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Person

Vaughn Joy

Bylines

  • Family gathering around a christamas tree wearing fancy clothing.

    Silent Night, Political Night: Christmas Films in Cold War America

    Christmas films like to pretend they’re harmless seasonal comfort, but history says otherwise: postwar American cinema used Christmas to negotiate conformity.
    by Vaughn Joy via De Gruyter Conversations on December 16, 2025
  • Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo with his wife Cleo at the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings in 1947. Bertoldt Brecht can be seen in the background.

    Monopolywood: Why the Paramount Accords Should Not Be Repealed

    If studios can again harness the income from exhibition, we may see a return of traditional vertical integration.
    by Vaughn Joy via Red Pepper on March 13, 2023
Book
Selling Out Santa: Hollywood Christmas Films in the Age of McCarthy
Vaughn Joy
2025

Related Excerpts

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Screenshot of a family hug from 'It's a Wonderful Life'

When 'It's a Wonderful Life' Came Under FBI Scrutiny

During the Red Scare, a 1947 FBI report alleged the beloved holiday film contained subtly subversive anti-American propaganda.
by Christopher Klein via HISTORY on December 11, 2025
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