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When Hollywood Was Right: How Movie Stars, Studio Moguls, and Big Business Remade American Politics Hardcover – October 21, 2013

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Donald T. Critchlow (Author)
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4.4 out of 5 stars 22 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 235 pages
  • Publisher: Cambridge University Press (October 21, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0521199182
  • ISBN-13: 978-0521519694
  • Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,773 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
What a fun and interesting book!
By H. J. Schumacher on November 21, 2013
Format: Hardcover
What a fun and interesting book! I picked up When Hollywood was Right because I am interested in what happened in Hollywood during this period and curious about the differences to today’s Hollywood crowd. I will admit that the cover caught my eye. It is a classic picture of Ronald Reagan – a man I admire and have fond memories of talking to while he was president. Copious documentation is an added bonus of the book. I value knowing the sources and appreciate the author did his research. I did not find the errors I read in one of the reviews posted here and I am assuming the published copy I have read is updated and corrected from any pre-released copies.

The first third of the book details the HUAC and its impact on Hollywood. Much has been written about HUAC and this period in American history. The declassification of the Venona project makes me read about this period with a different perspective and I appreciate how Critchlow takes a careful and well-documented approach.

I especially liked the chapter on Nixon and his connection to Hollywood. Having had the opportunity to meet and talk with him in his New York office after he resigned in disgrace, I found his connection to Hollywood enlightening when thinking back on how he spoke about Reagan. When asked about Reagan’s chances of beating Jimmy Carter he said that there was more to Reagan than the public realized and that the actor had huge potential to win if he could convince the American people he was serious. Critchlow’s chapter was quite interesting and provided good context for why Nixon made those comments to me.

Finally, I never realized the extent of the clash between Reagan and Goldwater over the Panama Canal treaty.Read more ›
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Fun and interesting read on politics in Hollywood
By Steven Lee on December 3, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
When Hollywood was Right is a fascinating read. Growing up in Southern California, I’ve always enjoyed learning about the history of the entertainment industry. Critchlow provides great insight and detail about HUAC and the Venona project. Even after studying US History as an undergrad, I was amazed to find out that so many interesting details about the era had been left out of standard coursework on the subject. Any fan of history, the entertainment industry, or the post-war period will have a great time reading and learning more about When Hollywood was Right.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
A must read for anyone interested in history, politics, or film.
By S.Tu on November 24, 2013
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
A very interesting perspective; Dr. Critchlow explores facets of the Hollywood of yesteryear and, with groundbreaking new research, reveals that Hollywood has not always been the hotbed of progressive liberalism that exists today. Starting in the 1930s, we follow familiar celebrities and businessmen, and how they reshaped American politics.The book is very well written, and from the first page it will grab your attention; from the average political tinkerer,all the way to doctorate holders (whether you lean right OR left)! I personally enjoyed learning about the Goldwater-Reagan era, and as a younger reader I was fascinated by how the author illustrated the journey Ronald Reagan made from film, to politics, and eventually the white house. I strongly recommend this book and will be reading more from this author!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
The Golden Age of Republican Hollywood
By Scott T. Rivers VINE VOICE on February 24, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Author Donald T. Critchlow's fascinating account of Hollywood's right-wing history is regrettably marred by factual errors, misspellings and index omissions. For example, Francis X. Bushman was a famous silent-film actor — not a director; there is no producer named "Melvin Leroy"; and, despite being mentioned several times, "Charleton" Heston never appears in the index. "When Hollywood Was Right" cries out for an experienced fact-checker, editor and proofreader. The sections devoted to Reagan and Nixon are well worth reading, but such important academia deserves a more polished presentation.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Balanced Treatment of a Contentious Subject
By Judith E. Hanhisalo on March 10, 2014
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
This is a scholarly and well documented book about California politics and the Republican Party from the 1930s to the election of Ronald Reagan as President in 1980. Mr. Crichlow doesn't take a stand on the issues himself, making the book refreshingly unbiased. The book covers elections, organizations, individuals and processes. The writing is clear and easy to read with no sign of academic obfuscation. Anyone interested in twentieth century politics should read this.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Politics without being political. . .
By Garvinstomp VINE VOICE on February 23, 2014
Format: Hardcover Vine Customer Review of Free Product ( What's this? )
First off, it's important to note that this book is a book about politics which is far different than a political book. This is, for all intents and purposes, a history book documenting a political movement as opposed to being a book advocating for a particular ideology. Hopefully people will give this a chance and review it as such instead of just assuming that it's a conservative book and give it that u-shaped review curve with all 5-star and 1-star reviews. Good. Now that that's out to the way. . .

While Hollywood is primarily a very left-leaning town in terms of its political ideology, it wasn't always the case. What Critchlow successfully does is guide us through the journey the Republican/conservative ranks took through Hollywood from its inception, through FDR, the rise of Nixon and Goldwater, and the ultimate election of one of Hollywood's own, Ronald Reagan. It's a fantastic journey with all the requisite twists and turns for a story centered on Tinseltown.

After giving us a glimpse of the characters and a little background, the stage is set by the rise of FDR and democrats nationwide and the Hollywood blacklist. These two events put into a motion a series of events that would put republicans on the defensive. While Critchlow's style isn't as riveting as other historians, it is more than adequate to get through the book.

The book is well researched and Critchlow provides a wealth of footnotes. My biggest issue with the book is that it feels incomplete. At just over 200 pages there was plenty of room to bring the story up to present day. Hollywood's politics are as on display today as they've ever been, with the right leaning members of Hollywood forced to meet in private with their own group, The Friends of Abe, for fear of being blacklisted.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

A Good Overview

When FDR was president, the US was very polarized because of the New Deal. Some believed it was the key to ending the Depression, and others believed the government was over... Read more

Published 21 months ago by Samantha Glasser
The rise and fall of the Hollywood Right

This is a somewhat nuanced account of what used to be the Hollywood Right and why it has little power in the current era.

Published 21 months ago by Mark R. Whittington
Forgotten Hollywood History

"When Hollywood Was Right" is a highly readable, well researched look into conservative stars in Hollywood in the post World War II period. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Kevin Fontenot
An Interesting Historical Look at the Old Hollywood Republicans

When Hollywood Was Right by Donald T. Critchlow was an informative and well researched history. It held my interest and the author did a relatively good job writing it and putting... Read more

Published 21 months ago by Eric B. Borgman
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

After reading the blurbs and the title, I was surprised by how evenhanded this book was. Instead of being the conservative polemic I was expecting, it turned out to be a... Read more

Published 21 months ago by FredTownWard
Good Book

As a fan of Ronald Reagan the cover of this book was an instant attraction. For me it was a good read because I am aware of how Hollywood has changed since the days of the good... Read more

Published 22 months ago by Mary B. Steinsdoerfer
A very interesting and well-written account of Hollywood and politics.

I have often been interested in the collusion of American politics and Hollywood. So much of recent political history has been either forgotten or ignored, that it is very easy to... Read more

Published 22 months ago by Narut Ujnat
Objectively told history

I am not yet finished with this book, but my initial impressions are that the author has worked to keep this an objective history of the role of politics in Hollywood. Read more

Published 22 months ago by R. Dixon
Interesting Academic Book About Forgotten Hollywood

WHEN HOLLYWOOD WAS RIGHT is an examination of the right wing (conservatism and the Republican Party) of politics in Hollywood from 1932-1980. Read more

Published 22 months ago by tvtv3
After Being A Form Of Cinematic Revisionism.

Historian Donald Critchlow has constructed a highly entertaining work dealing with the political leanings of Hollywood personalities following World War II during which period the... Read more

Published 22 months ago by rsoonsa

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