Conservatives in Hollywood?!

City Journal ^ | Brian C. Anderson

[KeyLargo]

Conservatives in Hollywood?!

Brian C. Anderson Autumn 2005

It was hard to parody Hollywood’s loony limousine liberalism this summer. “I’m coming out,” trumpeted actress Jane Fonda about her plans for an anti-Iraq-war bus tour (thankfully later canceled). “I have not taken a stand on any war since Vietnam”—if “stand” is the right word for her 1972 lovefest with the enemy. Paramount announced that conspiracy-minded director Oliver Stone, who described the 9/11 terrorists’ “revolt” as a legitimate “fuck you, fuck your order” to culture-controlling American movie corporations (of all things), will helm Tinseltown’s first large-scale drama about the attacks. David Koepp, co-writer of Steven Spielberg’s remake of War of the Worlds, likened the movie’s ravaging aliens to the U.S. military in Iraq. And on the Huffington Post website, such celebrity lefties as Rob Reiner and Laurie David huffed daily about President Bush’s outrages against civil liberties, Mother Earth, and all that’s proper.

But guess what: ever more Americans are shunning Hollywood’s wares—and disgust with Left Coast politics, both on and off screen, clearly plays a part. In a time of declining moviegoing, what gets people out to the theaters, it turns out, are conservative movies—conservative not so much politically but culturally and morally, focusing on the battle between good and evil, the worth of heroism and self-sacrifice, the indispensability of family values and martial honor, and the existence of Truth. Hollywood used to turn out a steady supply of such movies—watch just about any film from its Golden Age of the thirties and forties—and it still makes them once in a while (sometimes thanks to off-screen lefties like Steven Spielberg). We may soon see a lot more of them....

[KeyLargo]

"Hollywood owes its best recent years—2002 and 2003, when it cracked the 30 million ticket mark again for the first time since 1966—largely to the massive box-office success of a handful of conservative, family-friendly movies, including the first two Lord of the Rings installments, Finding Nemo, and the low-budget smash My Big Fat Greek Wedding, virtually an ethnic Father Knows Best. The non-R movies draw more children to the theaters, as you’d expect, and more moviegoers 40 and up, too—their parents. “The largest consumer segment in America is mainstream families with traditional values,” emphasizes Dove chairman Dick Rolfe. National Association of Theater Owners head John Fithian concurs: “Family values sell tickets.”

This article was published in the Chicago Sunday Sun-Times, titled: "HOLLYWOOD'S LIBERAL LOSSES", but it was not in the online version of the Sun-Times. I found the article at The City Journal website: http://www.city-journal.org/html/15_4_urbanities-conservatives.html

[calrighty]

"“I have not taken a stand on any war since Vietnam”—"

You don't NEED to take a stand in public, you ignorant moonbat...we all know where you STAND.

[peyton randolph]

Family values sells tickets...then the profits from these movies are used to fund projects about lesbian serial murderers and gay cowboys eating pudding.

[ClearCase_guy]

“Family values sell tickets.”

It's so obvious. For me, the scariest thing is that a major business -- the entertainment business -- deliberately avoids the strategy which is most likely to generate profits. Of course, they have a different goal in mind. Quite odd for a major business.

[son of caesar]

lol, thats just to dam funny. name me the movie actor and i can tell you where they stand on any issue. if a position is against the usa, god and apple pie, that actor will defend it. case closed on these ignorant anamolies of a bizarre communistic industry anyways

[calrighty]

: )

[Blood of Tyrants]

So, how do you think the homosexual cowboy movie "Brokeback Mountain" is going to sell at the box office?

[Blood of Tyrants]

I suspect that there are more than a few conservative actors and such, but they are not secure enough in their star status to make their position public.

[ConsentofGoverned]

what if they gave a Movie and nobody came? sar
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The entertainment industry accountants are delivering the News every qtr, Hollywood is moribund, Newspapers and MSMTV,are on life support..when will capital refuse to send them more funds? Will Viacom and GE (nbc/msnbc), News corp (fox) stockholders stay with the stocks?
Sad to see an industry commit suicide, and the Wall street press only sees GM as a poorly run co. Stock holders better wise up and get out of entertainment co's..stop supporting the commies who live on our dime.

[calrighty]

About 30%, and yes, they lay low.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Perhaps movie moguls see their industry going the way of the tobacco industry; sort of a federally managed, profits insured agency.

[KeyLargo]

It gives new meaning to; "Gay Caballero"

[calrighty]

I don't think it will break even as their market is S F, West Hollywood, and Provencetown...................

ROTFLMBO!

[april15Bendovr]

I was thinking that someone should do a book on all the Republicans in Hollywood? then I though it really wouldn't be any bigger than an Irish cook book, Book of Jewish sports legends or a book on recent Italian and French war victories.

[BonnieJ]

I really think that once my generation (the baby boomers) lose their hold on Hollywood, the conservatives will have a better chance to be open and maybe true quality will return. I hate to say it but the older end esp. of the boomers (and I'm in that direction) have had a horrific influence on just about every aspect of our society, and we'll be better off when they're out of politics, the universities, the media, entertainment, business, ETC!!

[Rutles4Ever]

I had no idea Adam Sandler was a conservative (or at least conservative for a Hollywood star)...

[Alex Murphy]

I'm convinced that the voluminous negative reviews for the summer blockbuster STEALTH was because it was a pro-military action film that also left out the obligatory sex/nude scene seemingly mandated by a PG-13 rating. Positive depiction of the military, and no casual sex/nudity? What a let-down for the liberal movie watcher! The movie was a lot better than the reviews made it out to be.

Remember how some reviewers castigated The Passion for it's violence, then praised Sin City for the same?

[Long Distance Rider]

The story of the hero in Cast Away and his former love reminds me of a Hollywood story I read somewhere. Alan Ladd and June Allison were very attracted to each other when they were filming a movie back in the early 50s. Both were married and wanted to stay that way. So by their choice, they never worked together again. If true, it is one heck of a contrast to most in Hollywood. Hell, it is a contrast to darn near anywhere.

[KeyLargo]

BonnieJ, Many of us freepers are baby boomers and part of the silent majority during the 1960's era of hippies and druggies.

Then as now the most vocal wackos got all of the media attention while the rest of us went to work every day, served in the military and loved our country.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

"David Koepp, co-writer of Steven Spielberg’s remake of War of the Worlds, likened the movie’s ravaging aliens to the U.S. military in Iraq."

Someone tell Mr. Koepp to extend his sophomoric analogy to include (radical) Islam as the viral agent...

[BadAndy]

"So, how do you think the homosexual cowboy movie "Brokeback Mountain" is going to sell at the box office?"

Bareback Mountain may be a more appropriate title.

[BadAndy]

"Conservatives in Hollywood?!"

That's equivalent to being a mammal before the asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs.

[IronJack]

culture-controlling American movie corporations

"Culture-controlling"???? Hardly. Culture-reflecting, maybe. Culture-influencing, possibly. But this author ascribes far too much power to the coke sniffers and dilletantes that comprise Hollywood.

[IronJack]

You don't NEED to take a stand in public, you ignorant moonbat...we all know where you STAND.

And, dear Jane, we know where you LIE.

[Maceman]

these movies are used to fund projects about lesbian serial murderers

I thought Monster was a gripping and terrific film, and Charlize Theron certainly deserved the Oscar for best actress.

[khnyny]

What about Mel Gibson's "The Passion of The Christ"? Almost all the critics panned it before it even came out, but it still was a phenomenal hit, even worldwide. The "R" rating was a drawback to families, though. Many in the upper echelon of the movie industry were kicking themselves that they did not back this movie or participate. Meanwhile, Mel Gibson was seen skipping all the way to the bank. If Hollyweird cares about money, which they do immensely, they will do a heads up and forget about the trash that they've been trying to force down Americans' throats. I think most people are disgusted with Hollyweird's whole culture and it's manifesting itself in the tanking numbers at the box office. Even Hollowweird is market driven.

[hilaryrhymeswithrich]

I've seen some snippets of Brainwashing 101....and it is awe inspiring....there are exciting things happening that are just beginning to bubble up and the Reagan Revolution is about to get an injection of energy....

[ClearCase_guy]

If Hollyweird cares about money, which they do immensely, they will do a heads up and forget about the trash that they've been trying to force down Americans' throats.

I disagree intensely.

The evidence is there now and has been for many years: If Hollywood cares about money, if they want to generate more profits, they should make more traditional, more values-focused, more family-friendly movies.

But they don't do that. They make "Bareback Mountain" instead.

You need to ask yourself "Why?"

The answer is that Hollywood truly does not care about money. Not nearly as much as you think. The people who are there are getting paid, so on a personal level, the money is just fine. In terms of long-term growth for the business -- they don't care! They take a very short-term view of things.

What do they care about?

Making a difference. Pushing an Agenda. That, right there, explains everything you need to know about Hollywood. It is NOT money-driven. It's driven by a group of people who want to push Leftwing Values, including pro-homosexual views and pro-Child Sex views. A lot of people point to a Pink Mafia running Hollywood. I think that's part of it, but really the problem is a bit broader than that. But this is a case where Following the Money won't help.

[LS]

We just saw "Harry Potter" the other day, and there were four "family friendly" trailers. Unfortunately, only one---"Beyond the Hedge" or something like that---looked good. There are too many computer-generated Pixar shows and not enough real movies. In other words, Hollywood has tried to substitute high-tech cartoons for family-friendly movies. It won't work on a large scale---a "Nemo" will, on occasion. But what makes movies great, like "Wizard of Oz," or successful is the ability to see them more than once and still enjoy them.

[Watershed]

This pressure can utterly transform a film project, as Tom Clancy will tell you. In his novel The Sum of All Fears, Muslim terrorists explode a nuke at the Super Bowl. When Clancy optioned the book and the film went into development, the Council on American Islamic Relations got to work. The 2002 film villains: white neo-Nazis, not Muslim fanatics.

...just as "24" last year came under fire for having a Muslim 'bad guy.'

This article is long, but I read every word. If you are a conservative who likes movies, read it.

There are very few movies that I can even watch these days because of the outspoken Bush-haters who star in them. I have a list a mile long on which are people that I refuse to support with my movie money.

[futurekentuckylawyer]

It's funny how much this reminds me of a line from South Park a few years ago

Cartman on Independent films

"They're all about nothing but gay cowboys sitting around the campfire eating pudding"

[khnyny]

I think the issue is complicated. Actually, I think Hollwood has made some family friendly movies in the past few years, which previous posters have pointed out. The movie makers are making a variety of projects and seeing what works. Unfortunately, at this point, I think most people are turned off to what has been produced and the whole theater experience opting instead to rent DVD's (that's another issue). So, numbers are dropping.

And yes, hollywood is left-wing and they clearly have an agenda, etc. It is also a very closed little community with a certain "group think" mentality. There is a disconnect to the real world and that translates into a lot of what ends up getting produced. Also, hollywood has a tremendous amount of nepotism which adds to that "group think" mentality. You would be surprised at how many people are actually related to each other. For a supposedly creative industry, it is, in fact, extremely difficult to create anything new given this kind of cliquish atmosphere. The industry is suffocating accordingly.

[SDGOP]

I know holywood is working on a remake of Captain America. Just watch them screw that up.

[MattinNJ]

I know they screwed up the Comic Book. I think Cap came around to understand the muslim point of view.

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

Family values sells tickets...then the profits from these movies are used to fund projects about lesbian serial murderers and gay cowboys eating pudding.

LOL! But, sadly true.

[PJ-Comix]

Alan Ladd and June Allison were very attracted to each other when they were filming a movie back in the early 50s.

Alan Ladd must have been a tear freak. June Allison was best known for sobbing gallons of tears on cue. I don't think I've ever seen a June Allison flick where she didn't sob rivers of tears.

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

I suspect that there are more than a few conservative actors and such, but they are not secure enough in their star status to make their position public.

There are conservatives in Hollywood, but aside from the blockbuster stars, the rest of them stay in the closet, for fear of being blacklisted. More of them are starting to come out of the closet, but what I'll describe in moment is the reason many of them keep their views to themselves.

A few years ago, the ridiculously vapid "People" magazine ran a little snippet on Sharon Laurence mentioning she was a Republican. She got angry calls from directors, producers, and other fellow useful idiots(she's really a liberal) for weeks, until she corrected the mistake.

Only the big stars like Ahnold, Mel Gibson, and Bruce Willis can openly state their conservative views and get away with it. Hollywood loves to castigate itself for the blacklist of commies in the 50's, but has no hesitance to do it all over again today for people who dare be Republican.

[NCSteve]

Great article. Thanks for posting it.

[libs_kma]

"I know holywood is working on a remake of Captain America. Just watch them screw that up."

They undoubtedly will screw it up. It will be too irresistable for them not to. Captain America??

Hollywood will gladly portray him in out of uniform segments as a gay, drug addict loser, who lives in his parents basement into his 40's and kicks the family dog.

[Bob Eimiller]

Alec Baldwin seemed to be making a couple of movies a year... now he seems to have been "retired to the trash bin".

Average Republican and independent American movie goers are refusing to spend a dime on extreme left wing "stars".

George Clooney, Sean Penn and their like are next to feel the pinch...producers invest in movies to make money... if Half of the potential market, in essence boycotts certain actors out of disgust, guess who doesn't get cast... ANYMORE...lol

[KeyLargo]

I went to Blockbuster yesterday and after spending about a half hour, walked out with zero movie rentals. The current crop of movies either involve some sort of zombies, gay super heros, or lesbian lovers or a combination of all of the above!

Bruce Willis films are about all that I can watch now.

MSNBC.com

Willis passionate about Iraq war
Actor says he will pay for the capture of bin Laden, al-Zarqawi
MSNBC
Updated: 1:04 p.m. ET Nov. 14, 2005

Getting stories out of Iraq isn't easy. Actor Bruce Willis found that out first hand when he went over to visit U.S. Troops serving in the Armed Forces.

Willis told MSNBC-TV's Rita Cosby that he does not understand why the really good things he saw happening inside Iraq are not being reported by the media.

Willis publicly announced he would offer $1 million reward to a civilian if they turned in Zawahiri, bin Laden, or al-Zarqawi. But, he also offered the same $1 million reward in 2003 for the capture of Saddam. But will Willis pay up?

RITA COSBY, LIVE AND DIRECT HOST: You know, Bruce, in 2003, you admirably offered $1 million for the capture of Saddam. I have to ask you, because just last night we had on our show so many of those pictures, those horrific pictures of what happened in Jordan.

And right now, we've got three thorns in our side. We've got Zawahiri, of course, who is Osama bin Laden's right-hand guy. You've got Osama bin Laden himself. And then you've got al-Zarqawi, the Iraqi who every believes is behind the mastermind of the attack, just those horrible attacks on three hotels just the other night.

Are you prepared even right now to maybe offer $1 million for one of them?

BRUCE WILLIS, ACTOR: Well, that was a conversation I was having with members of the military. I've since been told that military men and women cannot accept any reward for the job that they're doing. It was more about my passion for trying to stop Saddam Hussein.

COSBY: Would you offer that if somebody else, let's say a civilian, is willing to turn one of them in and finally put this to an end?

WILLIS: Yes, I would. Yes, I would.

I want to live in a world, and so do the Iraqi people want to live in a world, where they can move from their homes to the market and not have to fear being killed. And, I mean, doesn't everybody want that? Who doesn't want that?

http://www.brucewillis.com/