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Hollywood Blacklisting

Cierra Hargrove

April 27, 2018

1 Cierra Hargrove

Mr. Brant

Global Studies

5-27-18

Hollywood Blacklisting

In the aftermath of World War II, America was still recovering from the losses of the war along with the rest of the world. Around 1945, The United States entered into a “” with

Russia which affected many social and political beliefs within the U.S. Along with a fear of the

Soviets, came a great fear of among the government and the people. The government took many actions to prevent the spread of Communism into the United States by investigating any suspicious individuals. Soon many of the allegations surrounded Hollywood and the film industry. Screenwriters, producers, and directors were called to trial and questioned for Communist affiliations.1 These people were blacklisted from the film industry and it destroyed many of their careers. Blacklisting is an example of censorship around the media, the fear of communism in the United States, and an attempt to stand up for basic civil rights. The

Hollywood Blacklists were heavily influenced by the “”, and had negative lasting effects on the American motion-picture industry.

When World War II ended in 1945 the violent war between the countries was over, but another kind of war began. The two major world powers, America and Russia, were in constant competition with one another for wealth, political power, technological advancements, and dominance among the nations. The basis of this competition came from the ideological

1 History.com Staff. "Hollywood Ten." History.com. 2009. Accessed April 19, 2018.

2 differences between their government systems. Even though they allied together during WWII, there has always been a long-lasting mistrust between the countries over the history and ideas behind communism, and following September 1945, this spiraled into a “cold war”.2 The U.S. government feared the ideas and the practice of Communism and took many measures to prevent any spread of it into America. The public began to fear their safety even more after the Soviets acquired use of the atomic bomb, which enabled both countries to threaten each other with nuclear warfare. Each country began spying on one other, and in the 1940’s and ’50’s, the

Rothenburg couple was convicted for espionage and sentenced to death, which caused even more fear and panic among the people. This fear was called the “red scare” and it lasted until around

1957 when the outside threats to the country began to lessen.3 In 1938, Congress created the

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) which targeted any suspicious activity within labor unions, the military, and the government. Beginning in 1945 it became a permanent committee and most of their allegations surrounded Communist or Soviet ties.4

While the HUAC was in power, they began to focus a lot of their attention on the film industry which was seen as a source of communist activities. The government saw the film industry as a way to hide Communist messages and spread propaganda among the people.5

During the times of the war, President Roosevelt created the Office of War Information (OWI) to

2 Benson, Sonia, et al. "Cold War." UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History, vol. 2, UXL, 2009, pp. 344-349. U.S. History In Context 3 Benson, Sonia, Daniel E. Brannen, Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. "Red Scare." In UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History, 1306-1308. Vol. 7. Detroit: UXL, 2009. U.S. History In Context 4 Benson, Sonia, Daniel E. Brannen, Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. "House Un-American Activities Committee." In UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History, 721-723. Vol. 4. Detroit: UXL, 2009. U.S. History In Context 5 History.com Staff. "Hollywood Ten." History.com. 2009.

3 oversee government led propaganda films and raise support for the war. However when the war was over, President Truman disbanded the OWI, therefore Hollywood was again free to produce films without government intervention.6 If any of the films had slightly suggestive content, or if anyone the movie producers were too outspoken about their political views, they caught the attention of the HUAC. In 1947, over 40 people connected to the film industry received subpoenas to appear in court before the HUAC.7 The hearings ran from October 28 to October

30, 1947, and each individual was asked the famous question “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist party?”.8 The most famous leader in organizing these charges was Joseph McCarthy. He had strong beliefs that America would only succeed if Communism was cast out, calling himself America’s Savior in rooting out the Communist espionage.

Although he was successful in thoroughly investigating his cause, his cases often did not have substantial evidence to provide real proof, and many precautions written into the constitution were overlooked during his trials. His ideology concerning the threat of Communism and the need to persecute any suspected people became known as “McCarthyism”.9

During the HUAC trials, most complied with the judges, however, a famous group of 10 individuals refused to answer the questions and became known as . These people were named , , , Herbert Biderman, John

6 "Movies During the War." In American Decades, edited by Judith S. Baughman, Victor Bondi, Richard Layman, Tandy McConnell, and Vincent Tompkins. Vol. 5, 1940-1949. Detroit: Gale, 2001. U.S. History In Context. 7 History.com Staff. "Hollywood Ten." History.com. 2009. 8 "The Hollywood Ten." In American Decades, edited by Judith S. Baughman, Victor Bondi, Richard Layman, Tandy McConnell, and Vincent Tompkins, 301-303. Vol. 6, 1950-1959. Detroit: Gale, 2001. U.S. History In Context. 9 "McCarthyism." Ushistory.org. 2008-2018.

4 Howard Lawson, Jr., Robert , , , and Dalton

Trumbo.10 This group of directors and screenwriters openly challenged the validity of the committee’s accusations and reasons for prosecuting. They pleaded their right to the Fifth

Amendment which allowed one to refuse to answer a question to avoid incriminating oneself, and the First Amendment which states they are allowed the freedom of belonging to any political party they choose. However their fight against Congress did not succeed, and in November 1947 they were convicted of contempt and neglecting to comply with the court system. They were each fined $1,000 and sentenced to a year in jail. They could not successfully appeal their verdict and they served their sentence in 1950.11 After being released, these people were now put on the

“blacklist” of Hollywood, meaning no studio wanted to be associated with them, and it was impossible to find work. As Congress continued their investigations, continued to get longer. This affected the lives of the screenwriters greatly, and most of their careers were permanently damaged. Friendships within the industry were broken, reputations were shattered, and families were torn apart by the court cases and jail sentences.

Though they still served their punishment, the Hollywood Ten still raised a lot of support and attention for the unjust ways Congress prosecuted them, and there were a lot of supporters advocating for the release of the Ten. Some members within the directing and acting community formed a group called the Committee of the First Amendment, which supported the Hollywood

Ten and went against HUAC. This committee even included famous entertainers such as

10 History.com Staff. "Hollywood Ten." History.com. 2009. 11 Ibid.

5 , , , and Lucille Ball.12 Even after the suspected people were placed on the blacklist, the screenwriters still continued to write scripts under or without credit to their work.13 The blacklist finally began to break down when Trumbo’s screenplay won an Academy Award, and people began to realize the unnecessary production that was made out of these writers. The popularity behind the idea of McCarthyism was beginning to decline, and slowly the blacklisted people were accepted back into society.14

The theme of anti-Communism has always been present in America, and these trials only brought more attention and paranoia to the country. Congress and the HUAC could have felt with the threat of Communism movements in a less aggressive and more productive way, while properly following the amendments laid out by the constitution. These blacklists certainly had lasting effects on the motion-picture industry, one example being all the brilliant minds in screenwriting at the time who's careers were never regained after the list. The filmmakers also had to change the way kind of pictures they showed to the public and had to be particularly sensitive to the content they screened. The industry took a huge step backward`` in their depictions of political ideas, war, crime, and any minorities.15 The Hollywood Ten were a bold group of individuals who dared to speak up for their rights against Congress and create

12 Hit or Miss Films. “Red Hollywood: A Documentary of the Red Scare in Hollywood”. Filmed [Nov. 2015]. YouTube video, 8:34. 13 "The Hollywood Ten." In American Decades, edited by Judith S. Baughman, Victor Bondi, Richard Layman, Tandy McConnell, and Vincent Tompkins, 301-303. Vol. 6, 1950-1959. Detroit: Gale, 2001. U.S. History In Context 14 Benson, Sonia, Daniel E. Brannen, Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. "Hollywood Blacklisting." In UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History, 701-702. Vol. 4. Detroit: UXL, 2009. U.S. History In Context 15 Leab, Daniel J. "The : Did the Hollywood Blacklist Adversely Affect the American Motion-Picture Industry?" In History in Dispute, edited by Robbie Lieberman, 160-166. Vol. 19, The Red Scare After 1945. Detroit: St. James Press, 2005. U.S. History In Context

6 awareness for something unjust. The Hollywood blacklists allow us to see the exploitation of fear from the “red scare”, and the futility of backlists and censorship in America.

7 Bibliography

"The Hollywood Ten." In American Decades, edited by Judith S. Baughman, Victor Bondi, Richard Layman, Tandy McConnell, and Vincent Tompkins, 301-303. Vol. 6, 1950-1959. Detroit: Gale, 2001. U.S. History In Context (accessed April 19, 2018). http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3468301986/UHIC? u=seve27129&sid=UHIC&xid=5eb1c319.

Benson, Sonia, Daniel E. Brannen, Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. "Hollywood Blacklisting." In UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History, 701-702. Vol. 4. Detroit: UXL, 2009. U.S. History In Context (accessed April 19, 2018). http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3048900279/UHIC? u=seve27129&sid=UHIC&xid=42ed75c4.

Leab, Daniel J. "The Hollywood Blacklist: Did the Hollywood Blacklist Adversely Affect the American Motion-Picture Industry?" In History in Dispute, edited by Robbie Lieberman, 160-166. Vol. 19, The Red Scare After 1945. Detroit: St. James Press, 2005. U.S. History In Context (accessed April 26, 2018). http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX2877900032/UHIC? u=seve27129&sid=UHIC&xid=85515613.

Benson, Sonia, Daniel E. Brannen, Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. "Red Scare." In UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History, 1306-1308. Vol. 7. Detroit: UXL, 2009. U.S. History In Context (accessed April 25, 2018). http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3048900512/UHIC u=seve27129&sid=UHIC&xid=e7a5dd89.

Benson, Sonia, et al. "Cold War." UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History, vol. 2, UXL, 2009, pp. 344-349. U.S. History In Context, (Accessed 26 Apr. 2018). http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3048900133/UHIC? u=seve27129&sid=UHIC&xid=12795a76.

Benson, Sonia, Daniel E. Brannen, Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. "House Un-American Activities Committee." In UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History, 721-723. Vol. 4. Detroit: UXL, 2009. U.S. History In Context (accessed April 26, 2018). http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3048900288/UHIC? u=seve27129&sid=UHIC&xid=4aca1d09.

8 Meisler, Andy. "How Blacklisting Hurt Hollywood Children." New York Times, August 31, 1995. U.S. History In Context (accessed April 19, 2018). http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A150648719/UHIC? u=seve27129&sid=UHIC&xid=a1643e39

"Movies During the War." In American Decades, edited by Judith S. Baughman, Victor Bondi, Richard Layman, Tandy McConnell, and Vincent Tompkins. Vol. 5, 1940-1949. Detroit: Gale, 2001. U.S. History In Context (accessed April 26, 2018). http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3468301416/UHIC? u=seve27129&sid=UHIC&xid=9654c28a.

"McCarthyism." Ushistory.org. 2008-2018. Accessed April 26, 2018. http://www.ushistory.org/us/53a.asp.

History.com Staff. "Hollywood Ten." History.com. 2009. Accessed April 19, 2018. https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/hollywood-ten.

Hit or Miss Films. “Red Hollywood: A Documentary of the Red Scare in Hollywood”. Filmed [Nov. 2015]. YouTube video, 8:34. Posted [Nov. 2015]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTkVgfAif6g

Andrews, Evan. "7 Artists Whose Careers Were Almost Derailed by the Hollywood Blacklist." History.com. July 11, 2016. Accessed April 19, 2018. https://www.history.com/news/history-lists/7-famous-victims-of-the-hollywood-blacklist.

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