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Podcast: New Books in Italian Studies
Episode: Giorgio Bertellini, "The Divo and the Duce: Promoting Film Stardom and the Political Leadership in 1920s America" (U California Press, 2019)
Description: In 1927, the Hollywood stars (and spouses), Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr stood outside their California home, arms raised in fascist salute. The photoâs caption, referencing the coupleâs trip to Rome the previous year, informs fans that the couple âgreet guests at their beach camp in true Italian style.â How did âAmericaâs sweetheartâ and her husband, a swashbuckler on and off screen, both patriots who had promoted Liberty bonds following the United Statesâ entry into World War I, come to normalize something like Italian Fascism in its first decade? How did the Italian-born divo, or star, of Hollywoodâs si...