Warner Bros. Pre-World War II

During the early 19th century, the Warner brothers moved from Poland to Ohio, eventually setting up a major studio in Hollywood, California. Since the brothers were Jewish immigrants, they were concerned about Hitler's rise to power in Germany. With Warner Bros. Studio being the first major Hollywood studio to pull production out of Germany in 1936, it played an important role in informing and educating Americans about Hitler's rise to power.

Warner Family Background

The Warner brothers were Jewish immigrants from Poland, which led to their involvement in the pre-World War II era. The brothers were known for being politically engaged and “unapologetically Jewish of the major studios.” Therefore, when the brothers were questioned about their stance they stated that it was a personal motive in taking an anti-Nazi stance before the war started, due to the death of a Warner Bros. employee in Germany by a Nazi soldier.

Hollywood’s Involvement

When Hitler came to power in 1933, he used his power to “threaten to exclude American movies”, major Hollywood studios accepted this agreement since they rely heavily on European viewers for income. Hitler controlled Hollywood and had the power to censor specific American scripts due to the deal he made with the studios. Since the Warner brothers knew Nazi Germany was becoming more dangerous it led to Warner Bros. Studio becoming "the first major Hollywood studio" to shut down operations in Germany. Shutting production down in Germany led to the start of their propaganda era and political relationship with President FDR. Once Warner Bros. Studio pulled production out of Germany in the mid-1930s they took the anti-Nazi stance alone in Hollywood for a few years. When Hitler was taking over Germany, Americans cared very little about what was taking place in Europe because it had “little relevance to their own lives.” Seeing the lack of education and urgency Americans had towards the uprising of Nazi Germany encouraged the brothers to do Warner Bros. studios did more than create cartoons and movies They utilized their resources to shine a light on the importance of being involved in the war to stop Nazi Germany.

Warner Bros.' Film Propaganda Leading Up to the War

To convince Americans and fellow film studios the brothers worked hand and hand with President FDR. Warner Bros. “embarked on a virtual crusade to alert Americans” population of the dangers of Nazis coming to power. During the years leading up to the start of World War II, Warner Bros. used their popular and fan-favorite Looney Tunes show as propaganda for the American population to see. In 1938, What Price Porky aired and featured fascist ducks and a leader who resembled Mussolini. The use “historical tooning” was made to not be subtle it was suppose be clear to see and understand what the show was talking about, and how urgent Americans needed to act. Before the war began, one of the pivotal points in Hollywood’s anti-Nazi stance was the release of Confessions of a Nazi Spy. The film was not as successful as the studio anticipated, but Warner Bros. hoped that the film would be eye-opening for other major studios to take an anti-Nazi and spread awareness. Before America's involvement in the war, the other studios eventually followed in Warner Bros. footsteps, took an anti-Nazi stance and stopped production in Germany.

Sources

1. Doherty, Thomas. When Hollywood Fought Nazis - Tablet Magazine. 14 May 2019,
2. Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies, Volume 27, Numbers 1-4, 1997, pp. 120–122
3. Urwand, Ben. “The Chilling History of How Hollywood Helped Hitler (Exclusive).” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Aug. 2013,
4. Snow, Nancy. “Confessions of a Hollywood Propagandist: Harry Warner, FDR and Celluloid Persuasion1.” Learn Center.
5. Birdwell, Michael E. Celluloid Soldiers : the Warner Bros. Campaign Against Nazism. New York: New York University Press, 1999.
6. Ltd, Not Panicking. “Warner Brothers' Wartime Animation - Edited Entry.” h2g2,
7. Film, History | July 6th. “How Warner Brothers Resisted a Hollywood Ban on Anti-Nazi Films in the 1930s and Warned Americans of the Dangers of Fascism.”Mollet, Tracey. Historical Tooning: Disney, Warner Brothers, and The Depression and War

External links

• Mintz, Steven. Warrtime Hollywood “Digital History.” UH,
• World War II and Popular Culture: The National WWII Museum: New Orleans.” The National WWII Museum
• Jacobson, Lara. “The Warner Brothers Prove Their Patriotism.” Voces Novae, vol. 10, no. 2, 2018.

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