The Warner Brothers:
Hollywood's Most Outspoken Jews
This virtual event will feature Dr. Chris Yogerst in conversation with Dr. Tom Doherty, moderated by Dr. Steven Ross. Their discussion will focus on a new biography of the Warner Brothers, which showcases the significant role Warner Bros. played in the origins of Hollywood. Warner Bros. films were always a reflection of the brothers’ social and political compass. From the silent era to the Great Depression, World War II and the Cold War, Warner Bros. made provocative, hard-edged films that grappled with real world issues. The brothers openly campaigned for social justice and warned about the evils of Nazism at home and abroad. Almost always on the right side of history, the Warners met the moment at every cultural turning point.
Featuring:
Dr. Chris Yogerst
Chris Yogerst is the author of “The Warner Brothers” and “Hollywood Hates Hitler!: Jew-Baiting, Anti-Nazism, and the Senate Investigation into Warmongering in Motion Pictures”
Chris Yogerst is associate professor of communication at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Dr. Yogerst is a film and media historian who focuses on the social and cultural impact of popular culture. His research shows that popular culture often mirrors society in ways that add important context towards understanding our world. His latest book, Hollywood Hates Hitler, examines social climate of American fascism and anti-Semitism leading up to and through the 1941 Senate Investigation into Motion Picture Propaganda (University Press of Mississippi). Dr. Yogerst's next book, The Warner Brothers (University Press of Kentucky), will be published in September 2023.
In conversation with:
Dr. Tom Doherty
Tom Doherty is a Professor of American Studies at Brandeis University. Dr. Doherty is a cultural historian with a special interest in Hollywood cinema. He is an associate editor for the film magazine Cineaste and film review editor for the Journal of American History. His most recent book is “Little Lindy Is Kidnapped: How the Media Covered the Crime of the Century”, from Columbia University Press 2020.
Moderated by:
Dr. Steve Ross
Steven J. Ross is Distinguished Professor of History, Dean’s Professor of History, and Marion and Myron Casden Director of the Casden Institute for the Study of the Jewish Role in American Life. Professor Ross has written extensively in the areas of working-class history, social history, film history, and political history. Steve’s most recent book, Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America (Bloomsbury Press), was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History for 2018 and has been on the Los Angeles Times Best Seller list for 23 weeks. Dr. Ross is currently working on a follow up volume signed by Bloomsburg Press, The Secret War Against Hate: American Resistance to White Supremacy After 1945.
Event Date: Sunday, September 10, 2023
Event Time: 4:00 P.M. - 5:30 P.M. Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Event Location: Zoom
Click here to join the webinar: https://usc.zoom.us/j/99838611040
Hosted by: USC Dornsife Casden Institute and
USC Dornsife Van Hunnick History Department