S3E29: The Magic of the Movies... Is It Gone?

History Behind News Program

Barbenheimer, Hollywood's Strike & Hollywood's History

Did you know, that the three stooges, Larry, Curly, and Moe, with their physical and slapstick comedy that we all know, never got a dime for all their movies we saw on our TVs? Why? Because those residual incomes were not in their contracts!

As my guest in this episode, Professor Thomas Doherty explains, this strike is similar to the 1960 strike, in that in the 1950s, technology changed everything. Back then, the new technology was TV. Now it’s streaming and AI. But Prof. Doherty also explains how the situation in this strike is much more dire than the one back in 1960, because, you probably guessed it -because of AI. With AI the studios not only could potentially supplant writers, but they also own the actors' likeness. What that means is that with AI you don't just lose your job - you lose yourself.

In this episode, we discuss the magic of the Hollywood's early years, the spellbinding performance of superstars like Charlie Chaplin, the restrictions imposed on Hollywood by Catholic forces in America, and Hollywood's impact on America's culture and politics.

Prof. Doherty is a cultural historian with a special interest in Hollywood cinema. He is a professor of American Studies at Brandeis University. He is the author of many books, including the following Pre-Code Hollywood: Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema; 1930-1934 and Show trial: Hollywood, HUAC, and the birth of the blacklist, both of which we discuss in this episode.

To learn more about Professor Doherty, you can visit his academic homepages.

Also, did you know that Fahrenheit 451, a book about book banning, was once banned in schools in America? To learn more about the history of book banning in the U.S., listen to my fun and fascinating conversation with Dr. Brett Gary of NYU by clicking here: https://bit.ly/HbN-S2E15.

I hope you enjoy these episodes.

Adel

Host of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠History Behind News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcast

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