An insider’s guide to Hollywood politics — how the top forty stars route their clout.
Lights… Camera… Activism!
Around Tinseltown, the game’s called Star Wars or Hollytics. Whatever the label no one’s denying the surprise resurgence of political activism around the Hollywood Hills. Robert Redford stomps for redwoods. Pam Dawber preaches solar energy. Sylvester Stallone goes ten rounds the United Way. The big charities — cancer, heart, lung, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis — now boast long waiting lists of celeb crusaders eager to help rid the world of disease. Political rallies feature star-studded casts that focus somber attention on abused children (Cheryl Ladd’s major cause), oil monopolies (Warren Beatty’s), or nuclear disarmament (Paul Newman’s). Few self-respecting stars would appear on the walk show circuit these days without denouncing the evils of trip mining or espousing the wonders of Easter Seals.
Of course, politics and Hollywood have never been total strangers. As far back as D. W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation, film evinced its power to stir up the social conscience. The influence cuts both ways: during the Hollywood Dark Ages, the blacklisting era, the film community learned the grim consequences of its supposed insularity. Often, around a war or a cause, Hollywood has purposefully helped rally the rest of the nation. During World War II it was Liberty Bonds and patriotism. The onset of the Vietnam War provoked many segments in Hollywood to voice their protest — most infamously, of course, Jane Fonda. However, since that war subsided, quite some time ago, actor activism has gone into quiet decline. Until recently.
In part, Hollywood’s resurgent interest in politics can be traced to the election to president of a former actor named Ronald Reagan. Limits imposed on individual campaign contributions also prompted many political candidates to seek out celebrities and music performers to grab attention and fatten the campaign coffers. The political concert was born. Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles rock ‘n’ rolled for Jerry Brown, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin crooned for Reagan. Star power seemed to promise votes, as evidenced by the successful New Jersey senatorial campaign of ex-basketball star Bill Bradley, which attracted glamorous biggies like Robert Redford and Jack Nicholson.
In addition to certain key electoral campaigns — Brown’s, say, or Bradley’s or New York feminist Bella Abzug’s or George McGovern’s presidential bid — political activity was also aroused by several pivotal 1970s movies, “issue” films like Coming Home, Norma Rae, All the President’s Men, The China Syndrome. On occasion, the stars of such films considered the movie a forum, giving the “polformance” of their life; and some stars, though certainly not all, found themselves politicized by the roles they played. And let us not forget the home screen, which has often upstaged the silver screen in terms of actor activism. Thus a landmark in Hollytics history was the day last year that America’s trusted prime-time newspaper editor, Lou Grant/Ed Asner, bolted from the city desk and, along with fellow TV actors Howard Hesseman (Johnny Fever of “WKRP in Cincinnati”) and Ralph Waite (Pa Walton), stormed Washington on behalf of left-wing El Salvador insurgents. And let us not forget that most galvanizing of “polevents,” the “I Love Liberty” extravaganza — staged by TV’s very own Norman Lear.
Not unexpectedly, in Washington — where the real political lions roar — the politics game in Tinseltown has occasionally been mocked as “Hollywood Squares.” Yet such a slur badly distracts from the tremendous clout and political influence wielded by the star folks from California. Certainly, some Hollytickers wouldn’t know a redwood from deadwood, a porpoise from a purpose, and are primarily motivated by that great god, Publicity. But the majority harbor varying degrees of commitment and sophistication on issues that range from handguns to Hanoi. Who knows what about what? Who leans left and who runs right? To shed some light on the scramble of stars and causes, Penthouse presents the authoritative guide on Hollytic’s Top Forty. Entrants are arranged, for convenience, in alphabetical order.
ALAN ALDA: Strictly a single-issue advocate, the man from M*A*S*H was one of the first big-name male celebrities to come out of the macho closet and proudly call himself a feminist. A longtime supporter of the women’s movement and an activist for the Equal Rights Amendment, Alda contributed both time and money in the push for ERA ratification, donating funds for drives in nonratified states and championing the cause on the media and university lecture circuit. Political beliefs are liberal and fueled by a deep underlying — and sincere — sense of morality. With ERA lapsed into political oblivion, however, Alda may well be an activist without a forum.
‘On one occasion, when he was contacted to contribute to a conference on nuclear disarmament, Newman opened his check-book and calmly wrote a check for $50,000.’
EDWARD ASNER: Late bloomer in Holly-tics. Asner’s political rise coincides with his success as TV’s Lou Grant. Upon graduation from the comedic, curmudgeonly editor of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” to the crusty trusty star of his own series, Asner bloomed into an actor with a political conscience; or, as Tom Shales of the Washington Post described the transformation, “a case of the role taking over the man.” Considered a radical liberal, Asner is associated with the American Civil Liberties Union, the Equal Rights Amendment, the Institute for Higher Learning, Common Cause, Americans for Democratic Action, the National Committee for an Effective Congress, and the Jewish Chautauqua Society, among other organizations. Walked picket line on behalf of air controllers during PATCO strike. Tough unionist stance led to presidency of Screen Actors Guild. Co-founder of Medical Aid to El Salvador. Noted for calling adversary Charlton Heston a “cock-sucker” and “scumbag,” respectively. Lost decisive battle with Heston over union merger between Screen Actors and Screen Extras guilds. Lost big in prime time as well. A few days before the merger vote, the lights in Asner’s city room were turned out and the presses stopped. CBS’s cancelation of “Lou Grant” worries some that militant Hollyticking is ushering in new era of blacklisting (see Howard Hesseman).
IRVING AZOFF: One of two heavyweight “polirockers” in Hollywood (see Jeff Wald), the manager of the Eagles, Chicago, Stevie Nicks, Dan Fogelberg, and Boz Scaggs has organized and staged numerous political concerts for Democratic candidates and popular issues. Raised nearly a half-million dollars for Jerry Brown’s ill-fated presidential campaign. Has also staged concerts and fundraisers for Sen. Alan Cranston and Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. Azoff is also a mover and shaker on the no-nuke concert scene, lining up his clients and their friends for the collective musical abolition of fusion, fission, and critical mass. Although he favors gun control as well, Azoff likes to maintain a low profile about his political affiliations. “His politics are his personal affair,” a spokesperson says, “and he wants them to remain private. All I’ll say is that he’s an American. But don’t quote me.”
WARREN BEATTY: Described by many as the “father of modern Hollywood politics,” Beatty was the first major star to immerse himself in the drudgery of campaign organization and tactics during George McGovern’s 1972 presidential bid. Also credited with being the first to organize a political concert as a fundraising tool, staging three such events during McGovern’s unsuccessful quest. Highly idealistic, expressed utopian views in many of his films, influenced perhaps by an early admiration for John Kennedy’s Camelotian philosophy. Member of the Hollywood summit that formed Energy Action, the anti-oil lobby. Supported Edward Kennedy in the last election and Robert Kennedy in 1968. Political films: The Parallax View and, last year, the biggie, Reds.
PAT BOONE: Anyone who still drinks milk when he’s hitting age fifty can’t be anything other than a Republican, and Pat Boone is one of Hollywood’s most visible conservatives. Unabashedly hypes Mom, the flag, and apple pie. Member of the Republican National Committee. Good friend of Ronald Reagan. Very good friend of Vice-President George Bush. Affiliated with numerous Christian organizations, including the Bethel Bible College, and is often seen on television Sunday morning services. Also active in many charities, notably the Boy Scouts and Easter Seals (he’s chairman). Recently appeared in pro-school prayer rally.
MARLON BRANDO: Chief Hollywood advocate of Indians rights. As millions of television viewers around the world well recall, Brando sent as his representative Sacheen Littlefeather to accept the Oscar for 1972 Best Actor role in The Godfather. Caused a flap when he gave land to the Indians the white man’s way: the land reportedly wasn’t fully paid for. Later, when Indians announced plans to sell land to developers for single-family homes, Brando said the Indians could do what they wanted with the forty acres. Brando has also been active in civil rights, but his name seldom makes endorsement or fund-raising lists because of what Holly-tickers describe as his “esoteric” approach to politics. “No one can ever figure out where Marlon is coming from, or how his political conclusions will manifest themselves,” one Hollyticker says. “You just can’t tell if it’s visceral or intellectual — or both.”
JACKSON BROWNE: Among the most ardent antinuclear performers in the music industry, Browne is the winner of this year’s No Nukes Civil Disobedience award. He was the only rock star arrested during the successful Diablo Canyon demonstrations in California; when the protests were over, construction on the nuclear power facility straddling a fault line was halted. A member of the Alliance for Survival and Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE), Browne joins a long list of rock performers, including Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, and Carly Simon, who are involved with the issues of nuclear energy, gun control, and the environment. Browne’s “After the Deluge” from the Late for the Sky album is considered a no-nukes survivalist anthem.
JILL CLAYBURGH: A decade ago, Ms. Clayburgh became the role model for millions of women who emerged from the feminist wars to take their places as “individuals and persons” in sexist, chauvinist America. Starring in such vehicles as Luna, It’s My Tum, and I’m Dancing As Fast As I Can, she reflected a panoply of women’s political and social concerns, ranging from drugs to incest. But her portrayal of an abandoned housewife in An Unmarried Woman is regarded as a classic study of every woman’s struggle for independence and identity. Although she has settled down recently-marrying playwright David Rabe and having her first child-domestic tranquility hasn’t dulled Clayburgh’s sense of social responsibility. She is actively involved in nuclear disarmament, and her group, Performers Active for Nuclear Disarmament (PANO) is one of the busiest in New York.
WARREN COWAN: The charity kingpin in Hollywood is not Jerry Lewis, Danny Kaye, or even Frank. Sinatra, three philanthropic giants who deservedly rate the title. The distinction goes to Warren Cowan of the publicity firm Rogers and Cowan. Honorary chairman of the United Way and all-around benevolent guy, Cowan works the celebrity-charity connection better than anyone else in the business. With the finesse of a wheeler-dealer high on altruism, he matches the right celebrities with the right charity, arranges public-service TV gigs, travel and promotional arrangements, and dispatches celebs to earn billions for their favorite charities — usually when the stars are set to release a film or find themselves at a major career cross-roads. A typical Cowan coup was the signing of Sylvester Stallone to play the lead in a United Way Campaign, which was announced just a few days after Rocky III was released. Other Cowan talent castings include: Farrah Fawcett, the American Cancer Society; Wayne Newton, the Arthritis Foundation; Dyan Cannon, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America; Pat Boone, Easter Seals; Cathy Lee Crosby, Special Olympics; and Jack Lemmon and Charles Bronson, The United Way.
“When the proceedings moved to Hollywood and focused on its cocaine connection, Cathy Lee (Crosby) denounced the hearings as ‘media hype and sensationalism.’”
CATHY LEE CROSBY: Major claim to fame: antidrug crusader. As chairman of the board of the Get High on Yourself Foundation, she, along with producer Robert Evans (Chinatown, Marathon Man), who was fulfilling a public-service obligation for cocaine possession, spear-headed a congressional investigation into national drug abuse. But when the proceedings moved to Hollywood — with help from actor-turned-congressman Robert “B-1 Bob” Dornan (see Robert Dornan) — and the focus centered on the Hollywood community and its cocaine connection, Cathy Lee sensed a witch-hunt, called a press conference, and denounced the hearings as “media hype and sensationalism.” Since then, while still battling the evils of drug abuse, Crosby has crusaded for the Special Olympics and muscular dystrophy.
BRUCE DERN: Despite an outstanding performance as the distraught, suicidal Vietnam veteran in the political blockbuster Coming Home, this intense and talented actor avoids politics like the plague. “I am the most apolitical person in the United States,” he says flatly. “I don’t endorse. I don’t campaign. I don’t vote. And I don’t get involved.” Like Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, and a handful of other Hollywood a-politicals, Dern is often called but seldom serves.
ROBERT DORNAN: Congressional representative from California’s star-studded Twenty-Seventh District and a viable member of Hollywood’s conservative right. Former actor and talk-show host. Was national spokesman of Citizen’s for Decency Through Law. Ran for mayor of Los Angeles and lost. Ran for Congress in 1978 and 1980 against Carey Peck (Gregory’s son) and won, with help from his uncle, Jack Haley, and endorsements from John Wayne, Bob Hope, Pat Boone, Danny Thomas, Lucille Ball, Jimmy Stewart, Clint Eastwood, and other Republican heavies. Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and of the same Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control that caused an uproar over Hollywood’s alleged drug and cocaine connections (see Cathy Lee Crosby). Chairman of the Task Force on American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, Dornan over a decade ago originated the bracelet campaign for bringing Vietnam MIAs and prisoners of war home. His staunch support of the B-1 bomber (primarily because his district has high aero-space employment) has earned him the nickname “B-1 Bob.”
MICHAEL DOUGLAS: Intelligent and articulate, this prominent leftist won’t take stands on issues without studying and understanding them first. Made a powerful antinuclear statement as producer and star of The China Syndrome. Reportedly was miffed when Jane Fonda exploited the film during the Three Mile Island crisis. Established the Foundation for Violence in America, a non-profit research organization formed to investigate handgun controls. Member of the Democrats for a Democratic Congress as well as the anti-nuclear group, Californians for a Bilateral Nuclear Freeze. Signed petition supporting Edward Asner’s Medical Aid to El Salvador. Has contributed to the Greensboro Peace Fund in opposition to the Klu Klux Klan and the American Nazi party. Supported Jerry Brown’s bid for a U.S. Senate seat. Has supported the American Civil Liberties Union in the past, but not lately. Ditto for Jane Fonda’s Campaign for Economic Democracy.
KIRK DOUGLAS: Old-school Hollyticker credited with being the first actor to courageously stand up to the blacklist by insisting that Dalton Trumbo write the script for Spartacus. Has traveled the world for more than two decades on behalf of the State Department as a goodwill ambassador. Most recent trip was to China this year for the Reagan administration, even though Kirk did not support the president’s campaign. Has championed civil rights, written about antidiscrimination, and supported other liberal social issues. Contributes generously to charitable causes, including mentally retarded children and world hunger, among many others. Awarded Medal of Freedom in 1981 by President Carter. Currently president of the American Cancer Fund.
CLINT EASTWOOD: Maintains a low profile about his politics, but Clint’s films have always explored tough law-and-order motifs much in the rugged tradition of John Wayne, and within the Hollytic spectrum he is decidedly right of center. He has gone public lately, accusing Ed Asner of using the Screen Actors Guild presidency as a political tool for promoting Medical Aid to El Salvador. Member of Charlton Heston’s Actors Working for an Actors Guild, a SAG splinter group formed in protest against Asner’s politics within the guild.
SALLY FIELD: Until recently she never even bothered to vote, but two strong polformances in the movies Norma Rae and Absence of Malice have heightened Field’s social awareness and propelled her into the political limelight. Field recently began making the talk-show rounds and she has been sponsoring a series of celebrity fundraisers for Dr. Helen Caldicott’s Physicians for Social Responsibility, a 10,000-member organization of medical professionals who are morally bound and determined to deny world leaders the opportunity to play war games with the big bomb. Member of Action for Nuclear Disarmament and a supporter of the California Bilateral Nuclear Freeze. Labeled by some cynics as Hollywood’s “new Jane Fonda.”
JANE FONDA: Indisputably the queen mother of celebrity politics. Turned radical in 1970. Made infamous pilgrimage to Hanoi in 1972. Married radical activist Tom Hayden in 1973. Together they founded the Campaign for Economic Democracy, a California-based grass-roots organization with 10,000 members that literally controls the city of Santa Monica, aptly dubbed the “People’s Republic of…,” where the Fondas reside. Espouses rent control, utility rate controls, pesticide control, health-care cost controls, and the gradual phasing out of the nuclear-power industry. Also advocates unionization of farmworkers, better job conditions for clerical workers, and a myriad of other populist issues. All proceeds from the best-selling Jane Fonda’s Workout Book are channeled into Hayden’s campaign coffers. Some critics have questioned Jane’s political expertise and sincerity: after the release of Nine to Five, Jane stumped the country for better pay for secretaries while her own staff picketed her office for being grossly underpaid. Recently the Hayden household was picketed by a local construction union for not using union labor for the $300,000 remodeling of their “modest” Santa Monica home.
LEE GRANT: Outspoken and sincere, she and her first husband, novelist-playwright Arnold Manoff, were together blacklisted for almost twelve years (Manatt, still blacklisted, died in 1964). Involved in the usual run of liberal Democratic Hollytics. Was a highly visible pacifist during Vietnam War demonstrations and participated in McGovern benefits in 1972. Presently is involved in antinuclear movement and Medical Aid to El Salvador. Was with Ed Asner in Washington when $25,000 medical fund for guerrillas was established. Member of Hollywood United for Safe Energy, the antinuclear organization, and directed powerful 1981 documentary The Willmar Eight, about eight women employees of a Minnesota bank who staged the longest bank strike in U.S. history.
JOAN HACKETT: Longtime outspoken advocate for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and activist for nuclear disarmament, Hackett makes frequent appearances on radio and television talk shows to expound on feminist issues. On the nuclear front: member of Hollywood United for Safe Energy and the California Bilateral Nuclear Freeze. Although Hackett lends her time and support to feminist causes, such as establishing rape crisis centers, her political and charitable affiliations are kept “very private” — she is among celebrities, like Francis Ford Coppola and Lily Tomlin, who make polappearances but contend they do so as private citizens.
HOWARD HESSEMAN: Dr. Johnny Fever, the all-too-hip disc jockey from “WKRP in Cincinnati,” favors decriminalization of marijuana but is antidrug when it comes down to the harder stuff. Active supporter of Greenpeace and Save the Whales. Also an advocate of the Gray Panthers, the militant senior-citizens organization. Member of two antinuclear groups, Hollywood United for Safe Energy and the California Bilateral Nuclear Freeze and of the National Committee for an Effective Congress. Was at Ed Asner’s side when Asner held a Washington press conference establishing a medical fund for El Salvadoran left-wing insurgents. It is either coincidental or ironic that “WKRP in Cincinnati” was canceled by CBS on the same day that “Lou Grant” was. Some insiders suggest the action marks the first wave of a new black-listing era (see Ed Asner).
CHARLTON HESTON: He is considered among Hollywood’s conservative elite, but is actually more of a moderate and certainly — as Ed Asner found out — a political lion you don’t want to tangle with. Marched with civil rights leader Martin Luther King in 1960. Made two trips to Vietnam on behalf of the Johnson and Nixon administrations, and has traveled extensively to other countries as goodwill ambassador for the government. Served for six terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild, longer than any other actor except Ronald Reagan. Actively supported and campaigned for Reagan, but also supported Gregory Peck’s son Carey, a Democrat, in an unsuccessful bid for a congressional seat. Strong track record on humanitarian and charitable causes. Has been approached by both parties to run for the U.S. Senate from California. He declined. Formed Actors Working for an Actors Guild to combat a proposed merger between the Screen Actors and Screen Extras guilds.
BOB HOPE: The man politicians love to be seen with, believing that a joke from Hope is worth a thousand votes, if not more. Philosophically tends to be conservative but has many Washington friends on both sides of the aisle, including Ronald Reagan, Tip O’Neill, Gerald Ford, and Edward Kennedy. Recently spent five days at Kennedy’s Hyannis Port home. Best known for unselfishly entertaining U.S. military troops abroad for more than forty years. Although at one time labeled a “warmonger” by Jane Fonda, Hope is actually a pacifist with an overriding disdain for war and violence. Was almost killed in Saigon during Vietnam USO tour. Favors gun control, particularly since the attempted assassination on Ronald Reagan, whom Hope supported and campaigned for during the last election. Impressive charity credentials include the Salvation Army, the Boy Scouts, and the Heart, Lung, and Diabetes associations, among others.
JACK KLUGMAN: Liberal, idealistic, and Democratic, chief medical examiner Quincy is most visibly active in antidrug issues. Campaigned and picketed against over-the-counter sale of “lookalike” drugs now being legally sold in California and across the country and testified before several congressional committees on drug-and medical-related topics (a la his alter ego). Was the overwhelming choice of the graduating class of Mount Sinai Medical College to be commencement speaker. Advocates solar energy and is anti-nuclear. An impassioned speaker, Klugman works for a number of local charities and is deemed a potent fundraiser.
NORMAN LEAR: A political heavyweight with clout. Frequently courted by Washington liberals, the creator of “All in the Family” and a half dozen other break-through television programs of the 1970s is vociferously anti-censorship and a staunch defender of free speech. Also quite active in women’s rights. Currently president of the Hollywood chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Established Democrats for Change, a consortium of celebrities and politicians that publicly denounced President Jimmy Carter’s handling of domestic and foreign policy as well as of the economy. Supported John Anderson’s misbegotten bid for the presidency. Founded People for the American Way, a Washington-based lobby formed to combat Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority. Produced and personally organized “I Love Liberty,” an immense and lavish television spectacle involving more than 100 celebrities and distinguished Americans to demonstrate that no single special interest group, particularly ultra-right Christian zealots, has a monopoly on the slice of American pie called patriotism.
JACK LEMMON: Although he has appeared in two of Hollywood’s most potent political films in recent years — The China Syndrome and Missing — Lemmon is regarded more as a political actor than activist. Politically, his offscreen life pales in comparison with his powerful polformances. He dabbles in liberal Democratic Hollytics but his activism is limited to occasional Americans for Democratic Action meetings, ecological issues, and supporting Edward Kennedy in the last presidential primary. Lemmon is generous in donating his time and energy to do public service announcements for a variety of charities.
“Anyone who still drinks milk when he’s hitting age fifty can’t be anything other than a Republican, and Pat Boone unabashedly hypes Mom, the flag, and apple pie.”
JERRY LEWIS: Known mainly for three decades’ work with “my kids” and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the clown prince has turned his annual Labor Day telethon into the second most watched television program in the country, rated only behind the Super Bowl, and has raised millions of dollars in the process. Otherwise keeps political views and endorsements personal, stating that as an entertainer he should not get on a soap-box to influence other people. Not a party person, but did indirectly support Edward Kennedy in his last electoral bid.
PAUL NEWMAN: A political sophisticate who puts money where his politics are. Reportedly has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to Energy Action, the anti-big oil lobby he created with Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, and Neil Diamond. On one occasion, when he was contacted to contribute to a conference on nuclear disarmament, Newman opened his check-book and calmly wrote a check for $50,000. Bones up extensively on issues before endorsing them: “He gets in deep,” says a close friend. “He knows missiles and warheads, their range and capability. With Paul, it’s not emotional or rhetorical. He talks on a nitty-gritty, nuts-and-bolts level.” Is now considered Hollywood’s elder statesman on nuclear disarmament. Served as special emissary to the United Nations on nuclear controls. Has track record as civil rights worker dating back to 1960s. Backed George McGovern in 1972, Ramsey Clark in 1976, and John Anderson in 1980. All three lost. Now supports issues rather than candidates, saying his endorsement usually signals the “kiss of death” for a candidate’s chances for success. Made Richard Nixon’s Enemies List. Wife Joanne Woodward is also active, notably in charities and Planned Parenthood. Both are avid supporters of the arts.
WAYNE NEWTON: Las Vegas’s flashiest superstar is well entrenched and a prominent figure within the Republican party. Highly sought-after performer for conservative fundraisers and concerts. Crooned for Ronald Reagan during the last national election. Also performed recently for Sen. Paul Laxalt and California Lt. Gov. Mike Curb. Sings and works on behalf of numerous establishment organizations, including the Jaycees, Variety Club of Southern Nevada, St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis, and the National Conference of Law Enforcement. Benefit work also includes a concert for Indian rights at Kennedy Center in Washington (Newton, like Brando, is part Indian). Charity work includes benefits for the American Medical Center’s Cancer Research Fund and the Arthritis Foundation.
JACK NICHOLSON: A man who seems far too individualistic to involve himself in matters political, Nicholson nonetheless dabbles in liberal Democratic politics — not unlike his good friend Warren Beatty. He supports a nuclear freeze and is a member of Hollywood United for a Safe Energy. Has also supported and campaigned for ex-basketball player Bill Bradley, who won a U.S. Senate seat from New Jersey — no doubt with a little help from his friend Jack. Nicholson is also a good friend of Colorado Sen. Gary Hart, and 1984 might well see him stumping the Colorado campaign trail for Hart’s re-election. Otherwise, Nicholson’s politics are very personal. And very private.
CARROLL O’CONNOR: The man who plays Archie Bunker is a liberal, a paradox that this active supporter of the American Civil Liberties Union has had difficulty coming to grips with in the past. “He’s been filled with a lot of hostility because the press — and the world, for that matter — will only accept him as Archie Bunker,” says syndicated columnist Marilyn Beck. In real life O’Connor is a lifelong Irish Democrat who in the last presidential primary supported Irish Democrat Edward Kennedy. He is also gracious in charitable affiliations, serving as honorary chairman of the U.C.L.A. John Wayne Cancer Clinic and as supporter of the Neighbors of Watts, among many others.
RONALD REAGAN: Former actor. Still very much one of the Hollywood power elite. Six-term past president of the Screen Actors Guild. While SAG president, testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee and introduced a 1947 resolution barring Communists from guild membership (the rule effectively laid the cornerstone for the blacklisting era). Elected two-term governor of California in 1968. Elected president of the United States in 1980. Awarded the prestigious SAG Life Service award — briefly. When the air controllers’ union, PATCO, went on strike and Reagan ordered the strike busted, the award was rescinded. Viewed by some as the one person most responsible for the resurgence of Hollytic activism.
ROBERT REDFORD: Staunch environmentalist heavily involved in preservation of natural resources and solar energy. Frequently seen in Washington lobbying for environmental and energy issues. Founded and funded the Resource Management Institute, an educational program at both the University of Idaho and Washington State University designed to establish compatibility between business and environmental interests at the academic level. A true activist: served, for instance, as sewer commissioner for three years in Provo Canyon, Utah, and was burned in effigy for his opposition to a local power project. Contributed a token $1,000 to Edward Kennedy’s campaign but did not publicly support the candidate. Did, however, support and campaign for ex-basketball player Bill Bradley’s successful quest for a U.S. Senate seat from New Jersey. Member of the Hollywood summit that formed Energy Action in opposition to big oil. Also avid supporter of wife Lola’s Consumer Action Now group, which strives to heighten awareness about the environmental impact of consumer spending habits by ordinary people. Noteworthy political films: The Candidate, All the President’s Men, and Three Days of the Condor.
BURT REYNOLDS: Good ol’ boy Burt may seem apolitical, but his films are sometimes interpreted as symbolic of south-western regional political themes, such as the down-home hard-drinking woman-chasing whiskey-running car-crashing rebel without a cause. Has dabbled in women’s rights and supported Equal Rights Amendment ratification in Florida. Reportedly had lunch with feminist Gloria Steinem once to “learn to talk like Alan Alda.” Was invited to White House dinner by Nancy Reagan to enlist support in anti-drug campaign. She said he said he would, but Burt said the dinner was “purely social.” Sponsors an annual tennis tournament to benefit retarded children in Florida. Has done dozens of public service announcements, including pitches for cystic fibrosis, the Palm Beach Association for Retarded Citizens, and the Sheriff’s Boys Ranch. Latest was a recruitment commercial for the Beverly Hills Police Department.
FRANK SINATRA: During the 1960s, the chairman of the board was an avowed Democrat whose greatest claim to political fame was a close friendship with President John Kennedy. Although he is considered political through association only, Hollytickers recall Sinatra’s good old days of freewheeling liberalism, when he and best friend Dean Martin crooned for the American Civil Liberties Union. In 1970, Sinatra switched parties to support another old friend named Ronald Reagan — at the time seeking re-election as the governor of California — and has been firmly entrenched in Republican politics since. During Reagan’s bid for the presidency, Sinatra and Martin were among the candidate’s principal fundraisers, staging a series of concerts and parties that added up to a million dollars to Reagan’s formidable war chest. Produced and starred in President-elect Reagan’s inaugural ball. Ol’ Blue Eyes is also one of the most gracious charity fundraisers in show business, liberally donating his glorious pipes to a baffling number of charitable causes. In one year alone he performed at more benefits and fundraisers than he did paid engagements. “He’s a very generous and giving man,” says his publicist, Lee Salters. “His charity work is his way of repaying a blessing that he feels has been bestowed upon him.”
DONALD SUTHERLAND: During the early part of his career, the Canadian actor was immersed in radical causes, politically and romantically connected to Jane Fonda, and notable for his opposition to the Vietnam War. With Fonda and others, founded antiwar revue called Free the Army, which toured military bases in Southeast Asia and received much publicity. In 1971, announced plans to read from blacklisted Dalton Trumbo’s classic, Johnny Got His Gun, to rally support for the People’s Peace Treaty — an eight-point plan for withdrawing American troops from Vietnam. With the windup of the Vietnam War, however, Sutherland’s activism apparently lapsed completely. These days he is more passionate about the leisurely pastime of baseball.
MARLO THOMAS: Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of her extensive political activism centers on the women’s movement. Her book, Free to Be… You and Me, is a paean to sexual equality. A sophisticated lobbyist, she spends a good deal of time in Washington as well as in nonratified states pushing for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. Member of the Ms. Foundation for Women and Children and the National Women’s Caucus. With the ERA scratched from the Constitution, Ms. Thomas is restructuring her directives, still campaigning for equality but now through, judicial and legislative channels.
GORE VIDAL: The author of Myra Breckinridge and Burr is this season’s darling of the Hollytic left. During his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the California U.S. Senate seat, Vidal received financial support from a disparate cross section of the Hollywood liberal community, including Kirk Douglas, James Garner, super-agent Sue Mengers, John (“Blake Carrington”) Forsythe, and Norman Lear. One of his opponents, surprisingly, was Jane Fonda. “It says a lot about the United States of America that such a foreign object as Gore Vidal can run for the Senate,” she said. It wasn’t Gore’s first attempt at political office. He once tried in New York and lost. Although his campaign in California was intelligent, witty, and colorful, he lost there, as well, to Jerry Brown.
JON VOIGHT: Long active as antiwar activist and opponent to Vietnam War. An early member of Fonda’s Entertainment People for Peace and Freedom, Voight helped organize Vietnam Veterans Against the War group in Southern California and drew tremendous acclaim for what was perhaps the polformance of the 1970s — in Coming Home. Well within liberal Hollytic mainstream; supports ecology, solar energy, gay rights, the Hayden-Fonda Campaign for Economic Development. Campaigned for George McGovern in the 1972 presidential election. Member of the antinuclear group Hollywood United for Safe Energy. Endorsed Ed Asner’s position on medical aid to El Salvador.
JEFF WALD: Polirocker and unquestionably a major behind-the-scenes cog in the Hollywood Democratic party machine. Married to Helen Reddy; the Walds represent one of the industry’s most potent fund-raising duos, hosting parties and staging concerts for a long list of Democratic hopefuls at the national level. Edward Kennedy, Gary Hart, Bill Bradley, Jerry Brown, Tom Bradley, and Bella Abzug are but a few Democrats endorsed by the Walds in recent campaigns. Very active in Jane Fonda’s Campaign for Economic Democracy. Issues include a nuclear freeze, involvement with Physicians for Social Responsibility (also antinuclear), gun control, and ardent opposition to the Moral Majority.
LEW WASSERMAN: The powerful chairman of MCA, Inc. (which owns the mammoth Universal Studios) is a behind-the-scenes major force in Hollywood politics. Long prominent within the Democratic party, supporting a laundry list of hopefuls that have included Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, John, Robert, and Edward Kennedy, and Sen. Alan Cranston. Served as Jimmy Carter’s California finance chairman during last election. Has been known to play the field and contribute to all major candidates, mainly to ensure that his company remains on the bright side of the next president. “I give them all money and wish them well,” he has said. Major contributor to philanthropic causes, among them the Motion Picture and Television Fund, the Jules Stein Eye Institute, the University of Jerusalem, Brandeis University, Cal Tech, and Cal Arts.
Given that this original publication happened 40 years ago (as of this writing), it would seem that Hollywood has always been a place people love to love, while Hollywood Activism has been one people love to hate. Now in a world deluged by social media, it has become more difficult to complain about some people being able to blast out whatever crazy-ass thing they believe. Of course celebrity still has its perks — and its potential pitfalls — when it comes to the whole “personal opinion” arena. As we see the protests and famous protestors from the Vietnam War era now over a half-century past and the Joseph McCarthy dominance of the news pushing 75 years ago now, we can be perfectly clear about one thing at least. Politicians are way more scary than some random actor/athlete person.
