Stream The First Attack Ads: Hollywood vs. Upton Sinclair Seasons & Full Episodes | PBS SoCal

Upton Sinclair stands among seated people with an American flag tapestry hung up behind him.

In 1934, famed writer and socialist Upton Sinclair swept the Democratic primary for governor of California, leading a mass End Poverty movement. To defeat him that fall, his opponents created one of the dirtiest, and most influential, campaigns in U.S. history, and Hollywood took its first all-out plunge into politics. Directed by Greg Mitchell and Produced by Lyn Goldfarb. Learn More.

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The First Attack Ads: Hollywood vs. Upton Sinclair (Preview)

The First Attack Ads: Hollywood vs. Upton Sinclair (Preview)

The First Attack Ads: Hollywood vs. Upton Sinclair (Preview)

The California campaign that gave birth to the political attack ad.

black and white photo of an older white man in a suit speaking into a 1930s CBS microphone

black and white photo of an older white man in a suit speaking into a 1930s CBS microphone

About the Filmmakers

Learn more about the writer/director and producer of "The First Attack Ads: Hollywood vs. Upton Sinclair."

black and white photo of President FDR speaking in front of microphones

black and white photo of President FDR speaking in front of microphones

Photos from the Documentary

Photos featured in the documentary "The First Attack Ads: Hollywood vs. Upton Sinclair."