- Summary
- Traces the World War II experiences of five legendary directors including John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra and George Stevens to assess the transformative impact of the war and period beliefs on Hollywood.
The untold story of how Hollywood changed World War II, and how World War II changed Hollywood, through the director's lens. It is little remembered now, but in prewar America, Hollywood's relationship with Washington was tense. Investigations into corruption and racketeering were multiplying, and hanging in the air was the insinuation that the business was too foreign, too Jewish, too "un-American" in its values. Could an industry with such a powerful influence on America's collective mindset really be left in the hands of this crew? When war came, the propaganda effort to win the hearts and minds of American soldiers and civilians was absolutely vital. Nothing else had the power of film to educate and inspire. But the government was not remotely equipped to harness it--so FDR and the military had little choice but to turn to Hollywood for help. In an unprecedented move, the whole business was farmed out to a handful of Hollywood's most acclaimed film directors, accompanied by a creative freedom over filmmaking in combat zones that no one had ever had before or would ever have again. The effort was dominated by five directing legends: John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens. They were complicated, competitive men, and they didn't always get along with each other or their military supervisors. But between them they were on the scene of almost every major moment of Americas war, and in every branch of service. In the end, though none of them emerged unscarred, they produced a body of work that was essential to how Americans perceived the war, and still do. The product of five years of original archival research, this book provides a revelatory new understanding of Hollywood's role in the war.--From publisher description.
- Format
- Book
- Author/Creator
- Harris, Mark, 1963-
- Published
- New York : The Penguin Press, 2014
- Locale
- California
Los Angeles
United States
- Contents
-
"The Only Way I Could Survive"
"The Dictates of My Heart and Blood"
"You Must Not Realize that There is a War Going On"
"What's the Good of a Message?"
"The Most Dangerous Fifth Column in Our Country"
"Do I Have to Wait for Orders?"
"I've Only Got One German"
"It's Going to be a Problem and a Battle"
"All I Know Is That I'm Not Courageous"
"Can You Use Me?"
"A Good Partner to Have in Times of Trouble"
"You Might as Well Run into It as Away from It"
"Just Enough to Make It Seem Less Than Real"
"Coming Along with Us Just for Pictures?"
"How to Live in the Army"
"I'm the Wrong Man for That Stuff"
"I Have to Do a Good Job"
"We Really Don't Know What Goes On Beneath the Surface"
"If You Believe This, We Thank You"
"A Sporadic Raid of Sorts on the Continent"
"If You See It, Shoot It"
"If Hitler Can Hold Out, So Can I"
"Time and Us Marches On"
"Who You Working For-Yourself?"
"Where I Learned About Life"
"What's This Picture For?"
"An Angry Past Commingled with the Future in a Storm"
"A Straight Face and a Painfully Maturing Mind"
"Closer to What Is Going On in the World."
- Notes
-
Includes bibliographical references( pages 489-494) and index.
"The Only Way I Could Survive" -- "The Dictates of My Heart and Blood" -- "You Must Not Realize that There is a War Going On" -- "What's the Good of a Message?" -- "The Most Dangerous Fifth Column in Our Country" -- "Do I Have to Wait for Orders?" -- "I've Only Got One German" -- "It's Going to be a Problem and a Battle" -- "All I Know Is That I'm Not Courageous" -- "Can You Use Me?" -- "A Good Partner to Have in Times of Trouble" -- "You Might as Well Run into It as Away from It" -- "Just Enough to Make It Seem Less Than Real" -- "Coming Along with Us Just for Pictures?" -- "How to Live in the Army" -- "I'm the Wrong Man for That Stuff" -- "I Have to Do a Good Job" -- "We Really Don't Know What Goes On Beneath the Surface" -- "If You Believe This, We Thank You" -- "A Sporadic Raid of Sorts on the Continent" -- "If You See It, Shoot It" -- "If Hitler Can Hold Out, So Can I" -- "Time and Us Marches On" -- "Who You Working For-Yourself?" -- "Where I Learned About Life" -- "What's This Picture For?" -- "An Angry Past Commingled with the Future in a Storm" -- "A Straight Face and a Painfully Maturing Mind" -- "Closer to What Is Going On in the World."
