Class Struggle in Hollywood, 1930-1950: Moguls, Mobsters, Stars, Reds, and Trade Unionists

by Gerald Horne

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.

Genres: History, Film, Nonfiction, American History, American, Politics, Labor

335 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2001

About the author

Dr. Gerald Horne is an eminent historian who is Chair of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston. An author of more than thirty books and one hundred scholarly articles and reviews, his research has addressed issues of racism in a variety of relations involving labor, politics, civil rights, international relations, war and the film industry.

Reviews

[Dan Sharber · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a pretty fun story. like everything in hollywood there is a surrealism even to the labor struggles. labor and the studios both were infested with mobsters who were alternately used by the studios for capital during the depression as well as deployed to take over the unions and deliver labor peace for a the high paying industry moguls. add onto this the political shift and demise of the uneasy peace between mainstream and progressive (cp) forces that came at the end of the popular front period of ww2 and the rise of the blacklist and a growing antisemitism. throw in some real militant characters like ex-boxer and csu leader, herb sorrel who were just as racist and anti-communist as his opponents (though always ready to use his fists in the name of labor) and you have all the makings of a blockbuster movie. the whole thing culminates in the csu strikes of 1945 - 46 which were extremely militant with a high level of police and mob violence. solidarity was thin especially since the explicit goal of one federation was the destruction of the other. to the point that there was collusion between the bosses and csu's opposing federation, the iatse. the cops and mob thugs were used as the personal army of the industry bosses. in addition mass arrests and injunctions contributed to the uphill nature of this strike. surprisingly there was a few opportunities for victory by the csu - though the poor tactics of their leader along with all the other roadblocks largely made the defeat a foregone conclusion. 1940's hollywood was a place where accusing someone of whistling the internationale was enough to get them blacklisted, edward g robinson said performing in russia was the high point of his career, mobsters helped shape their own portrayals as robin hood characters and ronald reagan launched his rightward shift beginning as SAG president and ending in his election, based on anti-communism, to president in 1980.

[Faeryglamour · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a college text book so keep that in mind if you choose to read it! I read this for research. Great insight on a crucially important topic that isn’t discussed enough.

[Jacob Woocher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gerald Horne is a treasure.

[Joshua Pechthalt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent examination of a tumultuous time in Hollywood when unions were taking on management, each other and were faced with a political climate that was, for a while sympathetic, to labor then hostile to union militants often led by the Communist Party. Two major strikes occurred following World War 2 that divided Hollywood and saw the emergence of Ronald Reagan as the leader of SAG and his transformation from liberal Democrat who supported the New Deal to the leader of the anti-Communist wave that hit Hollywood and the nation.

[Stephen Tubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A distraction by communist paranoia allows hoodlums to sneak in through the back door.

[Professor Miriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressive!