The Hollywood Ten By: Jerrold Thomson & Andrew Myers
The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) accused distinguished celebrities of having radical political associations with the Communist party. The committee asked the accused "Are you now or have you ever been a member of the communist party?"
The Hollywood Ten's fifth amendment rights were taken away during the trial. In other words, their right to speak was taken away. Their trials began in April of 1948 and ended in June of 1950. After being convicted, eight were sentenced to a year in prison and fined $1,000, and two were sentenced to six months and fined $500.
The Hollywood blacklist or entertainment industry blacklist was the practice of denying employment to screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other American entertainment professionals during the mid-20th century because they were accused of having Communist ties or sympathies. The first systematic Hollywood blacklist was instituted on November 25, 1947, when ten hollywood writers and directors were accused of Communist sympathy; thus the Hollywood Ten.
On June 22, 1950, a pamphlet entitled Red Channels was published. Focused on the field of broadcasting, it identified 151 entertainment industry professionals in the context of "Red Fascists and their sympathizers." Soon, most of those named, along with a host of other artists, were barred from employment in most of the entertainment field. The Entertainment Blacklist, from 1940 to 1960, ruined numerous careers in the entertainment industry.
In 1960 Dalton Trumbo, A screenwriter and member of the accused Hollywood Ten, officially ended the rein of the blacklist when he was credited as the screenwriter of the movies Spartacus and Exodus.
Although Trumbo had essentially put and end to Blacklist many individuals on the list were still out of work in their professions for many years. All together around 500 people were listed on the blacklist.
The film industry is a great industry with infinite possibilities for good and bad. Its primary purpose is to entertain people. On the side, it can do many other things. It can popularize certain ideals, it can make education palatable. But in the long run, the judge who decides whether what it does is good or bad is the man or woman who attends the movies. In a democratic country I do not think the public will tolerate a removal of its right to decide what it thinks of the ideas and performances of those who make the movie industry work.
The film industry is a great industry with infinite possibilities for good and bad. Its primary purpose is to entertain people. On the side, it can do many other things. It can popularize certain ideals, it can make education palatable. But in the long run, the judge who decides whether what it does is good or bad is the man or woman who attends the movies. In a democratic country I do not think the public will tolerate a removal of its right to decide what it thinks of the ideas and performances of those who make the movie industry work. newspaper column, "My Day," October 29, 1947 quote from Eleanor Roosevelt
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Created with images by Huntington Theatre Company - "dalton_trumbo_hat"