Hollywood Left and Right

Ross (history, Univ. of Southern California; Working-Class Hollywood) reveals the wide-ranging and lasting influence of Hollywood stars and producers on American politics. He profiles ten celebrities—five on the left (Charlie Chaplin, Edward G. Robinson, Harry Belafonte, Jane Fonda, and Warren Beatty) and five on the right (Louis B. Mayer, George Murphy, Ronald Reagan, Charlton Heston, and Arnold Schwarzenegger)—who devoted themselves to political activism, sometimes at great risk to their careers. Ross situates the personal stories of his subjects within the greater cultural and political landscape, exploring the motivations that drove each of them and measuring the effectiveness of their efforts. Determining that Hollywood conservatives have been more successful at shaping the political direction of the country than those on the left because of their ability to package and sell the simple but appealing story of America as the greatest nation in the world, Ross nonetheless credits the film stars on the left for championing vital issues like anti-Nazism, civil rights, women's rights, antiwar efforts, and economic justice.