Tales from the Hot Cold War

Abstract

Unlike most of the world’s film industries, the American system known as Hollywood has never been owned or operated by the national government. Instead, it has been privately owned from the earliest days. This does not mean, however, that Hollywood has been unaffected by the concerns and priorities of Washington, DC. Despite being twenty-seven hundred miles apart, the two cities have cooperated, and contended, on many occasions—especially during times of war. This essay explores the history of that relationship from the 1910s to the present.