Forbes Attacks “Leftish’ Tilt in Hollywood

Forbes magazine is already raising hackles in Hollywood with advance word of a cover story set to hit the newsstands this week about the supposedly growing influence of “leftish” show-business figures over national politics. The article, called “Campaign ‘88: Get Ready For ‘Selective Reality,’ ” was written by Senior Editor Allan Dodds Frank for the magazines’ Jan. 25 edition.

Among other things, the piece:

--Calls Gregory Peck’s recent TV commercials opposing confirmation of Robert Bork as Supreme Court justice a contribution to “American politics at its worst.”

--Says of producer Norman Lear, whose People for the American Way coordinated an anti-Bork campaign: “his cunningly emotional campaign used the technique of the Big Lie, the more insidious because of its low-key delivery.”

--Brands Jane Fonda “Hanoi Jane” and says many rich entertainers have become the “Hollyleft.” The magazine asks, “Why are so many rich entertainers leftish? In a sense, speaking up for the poor helps them overcome in a painless way the guilt they feel for their current flamboyant living standards--the gold Rolls-Royces and dream-pad mansions.”

Lear, reached at his home over the weekend, called the story, for which he was interviewed, “the most naive piece of work I’ve ever heard of. It is really an old-fashioned theatrical diatribe.” Lear added, “Robert Bork himself spent 32 hours on national TV with the Senate Judiciary Committee defeating Robert Bork.”

As for Ronald Reagan, the most prominent show-business figure in politics, Forbes only lamented that he didn’t take advantage of the willingness of Charlton Heston, Clint Eastwood and other “like-minded conservatives and middle-of-the-roaders” to do commercials defending Bork.