Hollywood Hates Hitler!

Chris Yogerst is assistant professor of communication in the Department of Arts and Humanities at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is author of From the Headlines to Hollywood: The Birth and Boom of Warner Bros. His work has appeared in such publications as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Journal of American Culture, and Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television.

. . . Yogerst's work to bring a fresh look to a forgotten moment in the relationship between the US government and the film industry and his well-executed look at the power of the press to impact political actions and congressional investigations.--Danielle Glassmeyer "Journal of Popular Film and Television" Here is fresh research on a fascinating period in Hollywood history, when Washington first clashed with movie studio chiefs who dared to question America's isolationism. Yogerst has done his homework and provides a compelling narrative of events leading up to our involvement in World War II.--Leonard Maltin, film critic/historian Senator Nye's 'investigation' has been neglected, and Chris Yogerst has made an absorbing tale out of it.--Kevin Brownlow, film historian With impressive research matched by rare illustrations, Chris Yogerst sheds light on a little-known dark corner in US film history, the 1941 congressional attack on Hollywood that was whipped up by isolationists, anti-Semites, Red-baiters, and fascist sympathizers, with many nestled in the film colony itself. The politics mirror America at large and foreshadow the Hollywood blacklist.--Patrick McGilligan, author of Tender Comrades: A Backstory of the Hollywood Blacklist Yogerst is right to deeply excavate this moment in history for further study, and his clear, engaging account of the often theatrical hearings makes Hollywood Hates Hitler! essential reading for film scholars and casual historians alike.--Dillon Mitchell "Velvet Light Trap" In 1941, mere months before Pearl Harbor, the US Senate charged Hollywood with the thought-and-image crime of producing anti-Nazi motion pictures. In Hollywood Hates Hitler!, the movie-minded cultural historian Chris Yogerst brings his sure authority and sharp insight to this fascinating and little-known political inquisition, staged in a congressional hearing room at a pivotal moment in American history. Yogerst provides an absorbing and illuminating account of the epochal face-off--and shows how the Washington senators, despite the home field advantage, were roundly trounced by the Hollywood moguls.--Thomas Doherty, professor of American studies, Brandeis University, and author of Hollywood and Hitler, 1933-1939 Hollywood Hates Hitler! densely packs facts, quotes, and references into its slim page count. . . . Yogerst's research is impeccable, and his book is an important contribution to film history scholarship.--Alan K. Rode "Noir City magazine"