Character players like Marie Dressler, Wally Beery, and Will Rogers were the real money makers in the early 30's. The public could identify with them for their common appeal. This quality made them genuine stars. Janet Gaynor, waif-like, as was the earlier Mary Pickford, became one of the biggest stars at the beginning of the decade. Daddy Long Legs and Tess of the Storm Country were Pickford remakes; both assured her star status. Her greatest role was in A Star is Born.


Kid stars were used throughout the period, but none reached the heights of Shirley Temple. Little Miss Marker made her a star. With tremendous talent and her sweet personality, she was a favorite in the second half of the period. The Andy Hardy series was initially a sleeper. The series paved the way for Mickey Rooney to take leads in Boy's Town and Babes In Arms, which introduced Judy Garland to the world. Deanna Durbin, a youngster from the period, also rose to the top. Her beautiful voice and spontaneous personality seen in Three Smart Girls, her first picture, was an instant money maker. Mae West, a vamp, a camp and a sexy comedic talent, was shocking to church and women's groups, but men loved her off-beat take on male-female relationships. She was seductive and assertive where most women were submissive. Her hits included She Done Him Wrong, Belle of the Nineties, and. My Little Chickadee, with W.C. Fields, a perfect foil for her wit and charm.