From Hitler to Hollywood

In the USA, 1939 was a year like no other. Gangster Al Capone, his brain addled by syphilis, was released from Alcatraz; famed pilot Amelia Earhart was officially declared dead; boxer Joe Louis reigned supreme; Frank Sinatra got married and his career skyrocketed; and the New York Yankees fielded perhaps their greatest team. It was a sensational year for Hollywood too, with filmmakers churning out a movie a day, and with some of the all-time greats like The Wizard of Oz and Gone With The Wind among them. Meanwhile, the masses lived their lives, going to concerts, theaters, and New York’s revolutionary World’s Fair, which introduced television, air conditioning, nylons, and fluorescent lighting. There was little indication of the horrors unfolding across the Atlantic and Pacific, horrors in which the United States would soon become embroiled. From Hitler to Hollywood: When the Earth Fell from its Axis and Hollywood Made its Greatest Movies is a book about an extraordinary year in America: a crescendo of culture, creativity, and excitement on the eve of the most devastating war in human history.