The House UnAmerican
Activities Committee was, as a phenomenon, first cousin to an oxymoron.
How could the persecution
of people for what they believe possibly be considered American? Wasn't there a Big Fuss over the U.S. Constitution? All those states refused to
ratify without the assurance of a Bill of Rights to protect the individual from
a frivolously malicious government. A frivolously malicious government.
Nevertheless Senator
Joseph McCarthy was able to take over the reins of the HUAC and tromp over much
touted American freedoms.
The government printed
pamphlets of all that tromping.
riverrun recently got whole boxes of the House UnAmerican Committee
Proceedings.
The Hollywood Ten and Blacklisting are
representative of the havoc wrecked across many industries in many regions of the
country.
In 1947, members of
the movie industry were brought before the committee as accused Communists.
The accusation in itself, at that time, carried the implication of
treason or near-treason. Some people squirmed and cooperated with the committee. The Hollywood Ten didn't. They faced inquisition because anonymous "friendly
witnesses" had suggested their names to the HUAC. As a group, The Ten
refused to play the HUAC game. They were jailed for contempt of congress.
Who were they?
alphabetically:
Alvah Bessie - 1904 - 1985 - went to Columbia University -
worked in theater - wrote short stories, novels and screenplays - leftist
political views - volunteered in the Spanish Civil War -theater and film critc
-later wrote Inquisition in Eden
about his bout with the HUAC -sentenced to 12 months prison and fined $1000.
Herbert Biberman - 1900 - 1971 - attended Yale and Univ PA - joined
Theater Guild - stage manager and director - wrote and directed B movies for
Warner Bros. - 1950 served 6 months in prison and blacklisted
YouTube excerpt of HUAC bullying and Biberman resisting:
Lester Cole - born 1904 NYC – high school dropout - actor -
screenwriter - one of the founders of Writers' Guild - joined ACP in 1934 -
wrote many screenplays, after blacklisted could only sell screenplays under
other peoples' names - wrote autobiography Hollywood Red -paid $1000 fine and
served 10 months in prison and then was blacklisted
Edward Dmytryk - 1908
– 1999 – born in Canada, Ukrainian grandparents - served time in jail but lost
his resolve. He gave the HUAC
names of alleged Communists to win release from the Hollywood Blacklist. He was
an employable director again. Wrote Odd Man Out: A Memoir of The Hollywood Ten
about that time and some books on directing including On Film Editing which
advises that every scene should begin and end with continuing action.
somewhat pitiable attempts
at justifying himself + film advice:
bio and more info on the
times:
Ring Lardner, Jr - 1915 – 2000n – wrote screen plays (also
books) – fined and served a full year in prison for contempt of congress – even
after he was released, he had to get non-blacklisted friends to front his
screenplays for him – went on to do impressive work, eventualty under his own
name again.
Very nice life timeline and
filmography:
somewhat scrambled info:
John Howard Lawson - 1894 –
1977 – screen writer – helped organize The Screenwriters’ Guild – worked, then
later volunteered for Red Cross in World War I – formally protested Sacco and
Vanzetti trial. – he was fined,
imprisoned and blacklisted for his refusal to talk to HUAC – moved to Mexico
after release from jail and wrote under pseudonym.
Site set up by Lawson’s
son, Jeffrey, includes bio and much more:
http://www.johnhowardlawson.net/Home_Page.html
Intro and transcript of
part of Lawson’s hearing:
Albert Maltz - 1908 – 1985 – a talented,
well-educated, and successful and rich screenwriter, Maltz struggled with ideas
and creativity – he was a sympathetic member of the Communist party but bridled
under the party’s push to have writers be spokesmen for the party. In his famous essay, Maltz says, “It
has been my conclusion for some time that much of the left–wing artistic activity—both
creative and critical—has been restricted, narrowed, tuned away from life,
sometimes made sterile—because the atmosphere and thinking of the literary
left–wing had been based upon a shallow approach…" "I have come to
believe that the accepted understanding of art as a weapon is not a useful
guide, but a straitjacket.”
NY Times Obituary:
Accolades and bio
information by an admiring family member:
Samuel Ornitz - 1890 – 1957
- social worker for New York
Prison Association and for Brooklyn Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Children – later a screenwriter – outspoken advocate of the Soviet Union – like
the other 9, he was fined, imprisoned and blacklisted. Later he lived in Mexico and wrote
novels.
These novels were
apparently more substantial and experimentally creative than generally
acknowledged -- except here:
bio:
Robert Adrian Scott - 1912 – 1973 – writer, later producer –
especially film noir – after HUAC and blacklisting his second wife, Joan LaCour
fronted for his screenplays.
Mini biography includes
some interesting family relationships:
CIA testimony from
congressional hearings:
Dalton Trumbo - 1905 – 1976 –
lived in western USA – held various jobs during the depressed years –
screenwriting starting in 1934 – in 1947 defied HUAC and was punished along
with the rest of the Hollywood 10 - Blacklisted but was very active writing
from Mexico City ad then southern California behind fronts and under assumed names
- a movie written under the
assumed name, Robert Rich, won an Academy Award which presented a puzzle since
award winner “Rich” seemed mysteriously non-existent. The award ceremony was in 1957 – 3 years after Senator
Joseph McCarthy had been censured by the Senate for his wild excesses. Trumbo revealed himself behind the fake
name. Shortly afterwards he was
credited for several other hits and the lengthy decade of Hollywood
Blacklisting was effectively over.
San Francisco Chronicle –
includes photographs:
American Masters biography:
American Communist Party
A lengthy and extremely
interesting article, including several YouTube documentaries and extensive
quotations both sympathetic to and horrified by McCarthyism
