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Gerald Horne
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Class Struggle in Hollywood, 1930–1950: Moguls, Mobsters, Stars, Reds, & Trade Unionists Kindle Edition

by Gerald Horne (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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“A taut narrative in elegant prose . . . Horne has unearthed a vitally important and mostly forgotten aspect of Hollywood and labor history.” —Publishers Weekly
 
As World War II wound down in 1945 and the cold war heated up, the skilled trades that made up the Conference of Studio Unions (CSU) began a tumultuous strike at the major Hollywood studios. This turmoil escalated further when the studios retaliated by locking out CSU in 1946. This labor unrest unleashed a fury of Red-baiting that allowed studio moguls to crush the union and seize control of the production process, with far-reaching consequences.
 
This engrossing book probes the motives and actions of all the players to reveal the full story of the CSU strike and the resulting lockout of 1946. Gerald Horne draws extensively on primary materials and oral histories to document how limited a “threat” the Communist party actually posed in Hollywood, even as studio moguls successfully used the Red scare to undermine union clout, prevent film stars from supporting labor, and prove the moguls’ own patriotism.

Horne also discloses that, unnoticed amid the turmoil, organized crime entrenched itself in management and labor, gaining considerable control over both the “product” and the profits of Hollywood. This research demonstrates that the CSU strike and lockout were a pivotal moment in Hollywood history, with consequences for everything from production values, to the kinds of stories told in films, to permanent shifts in the centers of power.
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  1. Print length
    468 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of Texas Press
  4. Publication date
    November 6, 2013
  5. File size
    1874 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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  9. See all details
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4.2 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Jennifer sturcke
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great
    Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2024
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    Excellent service
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  • Mel Freilicher
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellently documented and researched. Fascinating account of the entanglements ...
    Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Excellently documented and researched. Fascinating account of the entanglements among mobsters, Hollywood stars, and big business--the studio moguls being financed by major banks. Union busting is explored in some detail. A must for anyone interested in this period.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Power Player
    5.0 out of 5 stars NEED TO MAKE A MOVIE from this book
    Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Love this book to help understand the Labor movement in HOLLYWOOD!! History is something we all can learn from, but Hollywood History is SO intense. NEED TO MAKE A MOVIE about these days in the film business.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • DMF
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Account of Labor Unions in Hollywood
    Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent account of union conflicts in Hollywood.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Brad Rockwell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on Hollywood politics during the period indicated.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent book giving in-depth perspective on the politics of Hollywood. I have read a fair amount on this topic and this book, while not all-inclusive, is the best.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Tony Beamon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2017
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    excellent!!!
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  • Luc REYNAERT
    5.0 out of 5 stars They who control the cinema can control the thought of the world (A. P. Giannini, chairman of The Bank of America)
    Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2016
    Gerald Horne’s book is a very revealing one about the movie business in the US, a very important industry with, before the launching of television, up to 250,000 employees. It was a labor-intensive industry with a mix of ‘proletarians’ (carpenters, painters, electricians) and entrepreneurs (screenwriters, producers, directors). But, it was also one of the most profitable businesses in the country. Controlling a stake in it directly or indirectly was synonymous with very juicy returns.

    The main players in the violent struggle for control were the shareholders of the major studios and their chiefs (the moguls), the mob (Bugsy Siegel controlled a union of employees who provided for the ‘extras’ in the movies) and the unions. The most important unions were the independent, but branded communist, CSU (Conference of Studio Unions, a federation of craft unions), and the IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) linked to the mob. Moreover, the unions fought among themselves ‘debilitating jurisdictional battles’ in their search for new members, while the mob helped the studios bosses to break strikes. On the other hand, mobsters created with the unions they controlled labor monopolies and sold labor peace at a heavy cost for the producers. Some racketeers confiscated up to two-thirds of union member fees and were not afraid to murder union dissents.

    G. Horne explains clearly that the ‘Red Scare’ argument (anti-communism) against the CSU was a cover-up for another agenda: attacking militant ‘unionism’. While big chunks of the business were dominated by organized crime, the ‘powers that be’ told the public that it was in the hands of the organized left.
    Another aspect of the hypocrisy was the Hays office for censorship. While apparently created to provide a framework for ‘moral’ (sexual) content, its prime goal was to block the proliferation of progressive themes in movies.

    Internationally, protectionism secured the profitability of the business. Foreign films were barred from entering the USA, while foreign markets (Europe, South-America) were captured and became big revenue sources. They were also very useful for money laundering.

    This thorough investigation of a violent chapter in the history of cinema is a must read for all those interested in the movie business.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Douglas Doepke
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Needed Light
    Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2001
    Reviewer Everitt's remarks capture the book's essential value. Several points however merit emphasis. First, Horne's book brings out the symbiotic relation between the studios' desire for non-independent company unions, on one hand, and organized crime's desire for corrupt unions, on the other. By taking in one another's washing during the tumultuous events of '45 - '47, these two representatives of private capital maintained an alliance that defeated efforts by the Conference of Studio Unions to emerge as an independent union of movie-making employees. Horne the historian is detailed about this sinister and under-reported alliance. Second, by using abundant primary sources, the author debunks the nurtured image of CSU as a communist-led movement, a scare tactic still in its infancy following the anti-fascist WWII and, as the book shows, a tactic used to increasing effect by the corporate-owned press of the day. Belated communist support for CSU strikers was willfully twisted by these flacks into communist domination. Third, the inability of the CSU to cross racial and gender lines of the day is emphasized. This had the unfortunate effect of reducing potential for attracting outside allies, especially among aggrieved African-Americans and women's groups, though it's hardly surprising that prejudices within the union would reflect those of the larger society from which it sprang. It's fascinating to follow this dark underside of the Hollywood dream factory, though I did find time shifts in the narrative confusing at times. Nonetheless, Horne has focused his word-camera on a worthy and neglected real life drama.
    19 people found this helpful
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