the The school is celebrating its 90th co-founder Mary Pickford, and such noted USC School of Cinematic Arts has some anniversary this year with talks, screenings filmmakers as Ernst Lubitsch, D.W. Griffith, 14,000 alumni that include a who’s who and exhibits, including one on the 40th Irving Thalberg and Darryl F. Zanuck. of filmmaking from George Lucas to Ron anniversary of the “Alien” franchise at Within three years, USC became the Howard to current academy president the Hugh M. Hefner Exhibit Hall at first U.S. school of higher learning to John Bailey. the George Lucas Building and another on the school’s history at the Steven in town. UCLA, Chapman University, Singleton, the first African American Spielberg Building. Loyola Marymount University, California to be nominated for a best director Oscar On Monday, the academy is celebrating Institute of the Arts, and Cal State Los and the youngest to receive a nod — at the 90th birthday at the Samuel Goldwyn Angeles, Fullerton, Long Beach and 24 for 1991’s “Boyz n the Hood” — Theater with clips and discussions with Northridge are among the colleges and graduated from the Filmic Writing alumni, including producer and Marvel universities locally with film schools or program headed by Margaret Mehring. Studios president Kevin Feige; producer departments.) “I enrolled as a writer because at that Stacey Sher (“Erin Brockovich,” “Django Daley is particularly proud of the time everybody was concentrating on Unchained”) and writer-director John USC film school faculty. “Just look at the production side,” he recalled in a Singleton (“Boyz n the Hood,” “Poetic my department chairs right now,” she recent interview. “Somebody told me Justice”). Producer Jennifer Todd (“Austin declared. “The newest department chair is when I was in high school that you have Powers: International Man of Mystery,” Teresa Cheng, who is heading animation. to have a story first.” “Memento”) is the moderator. She worked for Jeffrey Katzenberg Mehring, Singleton said, started the The school has about 1,800 undergraduate [at DreamWorks Animation] for 17 program to give writers respect. One and graduate students. years…. She ran Lucasfilm Singapore of his favorite professors was Abraham (Of course, USC isn’t the only game for several years.” Polonsky, the blacklisted screenwriter

Harold Lloyd (right) filming the 1925 movie, ‘The Robert Zemeckis (left) directing a student film at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Freshman’ on USC’s campus. Photo/USC School of Photo/USC School of Cinematic Arts Cinematic Arts of 1947’s “Body and Soul,” and writer- from going to USC “was a love of watching class. You had a budgeting class and director of 1948’s “Force of Evil” and films on the big screen. I still go there. learned how to break down a budgeted 1969’s “Tell Them Willie Boy is Here.” I call up Dean Daley and say I need the script with a first A.D. Every one of your “As a student, I was in charge of list of what’s screening in the classrooms. professors were working professionals.” picking him up in Beverly Hills from I go there, sit in the classroom and watch Sher keeps giving back to her alma his apartment and bringing him to class,” the films.” mater, hiring Stark students as interns. said Singleton. “We would just sit and Sher graduated with a master’s degree “Coco Francini, who was the associate talk. He was a great guy. I remember he in 1985 from the Peter Stark Producing producer of the ‘The Hateful Eight’ and embarrassed me in class one day. He said Program, which was then run by Art is an executive producer on the series nobody else is going to make it in this Murphy, who pioneered box office I’m about to start for FX, started 10 class except for John Singleton.” reporting when he was at Daily Variety, years ago as our Stark intern.” Since then, Singleton has returned She remembered that Murphy envisioned She also speaks to students at the periodically to USC to teach, including the program as something of a boot camp. school. “I always joke I am powerless in 2015 with the class The Emergence “It was a way to get an overview of the to say no to anything that Dean Daley of Multicultural Cinema. business in a very condensed period of asks me to do. I’m just in awe of her and The most special thing Singleton got time,” she said. “So you took a screening what she’s done for the school.”

Alum Stephen Sommers, alum Peter Segal, Dean An early sound recording in progress. Photo/USC School of Cinematic Arts Elizabeth M. Daley and alum John Singleton at the unveiling of the star in front of the USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex. Photo/Steve Cohn Photography