Inventing L.A.

Beginning in 1884, with Harrison Gray Otis, four generations of Chandlers did not so much shape Los Angeles as "invent" it. Their newspaper, the Los Angeles Times, was at the center of L.A.'s economic, industrial, transportation, political, social, and cultural development. Commentary by historians, cultural critics, and a host of others, including Chandler family members, reveal how the L.A. Times evolved from journalistic jingoism, anti-unionism, business boosterism, and staunch conservatism to a profitable, politically left-of-center, Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper under the tutelage of Harrison's great-grandson Otis Chandler (1927–2006). During the nearly century-long dominance of the male Chandlers, Otis's mother, Dorothy (1901–97), emerged as a cultural arbiter, saving the Hollywood Bowl and establishing the Music Center. A long-simmering family feud eventually brought down the Times Mirror Company; in 2002, the L.A. Times was bought by the Chicago-based Tribune Company, which filed for bankruptcy in 2008. This Emmy Award-winning documentary weaves expert commentary, still photos, and film footage into a fascinating narrative of the rise and fall of a publishing dynasty and with it the emergence of a great American city. General audiences will enjoy it alone, or in conjunction with the companion print volume by Bill Boyarsky (Angel City Pr., 2009).—Susan E. Annett, Santa Monica P.L., CA