August 23, 2025
Historical verisimilitude does not seem to concern Hollywood writers these days. Not that it ever did. Blatant misrepresentations in the movies are far too many to list here. The bloodthirsty George Custer was portrayed by an almost angelic-looking Errol Flynn in They Died With Their Boots On, while the desperate and homely Dutch hooker Mata Hari-guillotined by the cowardly French as a German spy-was embodied by Greta Garbo in all the thespian's magnificence.
Never mind. Movies are supposed to take us into a dreamworld, or a nightmare one, hence the historical falsifications. I no longer go to movie houses because of the ill-mannered audiences. People talk, eat loudly, smoke pot, pass wind, and act as if they're at home. In my home I do not watch films that deal with science fiction, aliens, horror, or African-Americans being mistreated by white Southerners. I only watch old black-and-white films with intelligent plots, witty dialogue, and actors who speak proper English and do not mumble. Again, there are too many of the above to list here, starting with The Best Years of Our Lives; John Wayne, Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, and William Holden films; not to mention the great Gone With the Wind.
"California and Hollywood are proof that very bad things can happen unless one is vigilant."
There, now you have it. Recently, however, a friend pointed out that modern Hollywood now casts black actors in period dramas of past centuries. In other words-and I'm making this up because I have not seen such trash-you can see, for example, Mark Antony as a black man addressing the Romans in the "I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him" funeral oration. Or you may now watch a black Henry V exhorting his troops at Agincourt against the French knights. Finally, I think a black Rhett Butler and an even blacker Scarlett O'Hara would draw applause, especially when she shoots that dirty white Yankee would-be rapist in the face. (Butterfly McQueen would be magnificent as played by Lindsay Lohan, and Big Tom by Arnold Schwarzenegger.)
Again, never mind. What Hollywood types have to be careful about is not historical accuracy but TV antennas, solar panels, double-parking lines, and such while shooting historical epics. What these modern Shylocks wish to tell us is that blacks are far more likely to watch their trash, and all-white period dramas should soon be extinct. And they now can take all the liberties their greedy souls wish. This is no Austen-land; anything goes. Just imagine, you can now see the great Benedict Arnold landing in Saratoga in a Chinook chopper, or better yet the heroic Nathan Hale loosening his Brooks Brothers shirt before the noose. Last but not least, the great George Washington crossing the Delaware in a cigarette fast boat with a Bertram V8 hull. What joy, and how the moola will roll in from the ads for the mod technology that helped us win our independence. And don't forget, as historical verisimilitude no longer matters, you can always cast Eddie Murphy as Robert E. Lee, finally ridiculing the greatest of all Americans. Our modern Cecil B. DeMilles' message is exhortatory: No matter how famous and great a historical fact, character, or novel, they can change it to suit today's minorities.
But let's face it: The real problem in America is California, because one of California's main products dominates American culture. Yes, you guessed it, it's Hollywood, and Silicon Valley doesn't even come close as far as influencing how Americans see themselves, their lives, and their country. Once upon a time, before young, left-wing, bald whippersnappers who can read a balance sheet backwards took over, ugly, bald, uneducated Jewish refugees from Europe made wonderful pro-American movies that made the masses proud. The whippersnappers have since managed to turn the industry into one that shows America at its worst with every picture Tinseltown produces.
But there is good news. The film industry that is based in Hollywood has been hijacked by Texas, Georgia, Arizona, and other Southern states whose production costs are far lower than the ones in California. Once upon a time California was the closest thing to paradise. Then, however slowly, the Golden State turned into the inferno of today, with the largest homeless population in America, the worst schools, the highest crime, the highest taxes, the largest open-air drug dens, and the largest criminal gang membership. Nine million Californians voted for Kamala, 6 million for The Donald. You do the math. California can be saved only if 9 million dickheads are moved to places unknown: like outer Siberia, although I like those nice Siberian folks, especially the women, and they don't deserve to be invaded by 9 million jerks from sunny El-Lay.
California and Hollywood are proof that very bad things can happen unless one is vigilant. The state was once a glorious place for sport, love, business, life, everything. It is now a hellhole full of gangs and criminals and untalented greedy Hollywood types. Stay away and keep watching black-and-white flicks.
This article was originally published on Taki's Magazine.