Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Dirty Harry vs. Harold and Kumar -- The dark knight rises: how Hollywood helped reelect Obama -- The color of money: how Hollywood's cash buys influence -- Easy riders: how Hollywood became a poisoned chalice for liberal reformers -- The social network: how politics helps to make movies -- The west wing: how Hollywood created a new kind of liberal hero -- True grit: how the republicans came to love the cowboy -- Man of steel: how Hollywood turned the president into a leading man -- Modern family: how Hollywood's product is a lot less liberal than conservatives claim -- The great Gatsby: how Hollywood and Washington face the future and dance -- Conclusion: Mr. Smith goes to Washington.

"To most Americans, Hollywood activism consists of self-obsessed movie stars making transparently liberal films in a desperate bid for Academy Award glory. There's some truth in that stereotype. But celebrity activism also exerts a subtle power over the American political process. Through money, networking, and image making, the movie industry has shaped the way that politics works for nearly a century. It has helped to forge a culture that is obsessed with celebrity and spectacle. In return, politics has become part of the fabric of Hollywood society. Using original archival research and exclusive interviews with stars, directors, producers, and politicians from both parties, Timothy Stanley's Citizen Hollywood tells the story of how Hollywood revolutionized American politics"-- Provided by publisher.