Teaser: The Compromises of Al Levitt

Episode Summary

Al Levitt grew up in New York and joined the Young Communist League in college, similar to Helen. After marrying Helen, they moved to Hollywood for Al to pursue screenwriting. But Al was drafted into the Army during World War II. He was stationed at Fort Roach in Culver City for a year and a half. Fort Roach was the Hal Roach Studios taken over by the military's First Motion Picture Unit, which made training films and newsreels. Ironically, Al worked alongside Ronald Reagan, who he considered a "laughingstock". Al dreamed of becoming a screenwriter but his timing was bad since he got drafted right when he was about to be hired. Al's story parallels Helen's in many ways, as they were both communist youth growing up in New York who moved to California to start new lives, only to be impacted by the Red Scare climate.

Episode Show Notes

In this month’s subscriber-only episode, a look at the complicated and possibly cursed career of Helen Levitt’s other half.

This is a sneak peek at the second in our series of subscriber episodes. To hear the rest, subscribe to PushNik by visiting our show page in Apple Podcasts.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

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Episode Transcript

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Pushnik is $4.99 a month, a cup of coffee, and you can try it free for a week. Subscribe to Pushnik on the Revisionist History Show page in Apple Podcasts and watch your feed for new delights. And if you're already a Pushnik, thank you. We hope you've enjoyed the uninterrupted listening and bonus content from other Pushkin shows. The beginning of Al's life is similar to Helen's in many ways. Like her, he grew up in New York, joined the Young Communist League in college. After he and Helen got married, they drove across the country to start a new life in Hollywood. Al dreamed of becoming a screenwriter. But his timing was bad. SPEAKER_05: You're on the verge of being hired as a screenwriter and you get drafted. Right. What happens then? So my draft board was the only one in Los Angeles that sent people out of Los Angeles for the physical. They put me in a bus, sent me to Fresno with a group of others from that draft board for my physical. And then back, I mean, it was really insane. And then when I went into the Army, I stationed at Culver City at what was familiarly known as Fort Roach for a year and a half. You know about Fort Roach, I assume? Hal Roach Studios. It was the Hal Roach Studios that were taken over by the government for the first motion picture unit. SPEAKER_02: The first motion picture unit was part of the Army Air Forces during the Second World War. They made training films and newsreels. SPEAKER_06: She was a B-29, the Superfort, with 2200 horsepower in each of four engines, with a fuel capacity equal to that of a railroad tank car. A tail that climbed two stories into the air, a body longer than a Corvette. SPEAKER_02: Avid listeners of revisionist history may not just recognize that voice, but that very clip. Ronald Reagan narrated many of these films. Red-loving Al Levitt and red-baiting Ronald Reagan were actually co-workers. SPEAKER_05: Every day for a year and a half, I would see Ronald Reagan, then called Reagan, who arrived at the post. He arrived there before I did, but he arrived from a cavalry outfit, wearing jodhpurs and a campaign hat, and nobody could take him seriously from then on. He was laughingstock. SPEAKER_02: Subscribe to Pushnick in Apple Podcasts to get more of these monthly bonus episodes full of expanded interviews, outtakes, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into how we make revisionist history. It's easy to subscribe from the show page in Apple Podcasts. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Malcolm Gladwell here. Let's re-examine employee benefits. With the Hartford Insurance Group Benefits Insurance, you'll get it right the first time. Keep your business competitive by looking out for your employees' needs with quality benefits from the Hartford. The Hartford Group Benefits team makes managing benefits and absences a breeze, while providing your employees with a streamlined, world-class customer experience that treats them like people, not policies. 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