Ellsworth Toohey is a character in a classic novel called the Fountainhead. Written by Ayn Rand the Fountainhead explores what was then her developing ideas of what would become a philosophy called Objectivism. As she explored her ideas of the heroic man she introduced other characters that epitomized other worldviews. That brings us to the outwardly meek and unassuming Ellsworth Toohey.
Ellsworth wrote a newspaper column titled "One Small Voice". In it he remarked on various social trends but primarily architecture. Besides the column he also encouraged friends to form social and professional groups. These groups would meet without any stated obvious purpose. "Just like-minded friends" is how Ellsworth described them. The common theme would always be these groups would slowly come to reflect Ellsworths ideals and agenda yet bore next to no traces of his manipulations. And Ellsworth was very manipulative, very dedicated to his socialist and communist ideals. Quietly he worked to influence entire groups of people, ruining some and establishing others as great successes.
That brings me to what had once been a common way of business in Hollywood; the studio actor and the studios vested interests. There was a time when actors and actresses signed exclusive deals to work only with specific studios. The intense rivalries between studios could be said to have given rise to the malicious gossip and smear industry of Hollywood.
I am not exactly a Hollywood historian so I will simply take a guess and say that the age of the studios lasted until the late 1960s to mid-1970s. Regardless of when that age ended, during its height there were plenty of men and women like Ellsworth Toohey. They ruled the smear and gossip industries, able to ruin careers with just a raised eyebrow after a snide comment.
Eventually the age of studio exclusives came to an end. Hollywoods professionals began working for multiple studios and a great new age of film began.
Marvel Studios reminds me of the studio age. Not with its available actors and actresses but with its content. Marvel Studios has a very focused content and a vested interest in that content being successful.
People have been bewildered by the extremely harsh reactions of professional critics towards WBs Green lantern. People have been frustrated by the inexplicable mindset of Marvel fans cheering and encouraging a DC movie to fail.
If Green Lantern fails, and I am not sure how the number one movie in the country every day since it was released is a failure, but I digress..if it fails
it will be because of people like Ellsworth Toohey and the easily led emotional people that men like Toohey appealed to.