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Larry Rubin

The Mighty Moguls and the Missing Characters: Hollywood's Jewish Paradox

Since its earliest days, Jews have had a profound influence on the film industry and
Hollywood. Jewish figures like Adolph Zukor and Louis B. Mayer are singularly responsible for
the studio system which allowed the film industry to flourish during its golden age. It was,
however, not only the studio bosses who were influential Jews in the industry but also many
directors, writers, producers, composers, and actors. Yet, despite this Jewish presence in the
making of movies, we see very few Jewish characters of significance within them films
themselves. The question that needs to be answered is why this paradox exists.The strong
presence of anti-Semitism made the moguls fearful that strong Jewish characters would alienate
their potential audiences. During the 1920s, Jews faced antisemitism that excluded them from
schools and clubs and there were those “who saw the Jews as a money hungry, subversive force
promoting sexual immorality” (Quart). Additionally, their desire to assimilate led them to create
generic white characters who represented the identity they sought for themselves.

The Mighty Moguls

Who were these men that were responsible for creating the modern movie industry?They
were a fairly homogenous group of Jewish immigrants who started out as small investors. They
built the studio system, built Hollywood and eventually became known as the "moguls," and the
studios they created, even today, are synonymous with filmmaking. Men like Adolph Zukor,
William Fox, Louis B. Mayer, Carl Laemmle and Benjamin Warner created studios including
Paramount, Fox Film (which later merged with 20thCentury to form 20th Century Fox), Metro-