Hollywood's Decline and Reinvention

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

This thread traces how Rick Dalton's fading television stature, drinking, and self-criticism intersect with a career industry that has changed around him.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Promising Television Star A Promising Television Star from "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". A Promising Television Star A successful series Rick leads Bounty Law and becomes recognizable as a television cowboy.

A Promising Television Star from "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". A Promising Television Star A successful series Rick leads Bounty Law and becomes recognizable as a television cowboy.

A Promising Television Star A successful series Rick leads Bounty Law and becomes recognizable as a television cowboy. The series gives him a professional home and the confidence that he can move on to bigger film roles. Expectations grow Rick wants to become a movie star and measures himself against performers who made that transition. His ambition makes a stable television career feel less like a success than a delay.

The Fourth Season Lost The Fourth Season Lost from "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". The Fourth Season Lost A difficult departure Rick becomes uncooperative because he believes television is beneath the film career he wants.

The Fourth Season Lost from "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". The Fourth Season Lost A difficult departure Rick becomes uncooperative because he believes television is beneath the film career he wants.

The Fourth Season Lost A difficult departure Rick becomes uncooperative because he believes television is beneath the film career he wants. The show does not continue into a fourth season, and Screen Gems' producers resent how he handled the departure. A lesson arriving late Rick later recognizes that he could have worked another season and parted on better terms. His wish to leap forward has instead weakened a reliable professional relationship.

The Guest-Star Cycle The Guest-Star Cycle from "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". The Guest-Star Cycle Work without advancement Rick appears on several television programs, usually as the villain.

The Guest-Star Cycle from "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". The Guest-Star Cycle Work without advancement Rick appears on several television programs, usually as the villain.

The Guest-Star Cycle Work without advancement Rick appears on several television programs, usually as the villain. He often loses a final fight to the newer hero the episode is meant to establish. A role becomes a reputation Marvin warns that repeated defeats may train audiences to see Rick as a punching bag. The work keeps him employed but risks making his former star status look like a supporting function.

The Drinking Spiral The Drinking Spiral from "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". The Drinking Spiral Solitude and excess Rick drinks several whiskey sours alone, loses consciousness, and wakes with a hangover before his call time.

The Drinking Spiral from "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". The Drinking Spiral Solitude and excess Rick drinks several whiskey sours alone, loses consciousness, and wakes with a hangover before his call time.

The Drinking Spiral Solitude and excess Rick drinks several whiskey sours alone, loses consciousness, and wakes with a hangover before his call time. He believes the alcohol eases loneliness and self-disgust. Performance suffers His exhaustion and illness make learning lines harder. The gap between the professional he wants to be and the man who arrives at work deepens his shame.

A Possibility of Change A Possibility of Change from "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". A Possibility of Change A difficult day completed Rick performs under pressure on the Lancer set and receives meaningful praise from Trudi Frazer.

A Possibility of Change from "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". A Possibility of Change A difficult day completed Rick performs under pressure on the Lancer set and receives meaningful praise from Trudi Frazer.

A Possibility of Change A difficult day completed Rick performs under pressure on the Lancer set and receives meaningful praise from Trudi Frazer. The day does not erase his career problems, but it proves his craft remains usable. A broader account of success During the late rehearsal, Rick recalls people, work, and experiences for which he is grateful. He begins to see that a career can be valuable even when it has not fulfilled his original ambitions.

From the late 1950s through the early 1960s

At the end of Bounty Law's third season

In the two years before February 1969

On the night before Rick's first Lancer shoot

By the end of February 8, 1969