hollywood insider film have be make since the movie colony come out to the west coast . the hollywood community be aware that the public know their patented make believe be just that and and so they be willing to share the truth about hollywood with the public fairly often . but these film get darker in the late 1940s and early 1950s . in 1950 billy wilder sunset boulevard show how the world have forget it celebrity and star of the late silent period a generation earlier . in 1951 and although ostensibly a comedy and singing in the rain do show the disaster to so many silent career ( even the detestable lila lamont ) that sound bring in it wake . yet with all the viewing of the effect of the film industry change on the life of actor and few tackle that of production people . vincent minelli 1952 the bad and the beautiful do just that and study the career of a super film producer . it use of organized series of flashback reminds of that this film producer be john houseman and once the partner of orson welles in his mercury theater . the constant comment that the anti hero of the film and jonathan shield ( kirk douglas ) be dismiss a a genius be like the disparagement show to boy genius welles when he show up in hollywood . but the basic model for the producer seem to be david o. selznick and whose father be prominent in the 1920s and until force out by rival in the industry . jonathan father be also a big shot until he too be throw out by his rival . briefly the plot of the story be how shield make a career out of the work of other people and several of whom he hurt by discard as soon a he could . first be his co producer or director fred amiel ( barry sullivan ) and whose treatment plan for a major film be take from him by shield to sell the studio on back it . amiel hop to direct it and but it be direct instead by von ellstein ( ivan triesaut a kind of clone of josef von sternberg ) . amiel break with shield a a result and and never will work for him again . however and amiel be able within a few year to be one of the most successful hollywood director anyway . that incident be in 1936 ( a film preview be show at a theater show anna karenina with garbo and fredric march an mgm film and just like this one ) . in 1941 shield be cast the leading role for a film to be shoot by harry whitfield ( leo g. carroll possibly a clone of alfred hitchcock ) . he decide to hire georgia lorison ( lana turner ) for the female lead opposite gaucho ( gilbert roland ) . lorison be the daughter of a classic lead actor of the past ( his voice be hear it be louis calhern ) and who die impoverish and an alcoholic wreck ( the father and daughter be suppose to be john and diane barrymore ) . georgia be try to keep off the sauce herself and and fall on the day shooting be to begin . since jonathan learn that georgia love him and he romance her . it be only when the film be in the can that he break it off and rather roughly . georgia performance make her a success in hollywood and but she never will work for jonathan again . finally we have the story of novelist james lee barlow ( dick powell ) and his wife rosemary ( gloria grahame ) . barlow be in hollywood to write the screenplay version of his best sell novel of the deep south ( he a clone for william faulkner and thomas wolfe and with some f. scott fitzgerald in ) . a rosemary keep james lee from work and jonathan try to get the author into isolation to work and and preoccupies rosemary with gaucho ( who have come onto her at a party ) . but gaucho and rosemary be kill in a plane crash . james lee finish the script and but an argument between jonathan and von ellstein cause the latter to quit the film . jonathan ruin the film because he have no talent a a director . still he and james lee might work on a new project together and but a stupid remark by jonathan cause jam lee to realize that gaucho and rosemary be together on that ill fat trip due to jonathan . so he too leave the producer . but subsequently he write a novel about his wife and and win a pulitzer prize . call together by jonathan financial head and harry pebble ( walter pidgeon ) and the three victim of shield refuse a new offer for just one final picture with him . but at the conclusion they all show curiosity on just what the new idea of his be . the bad and the beautiful have a wonderful script it have many intricate bit in it that one have to catch on repeated viewing . pebble ( originally shield bos ) dismiss him until he see the treatment of the novel that amiel write he think it be shields idea ) . he say in front of a seething fred amiel he always think shield a genius . later and of course and he realize it be not jonathan work . similarly von ellstein congratulate jonathan on be the first producer whose treatment of a book resemble the work of a director . later he too realize it be fred work and and ironically the collapse of jonathan position be begin when von ellstein lecture jonathan on how you can not just stuff a film with a series of climax but have to build to one . also the first time georgia and james lee discuss a film script they accidentally ( by lack of knowledge on his part and and by temporary failure of memory on hers ) hurt each other without realize it . it become a rich tapestry of the industry and the various life that get involve in it . a such it be one of the best film about movie making ever make .