Walt Disney has been known around the world as the voice of animation his movies are known throughout the world. J Edgar Hoover is known as the director of the FBI during the Cold War he is not known for his effects on Hollywood. During the Cold War both of these men dabbled in areas that they were not experts in.
During the Cold War Walt Disney started a more political angle trying to get more recognition for his work and more profit for his studio. In 1993 Marc Elliott wrote the book Walt Disney Hollywood's Dark Prince he states that Disney used his movies in order to create an American centralized patriotism during World War 2, he illustrates that in the movie saludos amigos which is a movie about Donald Duck traveling to South America and
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learning about its culture, this movie is to illustrate the relations between the South American and United States government during World War II. After during the Cold War Disney dappled more with the politics with testifying as a friendly witness for the House Committee on un American affairs, including different information about the strikes that have been occurring in Hollywood during this time. He also illustrated that Disney believed these strikes were due to communist influences using the illustration of Babbitt who was forced out by Disney who used the Senate ruling that he had to rehire Babbitt after his successful service in the army. Disney also used the unions and the media to his advantage according to Elliot. During the strikes Disney used to the unions and unionizing as an excuse to lay off a large amount of people stating that the union's requirements for payment we're out of their budget for everyone to stay on working. Elliott also states that Donald Duck who was created during this time was used by Disney as an outlet for his frustrations with the government. then in 1997 Stephen Watts wrote the book The Magic Kingdom Walt Disney and the American Way of life his thesis is that during World War 2 when does the house of the army at his studios he learned how to work this political system in order to get what he wanted. He then used his movies help promote pro-american attitudes to help the war efforts of both during the war and after this is illustrated by the saludos amigos as well as Johnny Tremain and the Swiss Family Robinson movie all of these weird depicting what is truly an American family and people. Disney included all of his views in his movies. Wats states that Disney followed the political form of the time promoting American things and disapproving of anything Russian related. Watt's then uses the HUAC testimonies given by Disney about communism and his studio using Disney's words about how at one point his studio may have had communist influences but now they are 100% American just show how Disney not only conformed but added his own spin on to the political platform of the day. He uses the illustration of Swiss Family Robinson and how the family had been abandoned by their crew to survive on their own and how they were industrious making their own lives without the help of any communist ideals, using the democracy that Americans are known for. In 2006 Neal Gabler wrote his biography on Walt Disney entitled Walt Disney the triumph of the American imagination. In this heat uses the events in Disney's illustrate how Disney formed his opinions. He states that Disney's father Elias Disney was very much against any socialist platforms which he passed on to his sons, this led to Walt Disney having such a strong view on communism. This is you would affect how he worked with the people around him especially during the union strikes, as he viewed unions as a form of socialism and communism. Gabler also align his view with watts concerning how Disney learned to manipulate the political figures that he needed to work with and around in order to accomplish his goals, and that he used his experiences with the armed forces during World War II to show him how he should react during the Red Scare in the Cold War. Gabler also states that this is when Disney lines how to spin the tail to the press allowing him two look like the good guy in different situations, and allow the press to believe that the union strikes were near to completion when they were not. Also written in 2006 with Tom Sito entitled drawing the line the untold story of the animation unions from Bosko to Bart Simpson in it he describes the Disney strike and how Disney responded to its. He is as Disney's workers experiences both both before and after the strikes illustrating how Disney truly believes that communist had been at work and how he played d politicians angle when it came to rehiring his workers. And a letter he wrote to his workers after the strike was over he lists all of the agreements that he and the strike leaders have made and at the end of the letter he clearly states “I believe that you have been misled and Misinformed about the real issues underlying the strike at the studio. I am positively convinced that communist agitation, leadership, and activities have brought about the strike, and has persuaded you to join this fair and equitable settlement.” Disney knew how to play the politicians angle when he posted this letter in the Hollywood trade papers he understood exactly what he was saying to the world as well as to his workers according to Sito. On the flip side J Edgar Hoover as well as the FBI had realized how important their image was to the public. According to Richard G. Powers in his 1983 book g-men this became very clear when the movie entitled g-men came to theaters without any influence or permission from the Department of Justice new or the FBI. In the aftermath of this movie along with many press statements and releases that were made Hoover realized that the media needed needed to be directed or else they would make up the story themselves. Powers uses the example of a testimony given to Congress by Homer Cummings which Hollywood used in a movie about the FBI and place the words in J edgar Hoover's mouth thus allowing him to become the mouthpiece and the symbolic leader of American law during this time. Richard M.
Fried has a different perspective about the FBI and Hoover's attempts at using the media in his 1990 book nightmare in red he states that politicians and federal agencies did not truly understand the impact Hollywood and in order to rein in once they realized how important Hollywood was to their causes did they attempt to curb what they viewed was inappropriate using the Motion Picture Association as well as many other watchdog agencies. The biggest of these agencies according to fried was not an agency but the House Committee on un American Affairs and the Hollywood blacklist that they created during the Red Scare. Fried illustrates that this list as well as the testimonies given by friendly witnesses allowed Hoover and the FBI to clean up Hollywood and to keep it American. On the other side is the 2006 book drawing the line the untold story of the animation unions from Bosko to Bart Simpson written by Tom Soto, his belief is that the federal government understood what Hollywood meant to their platforms long before and their creation of the Mohawk Valley rules which allow studio owners to not deal with union workers but rather to slander them with the press in order to get them to come back without to unionizing is what caused and allowed Hoover as well as the HUAC to believe that they could get away with the blacklist. He use the experiences of animators to illustrate how politicians have continuously interfered with animators lives and livelihood during the Red Scare as well as before
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However, after the dust settled, it was widely accepted that the blacklist was unjust, which enabled many film workers to pursue the movie studios in civil courts through the 1950’s for unpaid contracts and wages (Lewis, 2008). While the studios were initially impacted by the Paramount decision, the breadth of competition and independent successes of smaller studios gave rise to the advancement of innovative filmmaking that may not have been possible if it were not for the Paramount decision. Filmmaking is one of the riskiest and most profitable ventures in modern day society, and without these events, the studios and the film workers may not share the successes that they do
To get a clear view and understanding of the book, first must review the time period in history. The book was written in the mid 1950's during the cold war. Former General McCarthy, then U.S. Senator started a fire ball of suspicion, suppression, and incarceration. This had a very huge impact on the entrainment industry, which included everyone from playwrights to filmmakers, as well as writers and actors. If anyone in that time period was suspected of being a communist, the government could come and pull them out of their home. At the least a suspected communist would be banned, or put on a black ball list. Printed in the Times, McCarthy's First Slander, "Overnight, his speech sparked a media firestorm that played to the basest fears of Americans swept up in a frightening cold war and triggered loyalty oaths, blacklists and personal betrayals that cost an estimated 10,000 Americans their jobs and some shattered innocents their lives." (Johanna McGeary 28) This happened to a number of actors and film makers during that time period. The black ball list was a list of names of people who were believed to be communist. The people on this list came from the movie industry as well as writers. These people would no longer be able to get work ...
In Hollywood political conflict was also paving the way for what would later occur in Hollywood as the HUAC would attack the industry. Big business controlled the lucrative industry and the companies that controlled the market were eight major studios in Hollywood. The Metro-Goldw...
The Revolutionary war, sparked by the colonist’s anger towards taxation without representation, was a conflict between the United States and its mother country Great Britain. This event had been considered the most significant event in the American history. It separated the thirteen colonies from the tyrannical ruling of King George. The revolutionary war was not a big war, “The military conflict was, by the standards of later wars, a relatively modest one. Battle deaths on the American side totaled fewer than 5,000”1. However, the war proved that the thirteen colonies were capable of defeating the powerful Great Britain. Over the years there were many Hollywood films made based on the revolutionary war, 1776, Revolution, Johnny Tremain, and The Patriot. But, no movie has stirred up as much controversy as the Mel Gibbson movie The Patriot. The patriot is very entertaining but it is historically inaccurate. Too much Hollywood “spices” was added to the movie for viewing pleasures.
In the 1930s and 1940s many Hollywood writers, actors, producers, and directors were suspected for communist affiliations. During this time, communism was a popular political movement in the United States, especially among young liberals. There was a growing fear of communism invading American society. By the end of World War Two, an event known as the Red Scare resulted in communism becoming increasingly feared and hated by many in the United States. The Hollywood blacklist caused the Hollywood industry a lot of harm to its business and reputation.
In Cold War, Cool Medium: Television, McCarthyism and American Culture, Thomas Doherty profiles the 1950's Red Scare, also known as McCarthyism, and its vast effect on American culture during that time. Doherty arms his audience with the revealing history behind the rise and fall of Senator Joe McCarthy, as well as the roots of the anti-communist attitude during the Cold War era that led to the rise of McCarthyism. He discusses the effects of McCarthyism on the entertainment world of the 1950's; the blacklisting of actors, actresses, and producers; many important trials, such as the Army-McCarthy Hearings; and, finally, the end of McCarthyism. An interesting section of the book titled I Love Lucy: The Redhead and the Blacklist demonstrates that in a time
Nichols, John. ""Counbtering Censorship: Edgar Dale and the Film appreciation movement (critical essay)."." Cinema Jouranl. Fall 2006.
John Quincy Adams once said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” After getting a behind the scenes look at J. Edgar Hoover’s life and accomplishments I consider him to be a very influential leader. I was always familiar with the name J. Edgar Hoover, but I never fully understood his impact on the United States. Edgar, as his mother would call him, wasn’t a perfect man by any standards. He was born with a variety of traits that contribute to his leadership. Some of these traits attributed to his downfall. Throughout the movie there were many instances that tested his leadership in both negative and in positive ways.
During the Great Depression, people went to the movies to get their mind off things and to forget about things temporarily. Life was portrayed a few different ways during the Great Depression. Different genres of film gave different perspectives on what life was like. The three genres compared are comedy, gangster, and musical films. Room Service and Modern Times are two films in the comedy genre and they portrayed a worry-free lifestyle. The Public Enemy is a gangster film and it had a dangerous lifestyle. Last, but not least, is Gold Diggers of 1933 and it is a pretty happy film. These films all had one thing in common though; the characters all had problems with money, which greatly relates to the Great Depression.
Two of the films I watched were J. Edgar (2011) and The Doors (1991). Both films seemed to provide a number of insights into American culture during the Cold-War era and 1960’s. Granted, they did so in different ways. Where J.Edgar is detailing the history of J.Edgar Hoover, former head of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, The Doors details the history of Jim Morrison, who affectionately refers to himself in the film as “the lizard king.” The two stories portray personalities that are as different as night and day. But in those personalities are historical and cultural elements which, in some ways, might not always be corroborated with Foner’s particular view of American history. The one personality, i.e. J.Edgar, becomes a vehicle through which the history of the national security state in Cold War American culture becomes articulated to the average viewer. The other personality, Jim Morrision (and the other members of his band, “The Doors,” variably portrayed in the film) becomes a vehicle
In America during the era of the cold war there was a fear of the USSR and communism; Senator Mcarthy’s ideas grew in popularity and “McCarthyism” took hold across America. American people were taught to fear communism and how communism would affect American society. This growing fear led to a witch hunt for communists in America. Hollywood was victim to the bulk of communist accusations in an event called the “Hollywood Blacklist”. The Hollywood Blacklist was a significant event in the Cold War; it affected Hollywood and the victims in many ways.
Hollywood’s Blacklist developed out of complex social, political, and economical conditions. The Hollywood’s blacklist was a method utilized by the federal government to deny employment to many professionals in the entertainment industry, including but not limit to screenwriter, actor, producer, director, musicians, and animators. These professionals were “blacklisted” as a result of suspected political association with the Communist party. The manufacturing of the blacklist sprung out of panic and fear of communist reconnaissance as a result of many events that were taking place around the world such as the Soviet Eastern Europe, Berlin blockade, Chinese Civil War, confessions of high-ranking government officials of espionage for the Soviet Union, Korean War and , Atomic bomb,. The Hollywood’s blacklist was also a manifest of extreme paranoia related to the Cold War. Americans indentified a threat to their freedoms of society and democracy which facilitated a climax of intense anti-communist sentiment during the 1940’2 and 1950’s. This study will examine the creation and influence of the Hollywood’s blacklist on a political platform, and economical consequence, and a social exile of civil liberties.
"I saw the novel...was becoming subordinated to a mechanical...art...I had a hunch that the talkies would make even the best selling novelist as archaic as silent pictures." (Mizener 165) F. Scott Fitzgerald was keenly aware of the shift in the public's interest from novels to movies. This change made Hollywood stand alone for Fitzgerald as the sole means for expressing his talent and for gaining appropriate recognition, as well as the new way to make money. For F. Scott Fitzgerald, the combination of celebrity and financial benefits made Hollywood an alluring scene.
It is no doubt that Martin Scorsese has heavily influenced the emulating of American film making from European influences. He is a prime example of a ‘New Hollywood Cinema’ director, not only from his ethnicity and background, but from his sheer interest in this form
The Cold War FBI connected antiracism to communism in postwar US cinema by seeing it as a strategic measure taken by communist for marginalized people to create an uprising and to incentivise them to go against their country, which has rejected them and turn to communism. African Americans and other groups of marginalized people such as Jewish, Irish catholics, and women were some of the groups of people targeted by communist according to the Cold War FBI by using anti racist rhetoric and other tactics to recruit marginalized groups of people. Films made during the Cold War with underlying messages of inequality, American racism among many other truths, stirred up fear with the FBI and other agencies and led to trials and accusations of American