Inventing LA: The Chandlers & Their Times

This PBS documentary, narrated by Liev Schreiber, chronicles the rise and fall of the Chandler family—who for four decades owned the Los Angeles Times and helped provide the vision that transformed L.A. from a sleepy agricultural town to a bustling metropolis—while also charting the shifting political culture and the decline of newspapers in the Internet age. Two-time Emmy Award–winning filmmaker Peter Jones traces the family lineage from the paper's founder, Harrison Gray Otis, a tireless, often self-serving California promoter and rabid anti-union businessman; to his son-in-law Harry Chandler, who became a trusted confidante, drawing the nickname “pirate visionary”; to the savvy third-generation head Norman Chandler, whose wife, Dorothy, built a concert hall and saved the Hollywood Bowl; and their son Otis, who led the Los Angeles Times into its glory days in the 1970s. Along the way, the paper exploited its political and Hollywood connections—at one point even encouraging MGM boss Louis B. Mayer to produce a fake documentary that helped crush socialist Upton Sinclair's bid to become state governor. Eventually, political divides, attempts to diversify holdings, and the gradual decline of the newspaper business led the Chandlers to sell to out-of-town interests. Drawing upon extensive archives, this is a vivid, informative social history, featuring insights from historians, former employees, and select family members. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)