When Hollywood was right : how movie stars, studio moguls, and big business remade American politics / Donald T. Critchlow, Arizona State University.

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Setting the stage in the 1930s: Republicans on defense -- Anti-communism comes to Hollywood -- The Red Scare hits Hollywood -- Nixon plays Hollywood -- The Hollywood right goes for Goldwater and finds Reagan -- Ronald Reagan: triumph and decline of the Hollywood right.

"Hollywood was not always a bastion of liberalism. Following World War II, an informal alliance of movie stars, studio moguls and Southern California business interests formed to revitalize a factionalized Republican Party. Coming together were stars such as John Wayne, Robert Taylor, George Murphy and many others, who joined studio heads Cecil B. DeMille, Louis B. Mayer, Walt Disney and Jack Warner to rebuild the Republican Party. They found support among a large group of business leaders who poured money and skills into this effort, which paid off with the election of George Murphy to the US Senate and of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan to the highest office in the nation. This is an exciting story based on extensive new research that will forever change how we think of Hollywood politics." -- Publisher website.