Hollywood's Unofficial Film Corps : American Jewish Moviemakers and the War Effort / Michael Berkowitz.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Berkowitz, Michael, 1952- author.

Series:

Wisconsin film studies.

Wisconsin Film Studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rosten, Leo, 1908-1997.

Rosten, Leo.

Jews in the motion picture industry--United States.

Jews in the motion picture industry.

World War, 1939-1945--Motion pictures and the war.

World War, 1939-1945.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (305 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Madison, Wisconsin : University of Wisconsin Press, [2025]

Summary:

It has long been known that Hollywood was actively involved in shaping US public opinion during World War II. Less well documented are the ways in which Washington sought to work behind the scenes, subtly obliterating the boundaries between "studio" and "government" films. Michael Berkowitz studies the contributions of humorist and best-selling author Leo Rosten ( The Joys of Yiddish, The Education of H*Y*M*A*N* K*A*P*L*A*N ) and writer, producer, and screenwriter Budd Schulberg ( On the Waterfront, A Face in the Crowd ) in order to examine the elusive story of Jewish Hollywood's role in World War II. Hollywood's Unofficial Film Corps shows that Rosten, Schulberg, and others-including Garson Kanin, George Cukor, Stanley Kramer, and Jules Buck-created movies that were both entertaining and politically expeditious for US war aims. At the same time, in an effort to unify the American public, they avoided focusing on the fate of European Jews, even while addressing racism and antisemitism in the United States. Jewish themes were often downplayed, and Jewish directors, writers, and other contributors frequently went uncredited. As Berkowitz writes, "Rosten's cohort changed feature films forever." Thanks to his research, we now have a better understanding of how and why.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Launching Countercurrents

2. Artful Dodges

3. Credit(s) Where Credit Is Due?

4. Fathers and Sons, Home and Away

5. Hard-Boiled Hollywood Justice

6. Reckonings-or Not

Epilogue

Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Berkowitz, Michael Hollywood's Unofficial Film Corps

ISBN:

9780299349530

OCLC:

1482266815