Description
Book SynopsisTakes readers behind the camera to explore the negotiations and relationships that developed between key Hollywood insiders and presidential candidates from Dwight Eisenhower to Bill Clinton, analysing how entertainment replaced party spectacle as a strategy to raise money, win votes, and secure success for all those involved.
Trade ReviewBrownell has authored a well-written and well-researched book that will command the attention of historians interested in how politics work in modern America. The evidence and materials she has brought together will provide historians with a new way to explore what has been lacking in the study of the United States: how art intersects with political power"". - Lary May, in the
Canadian Journal of History""A valuable addition to the academic literature on the history of political advertising, the use of media in the political field and celebrity activism"". -
Cercles""Brownell writes clearly, concisely, and incisively"". -
Choice""This book makes clear that Hollywood entertainers, moguls ,and marketers became hugely powerful within our political culture—particularly related to the presidency—way before Reagan"". -
Journal of American History ""Brownell's intriguing study challenges readers to consider an important transformation in modern American political life. She reveals that 'showbiz politics' were not just an amusing sideshow; instead, they became an integral part of opinion-shaping and governance"". -
American Historical Review
