Commentary: How Hollywood producers created the first conservative political attack ads

Once again, political mudslinging and false campaign ads threaten to take center stage in the final weeks before Election Day in November. This is nothing new, but thanks to television networks, streaming services and the internet, these ads are now more influential than ever. But the first attack ads to hit the screen predated these mediums by many years. Their creator was not an advertising pro but a revered Hollywood producer.

In 1934, in the depths of the Depression, Upton Sinclair