Once upon a time, Hollywood was in its heyday.
In those days, actors were actors. They worked for the studios; they were made by the studios, and they did what the studios told them to do.
It was the Golden Age of Hollywood.
It was America’s Hollywood, and actors knew that. During World War II, most actors were involved in the war effort, selling bonds and entertaining the troops. Some joined the military and distinguished themselves, like legendary film actor Jimmy Stewart, who flew 20 combat missions over Europe and retired from the Air Force Reserves as a Brigadier General. America was proud and Stewart was proud of America.
The equally legendary Bob Hope, born in London, England, and who came to the U.S. at the age of five, was a man who loved America. He and his family sacrificed every Christmas in order for Hope to travel to war-riddled areas to give U.S. troops fighting for freedom a taste of home, a good laugh, and the knowledge that they were loved. Performers clamored to accompany Hope on his USO tours, despite the fact they often had to dodge bullets to do so. Nothing was too good for the troops. America was proud, and Hope was proud of America.
Another legendary performer and songwriter was Israel Isidor Baline who was born in Mogilev, Russian Empire [now Belarus]. He is better known as Irving Berlin, a man who spent a century (He was 101 when he passed) loving America, writing songs of praise to America, and honoring the U.S. military. America was proud, and Berlin was proud of America.
Even throughout the war-torn 1960s when the hippie movement protested against the war and everything American, Stewart, Hope, and Berlin, among many others, held fast to one thought: God truly did bless America.
But the legends died. Berlin in 1989, Stewart in 1997, and Hope in 2003. With the legends, too, died the Hollywood that held fast to the ideal of patriotism and support for U.S. troops still fighting for freedom. Efforts to gather performers together to carry on the tradition of Bob Hope remain dismal failures. No one wants to bother entertaining men and women fighting for freedom in oppressed foreign countries, despite the horrors of 9/11that brought tyranny to their doorsteps.
Almost no one…
Actor and producer Patrick Kilpatrick, best known for his villainous roles on a bevy of television shows like (most recently) Criminal Minds, Nip/Tuck, and Cold Case, wants to change the perception that Hollywood has turned against America. Kilpatrick claims that today’s Hollywood really has more patriots than America realizes.
“I really do believe that ‘global’ Hollywood is extraordinarily upside down in many ways,” he admits. “We have found that a lot of people, if given the right information will go down the right path. There are forces afoot and Hollywood participates in that. Because of that, they are going the wrong direction in my estimation.”
Kilpatrick’s biography boasts over 40 movies and nearly 50 television appearances. This includes an array of performances from American Playhouse to Nick Roeg's Insignificance to Shakespeare's Anthony and Cleopatra, which was directed by Academy Award winner Tony Richardson. Kilpatrick is among a growing number of actors who are speaking out about the anti-American sentiment in entertainment that has reared its ugly head among the very vocal global Hollywood elite and given Americans the impression that America’s Hollywood is dead.
Admittedly, that impression has not been alleviated by many performers.
“We’ve tried to get entertainers to go entertain the troops,” Kilpatrick explains and adds that so far no one has stepped up to the plate. “This in opposition to guys like Jimmy Stewart who dropped their million dollar careers to fly combat missions over Europe.”
Kilpatrick has not let this deter him from combating anti-American sentiment in Hollywood movies.
“The movies that are made today don’t do anything to foster our culture,” Kilpatrick says. “We support and revere the U.S. military. “
Among the anti-American/anti-military films, Kilpatrick lists James Cameron’s Avatar movies and Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers, which he says “portrays our country as evil.”
“It’s unconscionable, these anti-military films,” Kilpatrick reinforces. “Hollywood is upside down; it’s upside down cinematically.”
Regardless of what is happening globally, the actor is quick to assert that America is still a land of which to be proud.
“It’s infuriating to me when the military and America are treated poorly. Are we perfect? I think not. Are we better than anything else that is out there? Absolutely. Our institutions are not perfect, but they are still the light of the world.”
Kilpatrick sees the danger of young minds being exposed to the thinking of global Hollywood. He sees young actors, who are exposed to the idea that America is a great evil in the modern world, being sucked into this ideology. However, he also sees a light at the end of the tunnel.
“I see a lot of young people who do come forth despite the things they see their parents do,” Kilpatrick says.
Fortunately, according to Kilpatrick, the reality is that more people in Hollywood are working for America than against it. He cites movies like Saving Private Ryan as one of the great pro-military movies of our day and has nothing but praise for its star Tom Hanks and director Steven Spielberg.
“Those people need to be honored for it. Tom Hanks is clearly patriotic and clearly devoted to accuracy,” praises Kilpatrick, who also ranks producer Jerry Bruckheimer high on his list of patriotic Americans.
However, the actor is also very aware that the anti-American vein that runs through global Hollywood must be faced.
“It would be a terrible miscalculation to not address global Hollywood. To write off global Hollywood is a big mistake. You have to address that big debate.”
Kilpatrick has turned producer to make films that he believes does honor America’s rich history as a leader of freedom. He knows the impact a film can have on the audience.
”Movies, in some portion, led us to our better selves. How many do that today? Redemption isn’t even a component today.”
It is that redemption factor that he likes to add to his own productions.
“That’s why we do what we do in our film company,” he explains.
The need to instill a sense of pride in Americans for their contributions to the world and to honor its military for the sacrifices they make on a daily basis for its freedom is at the forefront of Kilpatrick’s own career aspirations.
“All of [this] supersedes a need for an acting career or the need for a producing career. The country is larger than that,” he explains.
Kilpatrick began his career as a journalist and, although making movies is what he does now, journalism is something he has never really left.
“Destiny took me into these other things. I still consider myself a journalist in that we are trying to communicate and research.”
Kilpatrick’s interest in the American condition has led him to tackle political battles such as immigration.
“It’s really interesting. The president comes up with some debt resolution, but it doesn’t address illegal immigration, drug wars, etc.,” he muses. “I published a solution to illegal immigration; it solved both sides of this thing.”
America’s mounting debt is something else on which Kilpatrick has thoughts.
“If America cannot turn itself into a functional entity it’s not going to function very well. We need leaders who know history and know how to run a business.”
Kilpatrick likens the current economic crisis to fatherhood. Like a good father, a leader cannot favor one child to the detriment of another, he explains.
“You don’t starve one part of society and have the other rise to obesity,” the father of two says. “Leadership takes sacrifice.”
He also noted that a good leader cannot be isolated from the people he serves. Kilpatrick also pointed out that America’s forefathers, such as George Washington and James Madison, made great personal and financial sacrifices to make this country strong. After all, he says, “It’s called public service.”
Teaching acting is one way Kilpatrick helps young actors find their place in the Hollywood machine. It brought him to Dallas in February to give a talk on his chosen profession. It is one of many ways the actor uses his own success to help others. Another is his charitable activities.
Kirkpatrick believes in putting his money where his mouth is. He is behind the Hollywood Celebrity Sporting Clays Invitational, a charitable event that gives money to various groups such as City of Hope, the Wounded Warrior Project, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Guide On, Gallant Few, the Children of Hero’s Wish Program, among others. The charities vary from invitational to invitational, but the premise is still the same: celebrities giving back and encouraging others to do the same.
Kilpatrick says a great deal of misconception exists about celebrity sports shoots and shooting events in particular. The next invitational, which will be June 11, 2011, in Newhall, California, will show spectators and participants that hunting and ecology go hand-in-hand.
“We’re honoring the Audubon Society this time because it’s very much honoring to the ecology,” Kilpatrick explains. “If you are an ecologist, you hold managed resource hunting to be vital. If you are a hunter you hold ecology to be vital. All hunters should be against animal cruelty.”
This belief extends even to Kilpatrick family trips to Montana, where father and son bounding time is coupled with catch-and-release fishing excursions.
“You even file down the hooks so the fishes’ mouths are not injured,” he clarifies.
The celebrity clay shooting program is also designed to teach gun safety, especially among youth.
“We believe that kids being taught to handle guns responsibly leads to a more economically sound event, he states.”
Dallas had been a target area for a celebrity shoot outside the hills of Hollywood, but, according to Kilpatrick, the people involved did not realize how much work it would entail. It also takes a large amount of up-front money to cover expenses, like travel and housing for celebrities flying in for the event. Kilpatrick, however, is still open to helping set up such shoots in areas like Dallas/Ft. Worth.
For Kilpatrick, his celebrity event honors the memory of stars like Stewart, Hope, and Berlin by bringing back to Hollywood something that has long been missing.
“They’re fun; they’re competitive,” he acknowledges. “It’s a return of glamour to the Hollywood celebrity. There’s a tremendous amount of self-involvement in Hollywood and movie stars.”
Giving back by participating in events such as the celebrity shoot is one way of countering that self-involvement.
“What is the point of celebrity unless you’re doing something meaningful in the end?” asks Kilpatrick.
In other words, America still has reason to be proud of many Hollywood contributions, and Kilpatrick is proud of America.
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