The Influence of the Military on Hollywood with Michael Losasso

Cold War cultural historian, Michael Losasso, and I talk about the impact the Department of Defense and the military had on Hollywood, specifically as it relates to war-time advances made in media and film technology during WWII and later in the Cold War. We focus primarily on two movies in particular, The Endless Summer and Dr. Strangelove, two monumental films from the 1960s that were significant in their own right. Professor Losasso also talks about his doctoral dissertation that he’s titling, “The Big War on the Small Screen: Television, World War II, and the Cold War.” His research looks at how media production in the United States served to further fuel East/West Cold War anxieties between the US and Soviet Union. Michael Losasso is a Ph.D. Candidate in History at the University of South Florida.

Artwork by Nacer Ahmadi: IG @x.filezzz