In the shimmering limelight of Hollywood, beneath its glitzy facadegy, lies a tumultuous history of political machinations, shaping not just the world of entertainment but the fabric of American society itself. This narrative unfolds in the shadow of monumental events, tracing the industry's oscillation between the extremes of ideological control—from the propagation of communist ideologies to the iron grip of fascist censorship. It is a tale of Hollywood as not merely a dream factory but a battleground for the soul of a nation.
In the aftermath of the Great War, California stood on the precipice of change. The roaring twenties brought with it scandals that tarnished Hollywood's image, painting it as a cesspool of immorality and excess. In a bid to forestall the heavy hand of federal censorship, the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA), in a pivotal move, appointed Will Hays, the esteemed chairman of the Republican National Committee and U.S Postmaster General, as its advisor. Hays, wielding his influence, instituted a moral code that sought to cleanse the silver screen of its perceived sins, giving rise to The Motion Picture Production Code.
The Hays Code, as it came to be known, was a stronghold against the encroaching tides of federal oversight, enforcing a self-regulatory ethos within the industry. This code delineated clear boundaries, forbidding the depiction of crime in a manner that could stir emulation, the exhibition of moral turpitude, and the portrayal of sexual deviancy. However, the stringent guidelines of the Hays Code began to crumble under the weight of cultural shifts, notably with the release of "Some Like It Hot," a film that challenged societal norms with its candid exploration of cross-dressing and homosexuality, announcing the beginning of the end for the code's authority.
As the specter of the Cold War loomed, Hollywood's censors shifted their gaze from the risque to the ideological, marking a new chapter in the industry's history. The era was characterized by a growing disdain for communism, deemed un-American in the fervor of the time. The House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), established to root out disloyalty, turned its inquisitorial eye towards Hollywood, seeking to unearth any communist influences, particularly those that might have infiltrated Roosevelt's New Deal, a sweeping series of economic reforms designed to alleviate the Great Depression.
The New Deal itself was a transformative period in American history, reshaping the country's economic landscape and redefining the role of government in the lives of its citizens. Yet, it was Hollywood's depiction of the USSR during World War II, portraying Stalin and his regime as allies against the Nazi menace, that drew HUAC's ire, leading to a crackdown on alleged communist sympathizers within the industry.
The witch hunts of the Red Scare saw Hollywood become a melting pot of political scrutiny. Notable figures, including Jack Warner, Gary Cooper, and Ronald Reagan, played their parts in this drama, the latter transitioning from actor to political informant and, ultimately, to the Governor of California. Reagan's involvement with the FBI, under the code name T-10, in outing suspected communists—later known as "The Hollywood Ten"—epitomizes the era's paranoia and its impact on individual lives and careers.
This period of ideological purging set the stage for Reagan's ascent to the presidency, where he wielded executive power to expand the surveillance capabilities of U.S. intelligence agencies, supporting the global spy network known as the Global Operations of Defense (G.O.D). Through these actions, Hollywood's political saga intertwines with broader narratives of American and global history, highlighting the enduring influence of this iconic industry on the world stage.
As California grappled with its internal divisions, magnified by the polarizing rhetoric of both liberal and conservative factions, the state's political landscape mirrored the broader national discourse, embodying the proverb, "A house divided against itself, cannot stand." This chapter in Hollywood's history not only reflects the evolving dynamics of American politics but also serves as a testament to the power of film as a medium that can both reflect and shape societal values, for better or worse.