the hollywood ten
herbert biberman struggles as a hollywood writer and director blacklisted as one of the hollywood ten in the 1950s .
the price the hollywood ten paid for refusing to answer “the $ 64 question. ”
the hollywood ten paid the price for refusing to the answer “the $ 64 question. ”
referred to as the hollywood ten, they were indicted for contempt of congress and sentenced to brief imprisonment. although the leaders of the motion picture studios had initially supported the hollywood ten, they soon denounced them, and the hollywood ten were suspended without pay. shortly thereafter it was announced…
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…would become known as the hollywood ten, though he remained disgusted by the proceedings as a whole. …
feature film - one of the hollywood ten -' kicked off set' cue. by john rea - composer
( 7) albert maltz, one of the hollywood ten, was interviewed by the new york times in 1972 .
netflix has picked up eight episodes of wet hot american summer: ten years later, the hollywood reporter has learned .
feature film - one of the hollywood ten -' kicked off set' cue. by john rea - composer | free listening on soundcloud
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james gray’s ‘the lost city of z’ which released in india last friday describes real events surrounding british explorer percy fawcett. ten other hollywood films dealing with the theme of exploration
herbert biberman and samuel ornitz, two members of the hollywood ten, after being cited for contempt by the house committee on un - american activities on oct. 29, 1947 .
who were the hollywood ten? this 1950 documentary gives us a closer look at the ten blacklisted film writers and directors who defied the government and the sentiments of their day by refusing to testify during the huac anti - communist hearings. john berry, who directed the documentary, was blacklisted himself upon its release .
( ironweed films )
disagreed: it found the so - called hollywood ten in contempt of congress, fined them each $ 1, 000 and sentenced them to up to a year in federal prison. all 10 artists also were fired by a group of studio executives — and the era of the hollywood blacklist began .
in 1933, while writing b movies, including several in the charlie chan series, he co - founded the screen writers guild (with future hollywood ten collaborators john howard lawson and samuel ornitz), the first of the hollywood guilds. the following year cole joined the communist party and remained a committed marxist throughout his life .
hollywood blacklist (from: buhle, buhle, and georgakas, ed. ,
in compiling his top ten criterions, cronos director guillermo del toro had a hell of a time limiting himself. del toro humorously bemoaned the “unfair, arbitrary, and sadistic top ten practice, ” so instead he decided on ties or rather, “themat
he was one of the hollywood ten, a group of film - industry individuals blacklisted for their alleged communist affiliations, and was its only member to cooperate with the house un - american activities committee (huac). …
many of the hollywood ten writers continued producing screenplays under assumed names after they were blacklisted. using the pseudonym robert rich, dalton trumbo penned the script for
the brave one ,
which earned an academy award for best screenplay in 1957 .
lardner had been recruited by the communist party in hollywood in 1937. he later became a member of the hollywood anti - nazi league, the citizens committee for the defence of mexican - american youth, the hollywood writers mobilisation against the war and the board of the screen writers guild, all tainted with the
red
brush .
in october 1947, 10 members of the hollywood film industry publicly denounced the tactics employed by the house un - american activities committee (huac), an investigative committee of the u. s. house of representatives, during its probe of alleged communist influence in the american motion picture business. these prominent screenwriters and directors, who became known as the hollywood ten, received jail sentences and were banned from working for the major hollywood studios. their defiant stands also placed them at center stage in a national debate over the controversial anti - communist crackdown that swept through the united states in the late 1940s and early 1950s. besides the hollywood ten, other members of the film industry with alleged communist ties were later banned from working for the big movie studios. the hollywood blacklist came to an end in the 1960s .
location: camrose park - we have tables reserved directly adjacent to the hollywood bowl parking lot .
by 1937 lardner had been recruited by the communist party in hollywood and was attending a marxist meetings four nights a week. in time he became a member of such groups as the hollywood anti - nazi league and the hollywood writers mobilization against the war. he also served on the board of the screen writers guild .
( 1938). in 1948, lawson became one of the notorious hollywood ten when he refused to co - operate with the house un - american activities committee investigators. he was sentenced to one year in prison and was subsequently blacklisted in hollywood. lawson then exiled himself to mexico where he began writing books on drama and filmmaking such as
there had still been no conclusive proof presented that any of the hollywood ten were a subversive threat. but they had not done themselves any favors by refusing to answer questions. there was a pervasive sense, in the media at least, that a man wouldn’t invoke his right to silence unless he had something to hide. as one of the hollywood ten, edward dmytryk, wrote later, “it was clear to those who listened that the unfriendly witnesses were behaving as communists could be expected to behave. ”
…directors, later known as the hollywood ten, were sentenced to serve up to a year in prison for refusing to testify. that evening the members of the association of motion picture producers, which included the leading studio heads, published what became known as the waldorf declaration, in which they fired…
all right, a few weeks ago we offered up our take on the ten worst moments of crossover disaster, ill - advised efforts to mate movies with music. now it' s time to look at the flip side of the coin, the ten movies in which music and hollywood made great bedfellows, outstanding cinematic turns that were win - win in terms of elevating the film and being a boon to the artist in question. follow the jump for the full list .
three weeks later, on the same day congress voted 346 to 17 to indict the hollywood ten for contempt of congress, johnston called a meeting of 50 film executives at the waldorf - astoria in new york. he said they had two options: continue to do nothing, which wasn’t working out too well for anyone, or appease hollywood’s critics by purging the industry of known communists .
you must remember this, the podcast that tells the secret and forgotten history of 20 th - century hollywood, is back for a new season. when each episode airs, creator and host karina longworth will share some of the research that went into the episode in an excerpt here on slate. listen to the complete episode 2 below, on the hollywood ten, and subscribe to you must remember this on itunes .
a cue from one of the hollywood ten, a full length feature film, directed by karl francis, and featuring jeff goldblum and great scacchi. herbert biberman is a victim of the mccarthy witch hunts in hollywood, and this music conveys the sense of doom he feels as he' s sacked on the set of a film. recorded in budapest with full orchestra. jr: composition, orchestration .
known as the hollywood ten, they claimed that the 1st amendment of the united states constitution gave them the right to do this. the house of un - american activities committee and the courts during appeals disagreed and all were found guilty of contempt of congress and each was sentenced to between six and twelve months in prison .
ome names on a list of the hollywood ten may ring a bell among movie buffs, but for many they’re as unfamiliar as a dynastic recital from the old testament. they were the “unfriendly witnesses” who appeared before the house un - american activities committee, summoned after huac had interviewed 41 willing “friendlies” .
, one of the original hollywood ten, had financial problems as a result of divorcing his first wife. faced with having to sell his plane and encouraged by his new wife, dmytryk decided to try to get his name removed from the blacklist. on 25th april, 1951, dmytryk appeared before the
five days after the close of the hearings, the screen writers guild held elections in which a slate of anti - communists won in a landslide, a sign that much had changed since the beginning of the hearings, and that hollywood on the whole had been duly frightened. another sign of the same came that very day, when the mpaa’s eric johnston, who had declared victory on behalf of the hollywood ten a few days earlier, told the hollywood reporter that the 10 had performed a “tremendous disservice” to their industry. it was time that the studios, johnston said, “take positive steps to meet this problem. ”
big ten club tickets are sold out. we are in section g1 and g2. you can purchase your own tickets and still join us for the pre - concert picnic before the show .
dmytryk also revealed how people such as john howard lawson, adrian scott and albert maltz had put him under pressure to make sure his films expressed the views of the communist party. this was particularly damaging to those members of the original hollywood ten were at that time involved in court cases with their previous employers. if these people refused to name names, they were added to a blacklist that had been drawn up by the hollywood film studios .
as a member of the hollywood ten, ornitz’s refusal to answer questions at the huac hearings in october 1947 resulted in a 12 - month sentence. while serving his time at the federal prison in springfield, vt. , he published his most successful novel, bride of the sabbath (1951). he never worked in film again .
grab some friends, show up early, bring a picnic basket of goodies to enjoy patriotic music, headlined by the group “chicago”, and spectacular fireworks. the big ten club hosts a pre - concert picnic at camrose park located adjacent to the hollywood bowl, where you can mix, mingle and enjoy some snacks and beverages .
all refused to answer, pleading the first amendment. they form a moving gallery, evoking the period of cold war fear and injustice in the history of hollywood and the us. the stories of this multitalented group, before and after the hollywood blacklist, form a collective testimony to the price paid for sincere political convictions .
three years later, the huac committee handed him the shortest sentence of the hollywood ten — six months in the minimum - security texarcana, texas, prison that housed fellow defendant alvah bessie. biberman’s wife, gale sondergaard, who won a best supporting actress oscar for her role in anthony adverse (1936), also refused to testify before the huac and was blacklisted .
house un - american activities committee (huac), committee of the u. s. house of representatives, established in 1938 under martin dies as chairman, that conducted investigations through the 1940s and ’50s into alleged communist activities. those investigated included many artists and entertainers, including the hollywood ten, elia kazan, pete seeger, bertolt brecht, and…
the hollywood ten were controversial figures at the time they launched their protest, and their actions continue to inspire debate decades later. some tend to view their punishment as justified, since the individuals were admitted communists, while others generally view them as heroic figures who spoke out against the abuses of the red scare–and in defense of the u. s. constitution–when many of their colleagues remained silent .
lawson worked during the first world war as a volunteer ambulance driver in italy and publicity director for the american red cross. he became a broadway playwright, began his hollywood career in 1920, and joined the communist party in 1933. as first president of the screen writers guild, lawson was seen as the ideological driver of the hollywood ten. his oscar - nominated script for blockade (1938) was denounced by catholic organisation the knights of columbus as “marxist propaganda”. after serving his huac sentence he wrote just two scripts, including, pseudonymously, the british cry the beloved country (1951); he taught at several universities, writing a counter - critique of hollywood propaganda in film .
before he was dispatched to the federal lockup in ashland, ky. — the same facility that housed adrian scott and dalton trumbo, fellow members of the hollywood ten — he recruited his friend michael blankfort to front for him on an adaptation of his 1944 novel the cross and the arrow, which became the film broken arrow, starring james stewart. the sympathetic treatment of native americans in the western earned maltz an oscar nomination for adapted screenplay .
historian yohuru williams discusses key facts about the hollywood 10, a group of film directors, screenwriters, and producers blacklisted for communist affiliations in 1947 .
in 1947, hollywood became the subject of a fullscale investigation by the house committee on unamerican activities (huac). ten
unfriendly
witnesses - producers, directors and writers - refused to answer the question ,
are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the communist party ?
, choosing to regard the committee as unconstitutional, and were thus indicted and imprisoned for contempt of the us congress .
in july 1947 rko released dmytryk’s thriller crossfire, about an american soldier who kills a jewish veteran and evades detection thanks to loyal army buddies. three months later, in washington, d. c. , dmytryk and the rest of the hollywood ten snubbed the house un - american activities committee. although publicly blacklisted in november, he nevertheless received an oscar nomination as best director for crossfire .
dalton03 pictured: dalton trumbo (third from left, in glasses) prepares to fly to washington d. c. to begin serving his jail sentence, as his children nicky and christopher (holding sign) and wife cleo (right of christopher) join a group protesting the jailing of the hollywood ten � los angeles airport, 1950. � photo credit: courtesy of the trumbo family less
shortly after directing the 1951
he ran all the way ,
starring john garfield and shelley winters, berry was identified by director edward dmytryk and others as a communist. berry directed a documentary called
the hollywood ten
to raise money for the defense of that group, including ring lardner jr. and dalton trumbo, who were cited for contempt of congress for refusing to divulge their political affiliations .
from the 1950s through the early 1970s, dmytryk continued to direct studio films, including raintree country (1957), a remake of the blue angel (1959) and the carpetbaggers (1964). after his film career tapered off, he taught film and directing at the university of texas at austin and the university of southern california film school. in 1966 he published a book about his blacklist experiences, odd man out: a memoir of the hollywood ten .
. upon his release, samuel ornitz was finished in hollywood, but continued writing novels until his death at age 66. - - hal erickson [ from the
although biberman never gained great success in hollywood, his involvement in politics, especially his early stand against fascism, earned him the wrath of the house un - american activities committee (huac). in 1947, biberman refused to answer the committee’s questions on constitutional grounds. his punishment was a $ 1, 000 fine and a six - month sentence, half of what many others got. while his wife, the oscar - winning actress gale sondergaard, was not part of the original hollywood ten, she was also brought before huac, refused to testify, and later blacklisted .
thomas was bluffing here. in the midst of the hearings, the mpaa demanded that the committee furnish the list they had implied they possessed of so - called subversive films produced by hollywood studios. the committee would not name the names of the films that ostensibly were the reason for the hearings. on the second day of testimony, thomas declared he had a list of 79 people in hollywood who were definitely communists. he never released that list, either .
a more lasting punishment came as a result of the movie industry blacklist. studio executives did not want their business to be associated with radical politics in the minds of the movie - going public and therefore agreed that they would not employ the hollywood ten (with the exception of dmytryk) or anyone else suspected of being affiliated with the communist party. the motion picture industry blacklist grew steadily larger as congress continued its investigations into the 1950s, and numerous careers were damaged as a result. the blacklist ended in the 1960s .
screenwriter / producer adrian scott was among the first ten hollywood people to be called before the house un - american activities committee in the 1947. his name was provided to the committee by director / producer edward dmytryk, with whom scott had worked for many years. after refusing to testify, scott was sentenced to a year in prison. following his release, scott was blacklisted and never worked in films again. - - sandra brennan [ from the
although lardner allowed his party membership to lapse in the 1950s, he said in an interview with the new york times that “i' ve never regretted my association with communism. i still think that some form of socialism is a more rational way to organize a society, but i recognize it hasn' t worked anywhere yet. ” he died in manhattan in 2000 at age 85, the last surviving member of the hollywood ten .
in 1932 he moved to hollywood to work with 17 other writers on one of hollywood’s first all - star extravaganzas, the w. c. fields comedy if i had a million. the two successful plays cole had written in new york landed him a five - year, $ 250 - a - week contract with paramount .
john berry, a blacklisted hollywood director who made the classic film noir
he ran all the way
and then largely moved his career to europe, has died. he was 82 .
along with lester coles and john howard lawson, ornitz was a key figure in the founding of the screen writers guild. a vocal supporter of the soviet union, ornitz was one of the most outspoken political figures in hollywood .
screenwriter dalton trumbo, left, and his wife, cleo, listen from the audience as the chairman of the house un - american activities committee (huac) announces a contempt citation against trumbo at a hearing in washington, d. c. , oct. 28, 1947. on the witness stand trumbo, one of the hollywood ten called before the committee, declined to say whether he is or has been a communist. trumbo served a prison sentence in 1950 and was blacklisted in the film industry. (ap photo) less
the son of a famed humorist, screenwriter ring lardner, jr. (born ringgold wilmer lardner, jr .) started out as a reporter for the new york daily mirror. prior to that, he had briefly attended princeton. he eventually became a publicist for david selznick in hollywood and after that worked uncredited as a script doctor before becoming a full - fledged screenwriter working alone or in collaboration. lardner shared an oscar in 1942 for woman of the year and his career looked quite promising until he refused to cooperate with the witch - hunts of the house un - american activities committee and became one of the hollywood ten. for his refusal, lardner spent a year in prison and then was blacklisted until the mid' 60s. though officially banned from hollywood, lardner continued working under pseudonyms and also worked uncredited. lardner made a big comeback in 1970 when he wrote the script for
in 1947, at the height of his career, scott was subpoenaed to testify at the huac hearings (he had joined the communist party in 1944). he became one of the hollywood ten when he refused to answer the committee’s questions on first amendment grounds. while waiting a court ruling, scott moved to london to look for work but decided to return when the courts refused to overturn huac’s contempt charge. he noted that “nine of us couldn’t go into court with the 10th on the lam. that would have made it impossible for the rest who were left. ”
( 1947), one of the first hollywood films to confront anti - semitism. in 1948 dmytryk became one of the
hollywood ten
when he was accused of having ties to the communist party and was sentenced to a year in prison for contempt of congress. following his imprisonment, dymtryk was blacklisted in the u. s. , so he directed three films in england, but returned to the states in 1951. upon his return he went before the house un - american activities committee again, this time as a
friendly
witness, and his name was dropped from the blacklist. he then resumed his american career and directed four films for producer stanley kramer, most notably the sniper (1952) and
distinguished author, short - story writer, playwright and screenwriter albert maltz was among the notorious
hollywood ten ,
those artists who were first blackballed by the house un - american activities committee for refusing to testify about communist affiliations. following education at columbia university and the yale school of drama, maltz worked as a playwright for the left - leaning theatre union. during the early' 30s, many of his plays were produced in new york. he also published his novels and stories. he moved to hollywood to write screenplays in 1941 and primarily worked alone and in collaboration for warner brothers and paramount. during ww ii, he penned patriotic scripts for such films as
born into a middle - class family in arlington, n. j. , scott wrote magazine articles before moving to hollywood. starting in 1940, he contributed to several scripts, including the one for the popular cary grant comedy mr. lucky. scott received more acclaim as a producer. he and director edward dmytryk, a future fellow hollywood ten member, teamed up on a string of dark thrillers, including murder, my sweet (1944), based on raymond chandler’s farewell, my lovely, and crossfire (1947), an anti - semitism drama that received five oscar nominations, including best picture and best director .
. his career came to a halt in 1947, when he was summoned before the house un - american activities committee. he refused to deny or confirm involvement in the communist party, and in 1950 he became one of the hollywood ten when he was imprisoned and blacklisted. in 1965, bessie wrote a book about his experience with the huac, inquisition in eden. he wrote another book in 1975, spain again, which chronicled his experiences as a co - writer and actor in a spanish movie of the same name. his
in 1942, he co - wrote woman of the year with michael kanin. the comedy marked the first onscreen collaboration between katharine hepburn and spencer tracy and won lardner and kanin an oscar for original screenplay. in 1947 he became one of the highest - paid writers in hollywood when he signed a contract with 20th century fox at $ 2, 000 a week. a few months later he stood by his fellow members of the hollywood ten in refusing to testify before huac. lardner replied to the standard question — “are you now or have you ever been …” — by noting, “i could answer the question exactly the way you want, but if i did, i would hate myself in the morning. ” the aggressive committee chairman, j. parnell thomas, a republican from new jersey, angrily dismissed lardner from the stand .
when the house un - american activities committee called alvah bessie to the witness stand in 1947, he was ready to give them a piece of his mind. “i will never aid or abet such a committee in its patent attempt to foster the sort of intimidation and terror that is the inevitable precursor of a fascist regime ,
bessie told them. as such, in 1950, along with the other members of the hollywood ten, bessie was found guilty of contempt of congress, fined $ 1, 000, and sentenced to one year at the federal prison at texarkana, tx .
with a career spanning more than seven decades, kirk douglas has long since earned his place among the most luminous figures in hollywood history. after cutting his teeth on the new york stage, he began his film career in the 1946 barbara stanwyck ve…
only 11 of the “unfriendly” witnesses were called to testify in the fall of 1947, and 10 of them—a group that became known as the hollywood ten—shared legal counsel. they had agreed beforehand that they would not answer any questions about their party membership or other affiliations, because their whole defense was based on the idea that congress had no right to pry into their lives, their beliefs, or their practice of assembly. also, they knew that the committee could use their admitted allegiance to any social group or professional guild against them, and against any fellow members of those groups .
in 1947 roy m. brewer was appointed to the motion picture industry council. at this time the house of un - american activities committee (huac), chaired by j. parnell thomas, began an investigation into the hollywood motion picture industry. the huac interviewed 41 people who were working in hollywood. these people attended voluntarily and became known as
friendly witnesses
. during their interviews they named nineteen people who they accused of holding left - wing views .
stanley kubrick directed a cast of screen legends—including kirk douglas as the indomitable gladiator that led a roman slave revolt—in the sweeping epic that defined a genre and ushered in a new hollywood era. the assured acting, lush technicolor cinematography, bold costumes, and visceral fight sequences won spartacus four oscars; the blend of politics and sexual suggestion scandalized audiences. today kubrick' s controversial classic, the first film to openly defy hollywood' s blacklist, remains a landmark of cinematic artistry and history .
members of the association of motion picture producers deplore the action of the 10 hollywood men who have been cited for contempt. we do not desire to prejudge their legal rights, but their actions have been a disservice to their employers and have impaired their usefulness to the industry .
screenwriter lester cole will go down in cinema history as a member of the original
hollywood ten ,
one of the first unfortunate people in the film industry to be black - listed by the house anti - american activities committee in 1947. cole, the son of polish immigrants, began writing and directing plays at age 16 after he dropped out of high school. during the 1920s and' 30s he worked as an actor on stage and screen before embarking on his screenwriting career. while in hollywood, he was a union activist and became a co - founder of the screen writers guild in 1933. he was later black - balled for challenging the committee' s right to interrogate him about his political beliefs. he then served 1 year in prison, leaving behind an unfinished script that was later finished by john steinbeck for kazan' s
the hollywood ten paid a high price for their actions at the huac hearings. in november 1947, they were cited for contempt of congress. facing trial on that charge in april 1948, each man was found guilty and sentenced to spend a year in prison and pay a $ 1, 000 fine. after unsuccessfully appealing the verdicts, they began serving their terms in 1950. while in prison, one member of the group, edward dmytryk, decided to cooperate with the government. in 1951, he testified at a huac hearing and provided the names of more than 20 industry colleagues he claimed were communists .
once cleared by huac, dmytryk found work immediately. producer stanley krammer hired him to direct three films: the 1952 creepy psychopathic killer film the sniper; the 1953 postwar psychodrama the juggler (with kirk douglas); and the 1954 critically acclaimed court martial drama the caine mutiny. dmytryk worked steadily through the fifties and sixties, mostly helming action and suspense films. in the ‘70s, the jobs abruptly stopped coming. he began a second career teaching filmmaking at the university of texas and the university of southern california. in 1996, dmytryk once again tried to clear his name with odd man out: a memoir of the hollywood ten in which he blames his compatriots for refusing to bend to huac’s demands. he died three years later .
the individual in rebellion against monolithic power: that was a familiar trumbo theme, and it makes one wonder how trumbo could ever have flirted with communism or considered himself a communist. unlike, say, john howard lawson (
success at any price
), a member of the hollywood ten whose work was identifiably marxist, trumbo was more in the old tradition of american literature, which maintained faith in individual genius and asserted individual rights. trumbo' s defiance of the committee, like his work, seems, in retrospect, more an act of patriotism than subversion .
wet hot: ten marks the second netflix follow - up to the movie. the streaming giant last year released the eight - episode wet hot american summer: first day of camp, a prequel series featuring the movie' s original stars. the new incarnation will again be written by showalter and wain, with the latter on board to direct. showalter, wain, peter principato, jonathan stern and howard bernstein are set to executive produce .
at 15 dmytryk was working as a studio messenger. progressing to projectionist, film editor and director, he made murder, my sweet (1944) based on raymond chandler’s farewell, my lovely. he joined the communist party and was summoned to testify in 1947 – the year he was oscar - nominated for crossfire. he resisted huac’s questions but, after fleeing to england, revealed 26 names and escaped the blacklist. he went on to make films such as the caine mutiny (1954), the young lions (1958) and the carpetbaggers (1964). haunted by the episode, he wrote a book in 1966 titled odd man out: a memoir of the hollywood ten .
the son of polish immigrants and a high school dropout from new york city, lester cole thought he’d found his american dream in hollywood. originally working as a stage actor, cole eventually moved to hollywood picking up parts in several silent films, like love at first glance and painted faces. by the ‘30s, he moved over to writing, penning a number of b - movies, including several in the charlie chan series. while he worked steadily inside the hollywood machine, he also pushed for workers’ rights. in 1933, he was instrumental in reviving the screen writers guild, the union that would eventually become the writers guild of america. his organizing gained him the unfavorable moniker “hollywood red” by studio execs. the next year, cole confirmed the title when he officially joined the communist party. while he mostly hammered out scripts for crime genres and melodramas, he was quick to add a socially conscious message when possible. the 1936 thriller the president’s mystery, for example, includes a scene with workers storming a cannery yelling, “everybody works, everybody shares. ” and in the ‘40s, cole excelled in dramatizing anti - fascist sentiments in films like hostages and none shall escape. in 1946, his career appeared ready to take off when mgm, hollywood’s most prestigious studio, put him under contract. then the house committee on un - american activities (huac) subpoenaed him .
rich had the best possible reason of all not to be present: he did not exist. he was a pseudonym, one of many, for dalton trumbo, a blacklisted writer. one of the hollywood ten, trumbo had gone to prison in 1950 for refusing to answer questions by the house un - american activities committee, which was trying to root out communism in the motion picture industry. upon his release 10 months later, he could find no work under his own name, but scratched together a living by turning out scripts either under fake names or for fellow writers, who fronted for him and funneled the money to him .
one of those named, bertolt brecht, an emigrant playwright, gave evidence and then left for east germany. ten others: herbert biberman, lester cole, albert maltz, adrian scott, samuel ornitz, dalton trumbo, edward dmytryk, ring lardner jr. , john howard lawson and alvah bessie refused to answer any questions .
, a diary of his activities while in spain in 1938, have been recently published (2001). unfortunately, his screenwriting career was ruined by the blacklisting, and he never returned to hollywood. [ information provided courtesy of dan bessie ]
karina longworth is the creator and host of you must remember this, a podcast about the secret and forgotten history of hollywood’s first century. she is the author of books about george lucas, al pacino, and meryl streep and has contributed to la weekly, the guardian, npr, vulture, and other publications .
the house un - american activities committee was charged with investigating allegations of communist influence and subversion in the u. s. during the early years of the cold war. committee members quickly settled their gaze on the hollywood film industry, which was seen as a hotbed of communist activity. this reputation originated in the 1930s, when the economic difficulties of the great depression increased the appeal of leftist organizations for many struggling actors and studio workers .
prison marked the end of bessie’s hollywood career. he moved to the bay area, where he wrote novels, edited a union newspaper and worked as publicist for arts organizations. for seven years he was the stage manager and soundman at san francisco’s hungry i nightclub, earning $ 70 a week .
i had long been convinced that the fight of the ten was political; that the battle for freedom of thought, in which i believed that i was being forced to sacrifice my family and my career in defense of the communist party, from which i had long been separated and which i had grown to dislike and distrust. i knew that if it ever got down to a choice between the party and our traditional democratic structure i would fight the party and our traditional democratic structure i would fight the party to the bitter end .
the eight - episode comedy will complete the vow made at the end of the 2001 feature film .
with the exception of dmytryk, the group was severely blacklisted by the film industry. most were never again employed in hollywood, but some did write scripts under pseudonyms. as “robert rich, ” trumbo won an academy award oscar for best screenplay for the brave one (1956). the red blacklist disappeared by the early 1960s, and trumbo and lardner subsequently wrote screenplays under their own names .
son of a prosperous dry - goods merchant, ornitz was on the streets of new york giving socialist speeches at the age of 12. he became a social worker and started to write for the left - wing theatre, publishing a successful novel about jewish immigrant life in 1923 titled haunch, paunch and jowl. moving to hollywood in 1928, ornitz worked for several studios, writing 25 scripts including little orphan annie (1938). he was a stalwart of the screen writers guild and, after his huac arraignment, published a successful novel, bride of the sabbath. his hollywood career, however, was over .
it was also houseman who brought berry to hollywood, where he first worked as an assistant to director billy wilder. as a paramount producer, houseman hired berry to direct his 1945 film
miss susie slagle' s ,
with lillian gish .
biberman came from a new york theatre background and arrived in hollywood in 1935. he made one way ticket (1935), meet nero wolfe (1936) and anti - nazi film the master race (1944). biberman, a jew, was briefly suspected by the fbi of being a nazi because of virulent opposition to the us lend - lease agreement. in 1947 he was called to testify by huac and sentenced to six months in texarkana jail for refusing. his hollywood career was over. he collaborated with fellow blacklisters on salt of the earth, about a mexican miners’ strike. the film was investigated by the fbi and banned for 11 years .
new delhi: director james gray’s acclaimed adventure drama the lost city of z, which released in india on friday, describes real events surrounding british explorer percy fawcett, who was sent to bolivia and later made several attempts to find an ancient lost city in the amazon. here are 10 other hollywood films dealing with the theme of exploration .
the black chevy truck used in the later part of the movie was circa 1964 .
with the dawning of the cold war, anti - communist legislators grew concerned that the movie industry could serve as a source of subversive propaganda. although popular hollywood films of the 1930s and 1940s offered little evidence of an overriding socialist agenda, the investigation proceeded. in october 1947, more than 40 people with connections to the movie industry received subpoenas to appear before huac on suspicion of holding communist loyalties or being involved in subversive activities .
during the investigative hearings, members of huac grilled the witnesses about their past and present associations with the communist party. aware that their answers could ruin their reputations and careers, most individuals either sought leniency by cooperating with investigators or cited their fifth amendment right against self - incrimination. however, a group of 10 hollywood screenwriters and directors took a different approach and openly challenged the legitimacy of the committee’s investigations .
just as his career was at an all time high, scott was called before the house committee on un - american activities (huac) to answer questions about being a member of the communist party, which he had joined in 1944. as the hollywood ten waited to hear the court’s decision on their refusal to comply on first amendment grounds, scott moved to london to look for work. as things grew increasingly dark in the states, scott’s french and british friends urged him to stay. “they said they' d hide me out, ” scott recalls. “i was tempted. it could have been arranged. but nine of us couldn' t go into court with the tenth on the lam. that would have made it impossible for the rest who were left .
scott returned to be sentenced on september 27, 1950 to a $ 1, 000 fine and 12 months in the federal correctional institution, ashland, ky .
by oct. 31, 1947, 11 of the 19 subpoenaed had been called to the stand. the unfriendlies who had testified, minus brecht, believed that it was all over, and that they had won. producer samuel goldwyn publicly called the hearings “a flop. ” the mpaa, still waiting for thomas to release his list of alleged propaganda films, declared that the sudden closing of the hearings vindicated the studios’ position that there was no proof that hollywood had allowed communists to control its products .
after nine months in prison, and unable to work in hollywood, lardner eventually found work in london, contributing to the 1950s television series, the adventures of robin hood. like several other blacklisted writers, he was forced to use a pseudonym to allow for american sales. the british - made virgin island (1958) credits
philip rush
with the screenplay, although a british historian of the same name wrote to the times refuting any connection with the mediocre movie .
el ten eleven has been two people making instrumental music from the start. together kris: an dunn (bass / guitars) and tim fogarty (drums) have released six full - length albums, an ep, a remix record and a mixtape. the process of el ten eleven has always been of reinven: on with each release, providing a canvas of sounds and singular execu: on to each album, track and layer. there is something exci: ng about a duo, both for the band and their cult - like fan base. they create eloquently designed composi: ons, layers of augmented bass and drums that are stacked and sound like a quintet or, ogen: mes, an atmospheric orchestra. as reinven: on took its course over the past 18 months, the band explored a variety of mediums for inspira: on, from films to orchestras to side - projects, and found the next colorant to add to its canvas: a guest vocalist. a risk and perhaps the deepest dye imaginable. instead of releasing a one - off track with a singer, dunn and fogarty decided to commit to a full extended - play release exploring the new sound. “the search for the right singer was frustra: ng. there were a lot of people we tried working with who were really talented, but ul: mately not the right fit stylis: cally, ” says kris: an dunn. ager months of searching they found emile mosseri from new york, songwriter and vocalist of indie garage rock revisionists the dig. “not only does the natural sound of his voice compliment our music, but his work ethic and dedica: on are on par with our own. and his lyrics compliment our music perfectly. ”el ten eleven wrote and recorded with mosseri and are very pleased to announce their first - ever vocal collabora: on release: unusable love. an ep whose four songs form an illustrated collage, merging el ten eleven instrumentals with vocals, to create a body of music en: rely unexpected .
ring lardner jr, who has died aged 85, was the last surviving member of the hollywood 10. the other nine were alvah bessie, herbert biberman, lester cole, john howard lawson, albert maltz, samuel ornitz, adrian scott, dalton trumbo and edward dmytryk. only dmytryk co - operated with the committee, and named names, including lardner' s; after serving their sentences, the other nine were blacklisted .
the 10 individuals who defied huac were alvah bessie (c. 1904 - 85), herbert biberman (1900 - 71), lester cole (c. 1904 - 85), edward dmytryk (1908 - 99), ring lardner jr. (1915 - 2000), john howard lawson (1894 - 1977), albert maltz (1908 - 1985), samuel ornitz (1890 - 1957), robert adrian scott (1912 - 73) and dalton trumbo (1905 - 76). these men, who became known as the hollywood ten, not only refused to cooperate with the investigation but denounced the huac anti - communist hearings as an outrageous violation of their civil rights, as the first amendment to the u. s. constitution gave them the right to belong to any political organization they chose. some compared the committee’s coercive methods and intimidating tactics to the oppressive measures enacted in nazi germany. “i am not on trial here, ” declared screenwriter lawson. “this committee is on trial. ”
on the broader issues of alleged subversive and disloyal elements in hollywood, our members are likewise prepared to take positive action. we will not knowingly employ a communist or a member of any party or group which advocates the overthrow of the government of the united states by force or by illegal or unconstitutional methods. in pursuing this policy, we are not going to be swayed by hysteria or intimidation from any source. we are frank to recognize that such a policy involves dangers and risks. there is the danger of hurting innocent people. there is the risk of creating an atmosphere of fear. creative work at its best cannot be carried on in an atmosphere of fear. to this end we will invite the hollywood talent guilds to work with us to eliminate any subversives, to protect the innocent, and to safeguard free speech and a free screen wherever threatened .
the hearings on what the house un - american activities committee called “the communist infiltration of the motion - picture industry” began on oct. 20, 1947. at the insistence of lawyers representing the 19 “unfriendly” witnesses brought before the committee, the proceedings took place in full view of the media. the friendly witnesses were called first .
( 1944), which emphasized the need for sacrifice in order to win the war. following the end of the war, trumbo' s career was blighted by the increasingly unfriendly political climate in hollywood, where the studio heads had no use for men of ideas and ideals such as him. and then, in 1947, the roof fell in on him when he was called to testify about the alleged communist infiltration of the movie business and - - along with nine others - - refused to testify. trumbo, who was suspect for his otherwise innocuous 1943 script for tender comrade (which was about communal living in wartime, not covert communist propaganda), was cited for contempt of congress and served a 10 - month jail term. unable to find employment in hollywood, he moved to mexico where he continued to write - - for fees far smaller than the $ 75, 000 a year he' d been making from mgm before the contempt citation - - under assumed names. his script for the
the hollywood ten is a 1950 american 16 mm short documentary film . in the film , each member of the hollywood ten made a short speech denouncing mccarthyism and the hollywood blacklisting . the film was directed by john berry . after being named a communist by fellow director and former party member edward dmytryk , one of the hollywood ten , and ex-communist party member frank tuttle , berry was unable to find work again in hollywood after 1951 , and left for france . the documentary is available on the dvd releases of spartacus and salt of the earth . 
the hollywood ten is a 1950 american 16 mm short documentary film. in the film, each member of the hollywood ten made a short speech denouncing mccarthyism and the hollywood blacklisting. the film was directed by john berry. after being named a communist by fellow director and former party member edward dmytryk, one of the hollywood ten, and ex-communist party member frank tuttle, berry was unable to find work again in hollywood after 1951, and left for france. the documentary is available on the dvd releases of spartacus and salt of the earth.
the hollywood ten is a 1950 american 16 mm short documentary film. in the film, each member of the hollywood ten made a short speech denouncing mccarthyism and the hollywood blacklisting. the film was directed by john berry. after being named a communist by fellow director and former party member edward dmytryk, one of the hollywood ten, and ex-communist party member frank tuttle, berry was unable to find work again in hollywood after 1951, and left for france. the documentary is available on the dvd releases of spartacus and salt of the earth.