Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream examines the rise ofHollywood and the movie studios that were founded and run by eastern European Jewish immigrants. It tells three dramatic stories: the rise of American film, the lives of the men who shaped it, and the origins of the values that Hollywood embraces today. When these immigrant men reinvented themselves as Americans, they redefined the American Dream. Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream would be useful for classes on American History, Jewish History, American Culture, The History of Science and Technology, American Cinema History and Immigration. It is appropriate for middle school, high school and college.

• Cossack
• Yiddish
• anecdotes
• assimilation
• cantor
• commissary
• decimated
• demeanor
• dexterity
• embodiment
• epitomize
• espouse
• euphemism
• gentility
• hierarchy
• incendiary
• indigenous
• kitsch
• legitimacy
• miscegenation
• optimism
• parochial
• parodied
• pervasively
• pogroms
• quintessential
• retrospect
• romanticism
• shtetls
• subpoena
• verandahs
• vulnerability

1. One of the main themes of this documentary is how immigrant Jews transferred their experiences of terror and anti-Semitism to the silver screen. How and why did they do this? Can you give any examples of movies that illustrate this process?

2. Discuss the similarities of the founders of Hollywood. One commentator in the documentary states that the "American dream was born in Eastern Europe."What does this comment mean?

3. The phrase the "American dream" is an often used and familiar one. But what is the American dream? How would you define it? Do you think you and your family live it, or is it a myth? How does this dream differ for people from various ethnic, racial and social backgrounds?

4. In late 19th century and early 20th century Eastern Europe most Jews lived in neighborhood know as shtetls. How did these shtetls help to insulate Jews from the dangerous hostility and anti-Semitism that surrounded them?

5. Can you compare a shtetl with a Native American reservation?

6. Many immigrant Jews experienced pogroms before the emigrated to America. What is a pogrom? How and why were these able to occur? How did these pogroms have an indirect affect on the formation of Hollywood?

7. Define "Americanization."How did many immigrant Jews begin this process even before they left their homelands? How does Americanization occur today?

8. Discuss some of the conditions faced by Jewish immigrants, as well as immigrants from other backgrounds, when they arrived in America.

9. Why does America have such a strong history of immigration? How has immigration shaped our country? What strengths has immigration added to our national identity?

10. Early filmmakers were of the old Anglo-American stock. How did the films of these filmmakers reflect the cultural and racial mores and beliefs of the era held by Anglo native-born Americans?

11. How did Thomas Edison try to shut Jews out of the movie making industry? How did Jewish moviemakers react?

12. Many of our cultural and familial ideals were shaped by the influence of movies on American life. How did movies help to create a mythical image of the American way of life?

13. Most movies have some sort of love story in their plot line. Discuss how love is a democratic concept.

14. Movies have contributed to some of the most blatant stereotypes of African-Americans, but have also drawn on African-American culture for ideas and material. How is African-America culture a uniquely American product? How has this culture contributed to American movies and American life?

15. Discuss the contribution of Irving Berlin to American movies and American culture.

16. Some of Hollywood's early moguls tried to hide their "Jewishness."Why did they do this? How did this affect their lives and families?

17. Although many Jewish producers and entertainers migrated to Hollywood, many remained on the East Coast and produced Yiddish Theater and Yiddish films. What was the purpose of these plays and movies? How did they serve the Jewish community? How did they make immigrant life an easier adjustment? Why did they continue after the success of Hollywood?

18. Discuss the reaction, or lack of reaction of Hollywood moguls to the European Holocaust.

19. How did W. W. II help make many immigrant Hollywood Jews "true patriots" and full-fledged Americans?

20. How did the McCarthyism and communist scare of the 1950s aid in the decline of the old studio system and erode some of the power bases of the older Jewish moguls?

1. Create a movie poster for a film made during the early years of Hollywood.

2. Create a poster showing some of the ways of life of the shtetl. Use your poster to illustrate the day-to-day lives of Jews in 19th century Eastern Europe.

3. Using a medium of your choice, create a model of a late 19th century-early 20th century New York City tenement. You might want to contact New York City's Tenement Museum for some ideas.

4. Create a timeline that parallels the history of Hollywood and American history in the first half of the 20th century.