The document summarizes the Hollywood Blacklist that occurred in the United States during the 1940s and 1950s. The House Committee on Un-American Activities began investigating links between the film industry and communism in 1947. Ten screenwriters, directors, and producers who refused to answer questions about communist affiliations became known as the Hollywood Ten and were cited for contempt. This led film studios to create blacklists that prevented those who had been accused of communist ties from finding work in the industry, effectively ending their careers. The blacklist expanded greatly over the next decade as people were compelled to testify and name others. By the early 1960s, lawsuits and public pressure helped bring an end to the blacklisting, though the stigma continued for some
2. The Hollywood Ten
As the fear of Communism and it’s spread into the United States. With the
rise of unions and other liberal institutions in the entertainment industry
that where thought to have communist ties, the government began
turning its attention to the links, real and imagined, between Hollywood
and the party.
1947 - The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) began to
summon certain Hollywood entertainment professionals on the suspicion
that their work included Communist propaganda.
“The Hollywood Ten” were mainly screenwriters as well as actors, director,
and producers who refused to answer the question "Are you now or have
you ever been a member of the Communist Party?” citing their First
Amendment rights. These people where cited for contempt.
The Waldorf Statement - The Motion Picture
Association of America (MPAA) then
announced that they would be fired and
denied work. This was the First Blacklist.
4. The Blacklist Grows
The HUAC was unable to produce any evidence of
communist intentions through propaganda, or otherwise
during their hearings.
The Hollywood Ten all received one year in jail for contempt.
This is because they would not cooperate with the HUAC and
their investigations.
One of the Ten, Director Edward Dmytryk then confessed that
he was a communist and was released early. He testified
about his membership, then named names, and recovered
his career.
Many nongovernmental organizations enforced and
expanding the blacklist. They pressured the entertainment
industry to exclude those of political sympathies they
disagreed with.
5. The Blacklist Grows
People were forced to sign loyalties or asked to
spy on coworkers and where afraid to speak out
against these aggressions. Many of those who did
were slandered and sometimes blacklisted.
In 1951, with the U.S. Congress now under
Democratic control, HUAC launched a second
investigation of Hollywood and Communism.
In these mass hearings, people who had past
Communist affiliations were compelled not only
to testify about their own activities but also to
"name names" of others who had also
participated. Many witnesses were willing to
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FN98eHvI0Yg/TO126PCklfI/AAAAAA
discuss their own activities but refused to name
AABy4/HsNZQw9beh0/s1600/Huac.jpg names.
After the Supreme Court ruled that individuals could not invoke the
Fifth Amendment if they had already testified about themselves,
witnesses had to choose between explaining their own past actions
and being compelled to implicate other people.
6. The Blacklist Grows
Witnesses were expected to state that they had been misled or
confused in the past and were now regretful. They could prove their
sincerity by naming others who had been with them in Communist
organizations or at Communist functions.
In 1951, with the U.S. Congress now under Democratic control, HUAC
launched a second investigation of Hollywood and Communism.
In these mass hearings, people who had past Communist affiliations
were compelled not only to testify about their own activities but also to
"name names" of others who had also participated. Many witnesses
were willing to discuss their own activities but refused to name names.
After the Supreme Court ruled that individuals could not invoke the Fifth
Amendment if they had already testified about themselves, witnesses
had to choose between explaining their own past actions and being
compelled to implicate other people.
Witnesses were expected to state that they had been misled or
confused in the past and were now regretful. They could prove their
sincerity by naming others who had been with them in Communist
organizations or at Communist functions.
7. The Blacklist’s Victims
In 1952 Charlie Chaplin was exiled form
the country while on a trip back to
England. His Visa had been revoked; he
decided not to fight it. He only returned
once, and that was in 1972 to accept his
Academy Award.
As the Hollywood blacklist continued
strong into the mid 1950’s, The Screen
Writers Guild gave permission for movie
studios to leave out the names of those
who had not been cleared by
Congressional investigations, and those
http://chaplin-gifs.tumblr.com/ already on the blacklist.
It was difficult for blacklisters so shake the stigma even after
they were cleared and many of them never came back to
the industry.
Toward the end of the 1950’s, certain blacklisters began to
get work in the industry again mostly under pseudonyms or
used the names of friends as “fronts”.
8. The Blacklist Ends
John Henry Faulk was a key figure to ending the
blacklist. Faulk was blacklisted and was fired by CBS for
being an alleged communist sympathizer. His radio and
television career destroyed. Faulk sued, and in 1962 the
courts ruled in his favor.
His successful lawsuit against blacklisters of the
entertainment industry helped to bring an end to
the Hollywood blacklist.
In 1960, Kirk Douglas credited blacklisted
writer Dalton Trumbo, of the Hollywood
Ten, as the movie’s writer, using Trumbo’s
real name.
Currently, The Writers Guild has gone
back and given credit to all who helped
in movies where their names were taken
out.
9. The Hollywood Blacklist Works Cited
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1850.html
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/mccarthy/blacklist.html
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FN98eHvI0Yg/TO126PCklfI/AAAAAAAABy4/HsNZQw9beh0/
s1600/Huac.jpg
http://www.kingsacademy.com/mhodges/03_The-World-since-1900/09_The-Cold-
War/pictures/EVN-440-1_Hollywood-protests-HUAC's-actions.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJzV6-wJ3SQ
http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/30/reviews/chaplin-obit.html
http://www.olemiss.edu/mwp/dir/faulkner_john/
10. The Hollywood Blacklist Works Cited
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hollywood-10-cited-for-
contempt-of-congress
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/mccarthy/blacklist.html
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/mccarthy/blacklist.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_blacklist
http://www.learnaboutmovieposters.com/newsite/index/articles/articleph
otos/mpaa-emblem.jpeg
http://comptalk.fiu.edu/huac.htm
http://comptalk.fiu.edu/blacklist.htm