hufilmtv1-2, Exercise 3: "Hungarians built Hollywood"

Model answer (check the details):

Documented: Hungarian-born people founded or led major companies and made major films, including Fox and Zukor (Fox Film Corporation, Paramount), directors such as Curtiz, and actors such as Lugosi. Their names and credits are in biographies and film databases.

Claimed: that Hungarians were uniquely numerous or influential, that a Budapest cafe culture explains their success, and that they formed a close helping network. Memoirs support some of the networks, but the sweeping explanations are plausible rather than proven.

Unknown or contested: who counts as "Hungarian" (born in the Kingdom of Hungary, language, citizenship), how the numbers compare with other groups such as Germans, Austrians and Russians, and how far the famous joke ("it is not enough to be Hungarian") is authentic.

Verdict: "Hungarians were an important part of the founding generations of Hollywood" is supported. "Hungarians built Hollywood" is too strong, and the claim should be stated with the groups and periods named.