Hollywood blacklist

The Hollywood blacklist was a group of mainly film actors, directors, and screenwriters in the late 1940s and early 1950s who were unable to work openly after having been targeted by the House Committee on Un-American Activities for alleged communist activities. The day after being cited for contempt of Congress for refusing to give testimony, a Hollywood blacklisting policy was implemented by the studio executives through the MPAA in what has become known as the Waldorf Statement.

Overview

The Hollywood blacklist stemmed from events dating back to the 1930s, when political ideology was being shaped by the rise of fascism abroad, and domestically by the business tactics of many capitalists, who were considered ruthless by some. Another factor was the suffering of the unemployed and working poor during the Great Depression. At this time, communist ideals of equality for all citizens were being falsely promoted as how life was in the Soviet Union by Josef Stalin's government. Given the desperate unemployment conditions and lengthy soup lines in every city in America, the popularity of communism grew. During World War II, this would be aided, and even legitimized, because the communist Soviet Union was part of the Allied forces fighting against Nazi Germany.

Related Topics:
Political ideology - Fascism - Capitalist - Great Depression - Communist - Soviet Union - Josef Stalin - World War II - Allied forces - Nazi Germany

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Perceptions changed at war's end. The so-called "Red Scare," as some today label it, saw communism become a doctrine feared by many in the United States, in part as a result of the hyperbole used by certain people and groups. In October of 1947, a list of suspected communists, deemed "subversives," working in the Hollywood film industry were summoned to appear before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, which was investigating Communist influence in the Hollywood labor unions. This group of American screenwriters, actors, and directors were either alleged or admitted members of the American Communist Party. Witnesses such as Budd Schulberg and Elia Kazan felt it was patriotic to expose others, and named names. Ten of those subpoenaed refused to give evidence, citing their First Amendment rights. The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress voted 346 to 17 on that November 24 to approve citations for contempt of Congress. These men, soon dubbed the "Hollywood Ten," were convicted in 1948 and following unsuccessful appeals and denial of review by the Supreme Court, they served 6-month (in two cases) or 1-year prison terms in 1950.

Related Topics:
Red Scare - 1947 - House Committee on Un-American Activities - Hollywood - Labor union - Directors - American Communist Party - Budd Schulberg - Elia Kazan - First Amendment - United States House of Representatives - 80th Congress - November 24 - Contempt of Congress - 1948 - Supreme Court - 1950

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Specifically, the "Hollywood Ten" were in part cited for contempt for their disdain for the proceedings and were considered by some as being disruptive of the committee's proceedings by making political statements while refusing to answer certain questions put to them by the committee concerning their alleged Communist affiliations and activities. Some of the questions they refused to answer were: "Are you a member of the Screen Writers Guild?" and "Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?". Their unsuccessful defense was based on First Amendment claims. However, being a member of the American Communist Party was never illegal, and others were not charged after legal counsel advised them to instead claim the right to refuse to answer in accordance with the Fifth Amendment.

Related Topics:
Screen Writers Guild - Communist Party - First Amendment - American Communist Party - Legal counsel - Fifth Amendment

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In response to the pressure, on November 17, 1947 the Screen Actors Guild voted to make its officers take a non-communist pledge. Following a meeting of film industry executives at New York's Waldorf-Astoria hotel on November 25, 1947 (the day after the full House approved citations of contempt), Eric Johnston, President of the Motion Picture Association of America, issued a press release on the executives' behalf that is referred to by some today as the Waldorf Statement. The Statement declared the "Ten" would be fired or suspended and not rehired until they were acquitted or purged of contempt and had sworn that they were not Communists. Because of their notoriety, they were unable to obtain work in the American film and television industry for many years. In 1952, the Screen Writers Guild authorized the movie studios to omit from the screen the name of any individual who had failed to clear his name before Congress. Some of those blacklisted continued to write Hollywood films, using pseudonyms or the names of friends who posed as the actual writers (those who allowed their names to be used were called "fronts".) Much later, when anti-Communism became less fashionable, some considered them heroes for their defiance of the committee.

Related Topics:
Screen Actors Guild - New York's - Waldorf-Astoria hotel - Eric Johnston - Motion Picture Association of America - Press release - Waldorf Statement - Screen Writers Guild - Movie studios - Omit from the screen - Pseudonym

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The blacklisting by studio executives went hand in hand with the activities of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI that was under his total control. People such as Bartley Crum, a lawyer who defended some of the "Hollywood 10" in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947, were labeled as subversive. The FBI tapped Crum's phones, opened his mail, and shadowed him constantly. He ended up losing most of his clients and, unable to cope with stress from the unrelenting harassment, committed suicide in 1959.

Related Topics:
J. Edgar Hoover - FBI - Bartley Crum - Lawyer

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~