I found that Richard Dyer's use of Francesco Alberoni's discussion of stars at "The Powerless Elite" to be very telling about the star phenomenon. The consideration of stars as such seems to indicate that the stars have little influence on society in their own right, but instead are used as tools by others to have influence on the public. It is also true when considering that actors have little say in whether they will actually become stars, instead they must put their fate in the hands of studio executives and the public to become stars.
I can't help wondering, however, if the classification of stars as powerless elite is true. It seems to me that Dyer's discussion of Shirley Temple as a figure portraying and encouraging values makes her in some sense a powerful figure. Even if she is being given the lines to say and the character to play the actor herself must have some rapport with the audience in order to actually influence their values or make them consider changing their ways. It seems something else can also come into play when considering whether stars have power in their own right, the way that they are often blended in the minds of an audience with the characters they play. If those characters have influence over the audience then in some sense the stars must also have influence. For example, an actor who is always playing heroes like John Wayne are emulated by children and even some adults. The values promoted by heroes become entangled with those of the actors who play them, giving the stars power. Margo in All About Eve is a good example of this, although not a movie star she has incredible influence on Eve's life, although much of this Eve made up. Eve chooses to walk and talk like Margo, she impersonates her and even surpasses her in the theater in a very real way, but she is always going to retain the influence of Margo, a star, on her life.
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I feel that the powerless elite depiction of stars is too simple and fails to acknowledge that stars have voice in what roles they take and how they choose to portray themselves in the public eye. I prefer the economic model that compares Hollywood productions to that of capitalism. This bills stars as a product that the film productions need in order to create a successful film. The stars themselves are the capital (or product) so they need to ensure that they are properly positioned and differentiated from others that are on the market. Studios choose a star based on how secure they feel his/her capital is and thus how sound an investment the star will be on their production. The outlay the studios pay the star needs to be worth the amount of capital they are receiving. Finally, the market needs to be open to receive what the star is offering favorably. This model casts stars as static images that can be replaced as soon as a new and improved version emerges on the scene. This can be seen in the film All About Eve. Eve successfully usurps Margo as the most desirable theater actress, even though she was playing a part that was written for Margo. This shows how interchangeable stars are, and how easy it is for the industry to move on to the next star that appears on the scene. As long as the new star has enough capital to maintain the profitability of the production, the market does not truly care who has the top billing.
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