The Hollywood Political Thriller During the Cold War, 1945

The Hollywood Political Thriller During the Cold War, 1945 - 1962 Submitted by Deena Bowman to the University of Exeter as a Thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Film Studies, December 2014 This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The past four years have presented enumerable challenges, but my family and friends have remained by my side, helping me to move forward. Thanks go to the University of Exeter for providing me an opportunity to pursue my love of film and history. To Dr. Tomas Williams and Dr. Gábor Gergely for stimulating conversations over dinner and football. Sincere thanks go to Professor William Higbee for agreeing to supervise me in the final days of this project. Lastly, I am forever grateful to Professor Susan Hayward, a mentor and friend. 3 ABSTRACT This thesis investigates a corpus of films identifiable as Hollywood political thrillers during the Cold War spanning a period of seventeen years, between 1945 and 1962. It aims to dispel the assertion by critics and scholars that the political thriller originates with the release of The Manchurian Candidate (Frankenheimer, 1962). Moreover, it is my intent to engage an interdisciplinary approach given that the relationship between contemporary American cinema, ideology and propaganda has often been overlooked (see Shaw, 2007). Utilizing textual and contextual analysis, I shall argue that The Manchurian Candidate is a transitional film with respect to the political thriller. I shall also offer an explanation for the frequent mislabeling of Hollywood political thrillers as film noir, of which generic hybridity or overlap is a contributing factor. The first part of this thesis shall establish a political and historical context, which includes a discussion of Hollywood’s early entry into the Cold War, U.S. strategies of containment and the threat women posed to U.S. national security vis à vis Ethel Rosenberg. Given that the political thriller emerged as a distinct subgenre during the Cold War, the first part of this thesis shall include a chapter on technology and innovation (e.g. lighting, format, film stock) as a means of supporting prime generic theme of authenticity. Five exemplary mini-case studies shall be presented to demonstrate the way in which the Hollywood political thriller delivered distinct narrative and visual style that both projected and reflected Cold War discourses. Philip Wylie’s “momism” shall be considered within the context of the political thriller and Cold War discourses surrounding gender, U.S. national security and the atomic bomb. I shall expand upon current discussions of momism, approaching it through distinct representations evident within the political thriller. Given the pervasiveness of the nuclear threat during the Cold War, I shall discuss the thematic elements of fear and the unknowability of the atomic bomb in relation to the political thriller. In the second part of this thesis, I identify three distinct cycles of atomic political thrillers, in which issues of vulnerability of the physical locale, the nuclear family and the mind are addressed. 4 CONTENTS List of Figures 7 Abbreviations 10 Part One Introduction 12 Foundations of the Political Thriller 18 Research Question 22 Research Methodology and Organization of the Thesis 23 Chapter One Setting the Terrain of the Political Thriller (1945 – 1962) 30 Introduction 30 Running Afoul of HUAC: Hollywood Enters the Cold War 36 Kennan Containment and the Atomic Question: Early Cold War 39 Context for the Political Thriller Periodization and Dominant Themes 49 Striving for Authenticity 56 Chapter Two Political Thriller Mini-Case Studies 64 Introduction 64 Berlin: A City Divided and Flashpoint of the Cold War – 68 Berlin Express (1948) and Night People (1954) Waving the Flag: The Cold War Comes to America – 107 Big Jim McLain (1952) and Pickup on South Street (1954) The Enemy Within: Political Thriller in Transition 156 The Manchurian Candidate (1962) Conclusion 180 Part Two Chapter Three Early Cycle Atomic Political Thriller (1945 – 1951) 183 Introduction 183 Naming the Threat: Linking the Atomic Bomb, National Security and 187 Communism Postwar Propaganda and the “Woman Question” – House on 92nd 194 Street (1945), Cloak and Dagger (1946) and The Iron Curtain (1948) 5 Masculinity in Crisis – D.O.A. (1950) and The Whip Hand (1951) 207 Conclusion 216 Chapter Four Middle Cycle Atomic Political Thrillers (1952 – 1956) 218 Introduction 218 Masculinity in Crisis: McCarthyism, Commies, Queers and the 224 Atomic – Kiss Me Deadly (1955), Shack Out on 101 (1955) and A Bullet for Joey (1955) Protecting America at All Costs – Above and Beyond (1953), 250 The 49th Man (1953), Captain Scarface (1953), Hell and High Water (1954) and Port of Hell (1954) Conclusion 272 Chapter Five Late Cycle Atomic Political Thrillers (1957 – 1962) 276 Introduction 276 No Rest for America: The Missile Gap and Civil Defense in 281 Five Steps to Danger (1957), City of Fear (1959) and Rocket Attack U.S.A. (1961) After the Bomb: An Exploration in Humanity in Panic in Year 290 Zero! (1962), This is Not a Test (1962) and On The Beach (1959) Conclusion 312 Conclusion 313 Bibliography and References 324 Filmography 345 Corpus of Films 345 Films Cited in Text 348 6 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1: Political thrillers mapped to key historical events. Figure 1.2: Number of political thrillers to Cold War periodization. Figure 1.3: Number of docufiction and sociological political thrillers by cycle. Figure 2.1: Five exemplary mini-case study films. Figure 2.2: Housing issues in Berlin, 1946. Figure 2.3: Lucienne (Merle Oberon) reading a message board. Figure 2.4: Lindley is about to drop a cigarette. Figure 2.5: Shot of the discarded cigarette. Figure 2.6: Shot of the scramble to retrieve the cigarette. Figure 2.7: The new owner rubbing the cigarette clean. Figure 2.8: Title credits acknowledging location filming. Figure 2.9: Process shot of Perrot’s attack. Figure 2.10: Night-for-night shot at the train station. Figure 2.11: Frankfurt in ruins. Figure 2.12: Fight sequence in the beer vat. Figure 2.13: Lindley pleading with Kiroshilov at the Brandenburg Gate. Figure 2.14: Charles Leatherby observing Colonel Van Dyke. Figure 2.15: Charles Leatherby’s reaction to being ignored. Figure 2.16: Van Dyke crossing the room in silence. Figure 2.17: Medium shot of confrontation. Figure 2.18: Medium-close shot to build tension. Figure 2.19: Leatherby observing the piano player in the cabaret. Figure 2.20: Discussing the Russians’ proposition. Figure 2.21: Daniel Webster’s grave and dissolve to Washington D.C. Capital dome. Figure 2.22: Close-up of HUAC office sign. Figure 2.23: Actual members of HUAC. Figure 2.24: Medium-close shot of Committee members. Figure 2.25: Shot of Frank S. Tavener, Committee Counsel. 7 Figure 2.26: Committee Chairman John S. Wood posing a routine question. Figure 2.27: Long-shot of McLain at the morgue. Figure 2.28: Two-shot of McLain and reporter. Figure 2.29: Master shot of McLain and the coroner. Figure 2.30: Medium-close shot of McLain viewing the body. Figure 2.31: Close-up of a deeply troubled McLain. Figure 2.32: Full shot of McLain looking back one last time. Figure 2.33: Searching for clues along the waterfront. Figure 2.34: Photograph by Weegee (1942). Figure 2.35: Abbot photograph of Harlem, New York (1938). Figure 2.36: Abbott photograph of Manhattan, New York (1930s). Figure 2.37: Close-up of Candy on the subway. Figure 2.38: In Joey’s apartment. Figure 2.39: Medium-close shot of Candy paying for information. Figure 2.40: Candy leaving Skip McCoy’s shack. Figure 2.41: Camera holding on Candy. Figure 2.43: Candy walking across the rickety ramp. Figure 2.44: Sampling of precursor films. Figure 2.45: Mme. Sebastian plotting to poison Alicia Huberman. Figure 2.46: Live action television cameras at the hearing. Figure 2.46: Dr. Yen Lo during the brainwashing demonstration. Figure 2.47: Dr. Yen Lo as the white Mrs. Henry Whittaker. Figure 2.48: Dr. Yen Lo as a black Mrs. Henry Whittaker. Figure 2.49: Corporal Melvin’s view of the ladies garden club. Figure 2.50: Conference to review Major Marco’s claims. Figure 2.51: Consulting psychiatrist evaluating Major Marco. Figure 2.52: A troubled Major Marco at the police station. Figure 2.54: Arrival of Rosie. Figure 2.55: Puerto Rican detective in the background. Figure 3.1: Early cycle atomic political thriller timeline. 8 Figure 4.1: Middle cycle atomic political thriller timeline. Figure 5.1: Late cycle atomic political thriller timeline. 9 ABBREVIATIONS ACLU American Civil Liberties Union AEC Atomic Energy Commission AFI American Film Institute BFI British Film Institute CBS Columbia Broadcasting System CIA Central Intelligence Agency DoP Director of Photography FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation FCDA Federal Civil Defense Administration FRG Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) GDR German Democratic Republic (East Germany) GRU Glavnoye razvedyvatel'noye upravleniye (Main Intelligence Directorate) HUAC House Un-Americans Activities Committee ICBM Intercontinental Ballistic Missile KGB Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) MHL Margaret Herrick Library

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