Using newly unearthed primary sources, this ground-breaking book examines the bitter and little known struggle in Hollywood and Washington D.C. during 1933 to create a National Recovery Administration (NRA) code of practice for the motion picture industry.
Who's in the Money? The Great Depression Musicals and Hollywood's New Deal By Harvey G. Cohen Series: Traditions in American Cinema Edited by Linda Badley and R. Barton Palmer 'Harvey G. Cohen's Who's In the Money? is a brilliantly written and thoroughly researched study of such classic Great Depression-era musicals as Footlight Parade and Gold Diggers of 1933. The cast of characters - Franklin Roosevelt, James Cagney, Upton Sinclair, Hugh Johnson, among others - is extraordinary. Cohen's enthusiasm for his topic is self evident. Highly recommended!' Douglas Brinkley, Rice University, author of Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America Harry and Jack Warner were among the most important advocates and fundraisers of President Franklin Roosevelt during his 1932 presidential campaign, supporting his New Deal legislation in successful Great Depression musicals like 42nd Street, Gold Diggers of 1933 and Footlight Parade. But while the Warner brothers posed as exemplars of the New Deal in real life and in their movies, they were meantime quietly attempting to reverse Roosevelt's policies within their studio and their industry. Using newly unearthed primary sources, this groundbreaking book examines the bitter and little-known struggle in Hollywood and Washington, DC during 1933 to create a National Recovery Administration (NRA) code of practice for the motion picture industry. But through the manipulation of New Deal legislation, Harry and Jack Warner - along with other studio moguls - sought to curtail workers' rights and salaries instead of bolstering both sides of the labour/management divide as they were supposed to do under NRA regulations, attempting to serve the economic pain of the Depression as much as possible onto artists and craftsmen, not owners or management. Cover image: Gold Diggers of 1933, 1933, Warner Bros. Back cover image: Footlight Parade, 1933, Warner Bros. Cover design: riverdesign.co.uk
