Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

A Socialist s Campaign for California Governor, And the Dirty Hollywood Politics at Sunk It

29/04/2016

Nothing is unfair in politics, Irving Thalberg announced to a Beverly Hills party hosted in 1934 by prominent Hollywood liberals Fredric March and Florence Eldridge. We could sit down here and figure dirty things all night, and every one of them would be all right in a political campaign. [1]

More on Socialism & L.A. History

Red Flags Over Los Angeles, Part 2: Bombs, Betrayal, and the Election of 1911

Red Flags Over Los Angeles, Part I: Socialism and the Election of 1911

Thalberg would know. The producer and studio executive at MGM had just announced his participation in helping to destroy the 1934 California Democratic gubernatorial campaign of Upton Sinclair, the well-known radical, muckraker, and Monrovia resident. The perennial Socialist party candidate for statewide office, [2] Sinclair's astounding success in the Democratic primary, in which he won the nomination with more votes than any other primary election candidate in California history[3], led to perhaps the first big hit campaign of modern politics, spearheaded in no small part by the Hollywood studios, and in particular, MGM, Thalberg, and studio head Louis B. Mayer.

Upton Sinclair, who achieved fame as an author before entering electoral politics, titled his 1934 campaign pamphlet, I, Governor of California: And How I Ended Poverty: A True Story of the Future. Courtesy of the USC Libraries.

In 1933, Sinclair, then turning 55, was a well-known prolific writer and activist, defender of the working class, health fad junkie, and a vocal supporter of temperance. As the author of The Jungle, which in 1906 brought public attention and outcry to unsafe working conditions in Chicago's meat packing industry, Sinclair is credited with inspiring progressive reforms such as the 1906 Federal Meat Inspection Act and the establishment of what would become the Food and Drug Administration.

America's favorite Socialist decided to consider a run for governor after receiving a letter from a gentleman in Santa Monica, urging me to join the Democratic party, and permit him and some of his friends, members of the County Central Committee, to put me forward as candidate of the party for Governor of California. [4] Despite his previous political affiliations, Sinclair wrote that he was a Democrat by the same right that makes us Americans either Democrats or Republicans- I was born one, adding that he never ceased being a Democrat in his position as an advocate of the right of the people to manage their own affairs. [5]

Sinclair's signature piece of campaign literature was a 64-page pamphlet titled I, Governor of California: And How I Ended Poverty: A True Story of the Future. The pamphlet describes the campaign from the vantage point of the future ( la Bellamy's Looking Backward ), after Sinclair has become governor, brought California out of the Depression, and succeeded in a campaign that had given voice to those asking for radical change in California and across the country.

His platform was known as End Poverty in California, or EPIC, and it was premised on the idea of turning idle factories and farmlands into cooperatives for the unemployed, which would function on a production for use program. With headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles, the movement gave rise to an entire EPIC culture, operating over 50 district organizations and nearly 800 EPIC clubs, and published a popular weekly newsletter.[6]

It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it. Upton Sinclair in 1931, before the longtime socialist decided to run for governor of California as a Democrat in the 1934 election. Sinclair won the primary in a landslide but lost the general election. Courtesy of the Photo Collection - Los Angeles Public Library.

Upton Sinclair in 1934, at the time of his gubernatorial campaign under the End Poverty in California program. The American People will take Socialism, he would remark much later, in 1951, but they wont take the label. I certainly proved it in the case of EPIC. Running on the Socialist ticket I got 60,000 votes, and running on the slogan End Poverty in California I got 879,000. I think we simply have to recognize the fact that our enemies have succeeded in spreading the Big Lie. There is no use attacking it by a front attack, it is much better to out-flank them. Photo courtesy of the Herald-Examiner Collection - Los Angeles Public Library.

But Sinclair incurred the wrath of MGM president Louis B. Mayer, then chairman of the State Committee of the Republican Party, and Thalberg by proxy, when Sinclair was asked by a reporter if he had a plan for the unemployed motion picture actors in Hollywood. In his 1935 account, I, Candidate for Governor, and How I Got Licked, Sinclair writes that he responded, why should not the State of California rent one of the idle studios and let the unemployed actors make a few pictures of their own? [7] Upon hearing of this suggestion, Mayer supposedly recruited newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst to publish editorials and cartoons depicting Sinclair as a communist, and declared that he and fellow movie magnates would consider moving to Florida, whose legislature announced its intention to exempt motion picture studios from all taxes. [8] Sinclair was not afraid, however. What would they do about the mosquitos? he asked. I have lived in Florida right in the middle of a scene, one would bite the lady star on the nose and cost them fifty thousand dollars. [9]

MGM played on Depression-era Californians' fears of unemployed people moving west en masse from other states.

MGM also put its filmmaking machinery to work. Packaged with its feature films, the studio distributed fake newsreels designed to scare voters away from Sinclair. Masquerading as California Election News, with the MG
LINK: https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/the-socialist-who-won-a-democratic-...
See more stories from kcet

North America Stories

28/03/2024

Future-Proofing the B-52

L3Harris is upgrading critical electronic warfare systems to ensure the iconic aircrafts spectrum superiority for decades to come....

28/03/2024

Supporting the RCAF for more than 25 Years with L3Harris' WESCAM MX-Series

L3Harris' WESCAM MX-Series EO/IR systems have supported the RCAF for more than 25 years....

28/03/2024

ENCO to Add AI News Anchor to Qimera Virtual Production Set

NOVI, Mich. During the 2024 NAB Show, ENCO will be showcasing an AI-driven virtual anchor delivering live news from a realistic 3D virtual news set....

28/03/2024

Johan de Nysschen Named President and CEO of ARRI Americas

MUNICH ARRI has announced that Johan de Nysschen has been put in charge of the ARRI Americas team as president and CEO ARRI Americas Inc....

28/03/2024

Fubo Inks Carriage Deal with YES Network

NEW YORK The YES Network and FuboTV have reached a multi-year carriage agreement that will allow Fubo to launch YES in its Pro base channel plan in time for YES...

28/03/2024

Dalet to Demo AI-Enabled Production, Automation and Monetization at NAB 2024

PARIS Dalet has announced that during its 2024 NAB showcase (booth #W1713), attendees can experience firsthand Dalet's collaborative, AI-enabled workflows t...

28/03/2024

Blackmagic Design Used on 2024 Oscar Nominated Films

Blackmagic Design Used on 2024 Oscar Nominated Films Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments Blackmagic Design congratulates the many film professional...

28/03/2024

Arkona to Introduce BLADE//master Control and Orchestration Service at NAB 2024

Arkona to Introduce BLADE//master Control and Orchestration Service at NAB 2024 Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments New option for BLADE//runner ke...

28/03/2024

Join Maxon for NAB 2024

Join Maxon for NAB 2024 Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments Maxon returns to NAB with presentations by artists from around the world and demos of t...

28/03/2024

Boston Conservatory to Present Center Stage Production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Huntington

Boston Conservatory to Present Center Stage Production of A Midsummer Night'...

28/03/2024

2024 Big Night In Raises $145k to Support Triangle Arts Councils

Capitol Broadcasting and WRAL-TV once again proudly supported our local arts community with the broadcast of Big Night in for the Arts Thursday, March 7, 2024. ...

28/03/2024

JIC, MRC Announce Accord On Roles In Judging Measurement Companies

With more companies offering different approaches to measuring television viewing and campaign effectiveness, two of the groups that evaluate potential media bu...

28/03/2024

Hulu Added to Disney Plus App for Bundle Subscribers

The Walt Disney Co. said that it launched Hulu on Disney Plus, which makes Hulu programming available via the Disney Plus app....

28/03/2024

GroupM To Double Ad Spending On Women's Sports Programming

Giant media buyer GroupM said it plans to double its media spending on women's sports....

28/03/2024

Scripps Renews State Farm As Sponsor of Friday Night WNBA on Ion

Scripps Sports said that State Farm has signed a new multi-year agreement to continue as the title sponsor of Ion's Friday night WNBA telecasts....

28/03/2024

Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington Sign On for Imperfect Women' on Apple TV Plus

Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington will star in, and executive produce, Imperfe...

28/03/2024

Telemundo Station Group Addresses Climate Change With Month-Long Initiative

Telemundo Station Group launches the month-long climate change initiative Our Planet Thursday, March 28. The multiplatform campaign ends on Earth Day, April 22,...

28/03/2024

Circle City Broadcasting Renews Nielsen Ratings Deal

Nielsen said that Circle City Broadcasting, owner of WISH-TV in Indianapolis, has renewed its local TV measurement deal....

28/03/2024

Lionsgate Extends Deal With Seth Rogen's Point Grey Pictures

Lionsgate Television said it extended its deal with Point Grey Pictures, the production company led by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver....

28/03/2024

Ariana DeBose Back as Tonys Host

Ariana DeBose returns as host of the Tony Awards Sunday, June 16, on CBS and Paramount Plus. It is her third consecutive time hosting, and it will be the 77th T...

28/03/2024

The Steve Wilkos Show' Renewed for Season 18

The Steve Wilkos Show has been renewed for its 18th season in national syndication, Tracie Wilson, executive VP, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios & E! News, sai...

28/03/2024

Sinclair Selects Embrace as Its Media Orchestration Engine

PARIS Embrace, a developer of advanced automation and orchestration software solutions, has announced that Sinclair Broadcast Group has selected Embrace's P...

28/03/2024

Nielsen and Circle City Broadcasting Renew Local TV Measurement Deal

NEW YORK Nielsen has a multi-year renewal with Circle City Broadcasting, Indianas only locally owned and operated broadcast and digital news media network, for ...

28/03/2024

JVC to Demo Its First Ever 40x Zoom PTZ Camera Series at 2024 NAB Show

LAS VEGAS JVC Professional Video has announced that it will debut its new KY-PZ540 Series PTZ Cameras with 40x zoom at 2024 NAB Show (Booth C4720)....

28/03/2024

Brightcove Launches Cloud Playout 2.0

BOSTON Brightcove has announced the launch of Cloud Playout 2.0, a platform that the company said will offer customers new ways to create linear channels, monet...

28/03/2024

NBC Sports Chicago to Air First-Ever Animated Real-Time Local Sports Telecast

The Chicago Blackhawks and NBC Sports Chicago have announced a collaboration with the NHL to bring fans the first-ever local animated real-time sports telecast....

28/03/2024

The Best News Coverage is Real, Live, Balanced, Professional

The Best News Coverage is Real, Live, Balanced, Professional Andy Marken March 28, 2024 0 Comments Hero image source News of the World, Perfect Wo...

28/03/2024

Netflix Announces Agatha Christie Series 'The Seven Dials Mystery' by 'Broadchurch' Writer Chris Chibnall

Back to All News Netflix Announces Agatha Christie Series The Seven Dials Myste...

28/03/2024

Haivision Showcases World-Leading Live Video Contribution Ecosystem at the 2024 NAB Show

Makito X4 video encoders, Haivision Pro mobile transmitters, StreamHub receiver,...

28/03/2024

FOR-A shows production flexibility for entertainment and sports at CABSAT

Compressed and uncompressed IP solutions alongside SDI...

28/03/2024

Greater Scope: Doctors Get Inside Look at Gut Health With AI-Powered Endoscopy

From humble beginnings as a university spinoff to an acquisition by the leading global medtech company in its field, Odin Vision has been on an accelerated jour...

28/03/2024

Get Cozy With Palia' on GeForce NOW

Ease into spring with the warm, cozy vibes of Palia, coming to the cloud this GFN Thursday. It's part of six new titles joining the GeForce NOW library of ...

27/03/2024

Inside the Archives: It's Lights, Curtains, Action When Sundance Films Become Stage Productions

By Jen Scott It's time to unwrap those noisy candies and put your phone on ...

27/03/2024

Sencore and Showfer Announce Collaboration at NAB 2024, With a Brand-New Content Management and Distribution Solution

Las Vegas, NV, April 14-17, Booth W2401 Sencore, a leading provider of profess...

27/03/2024

I Am L3Harris - Sam Bonelli

I'm proud to be a woman in aerospace making an impact on our world and among my peers, team and future generations of women in STEM....

27/03/2024

Bitmovin to Show Live Encoder Running on Akamai Cloud at NAB Show

DENVER Bitmovin has launched its Live Encoder running on the Akamai Cloud Computing, optimizing live streaming and reducing total streaming costs by up to 90%, ...

27/03/2024

Hulu Launches on Disney+

BURBANK, Calif. The Walt Disney Company has officially launched Hulu on Disney+ in the U.S. in a move that brings together the extensive Disney+ and Hulu librar...

27/03/2024

WJLA Studio A Revamp Features Brightline Lighting

WASHINGTON D.C. WJLA, Sinclair Broadcast Group's flagship TV station in the nation's capital, has revamped its Studio A news studio with lighting soluti...

27/03/2024

NCAA: March Madness Sees Strong Audience Growth

The NCAA has released figures showing that the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship and the Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship both saw...

27/03/2024

Mediahaus GmbH Brings SRT Live Streaming to the Mountain Attack with 5G and URSA Broadcast G2

Mediahaus GmbH Brings SRT Live Streaming to the Mountain Attack with 5G and URSA...

27/03/2024

Instant Latte: NVIDIA Gen AI Research Brews 3D Shapes in Under a Second

Instant Latte: NVIDIA Gen AI Research Brews 3D Shapes in Under a Second Isha Salian March 27, 2024 0 Comments The LATTE3D model rapidly transforms tex...

27/03/2024

NAB Show Exhibitor Insight Matrox Video

TV TECH: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2024 NAB Show? TVT: What will be your most important product news? TVT: Ho...

27/03/2024

CueScript Poised to Transform the Prompting Experience wi...

CueScript, the leading developer of professional teleprompting solutions, is poised to transform the prompting experience with a line-up comprised of world firs...

27/03/2024

BeckTV to Focus on Systems Integration for Sports Venues...

Visit Beck TV at 2024 NAB Show at Booth C4035 BeckTV, a premier systems integrator for the broadcast media industry, will showcase its facility design, enginee...

27/03/2024

Arkona to Introduce BLADE master Control and Orchestratio...

arkona technologies GmbH, provider of IP core infrastructure solutions for top-tier broadcast productions, is cutting through the complexity of live production ...

27/03/2024

KRK Launches ROKIT Generation Five Studio Monitors

As the unwavering cornerstone of professional audio monitoring for over three decades, KRK earned its reputation through a rich history of innovation and precis...

27/03/2024

Join Maxon for NAB 2024

Maxon, developers of professional software solutions for editors, filmmakers, motion designers, visual effects artists, and creators of all types, is excited to...

27/03/2024

OpenDrives Reinvents Media Industry Infrastructure Invest...

OpenDrives, Inc., the global provider of software-defined media workflow solutions and data management capabilities, will unveil its new Atlas platform and busi...

27/03/2024

Pixotope NAB 2024 Virtual Production Showcase Shapes the...

Pixotope, the leading software platform for end-to-end real-time virtual production solutions, is ushering in a new era of immersive storytelling at NAB 2024. A...

27/03/2024

Dolby Atmos-enabled CMP Studio Tackles Immersive Mixing W...

Like many in the industry, Multi-platinum, Award-winning Producer, Engineer, Mixer, Songwriter and Musician Clint Murphy's latest work has been consumed by ...