This mini-research paper discusses the Hollywood Blacklist. This occurred during the 1940s and 1950s as a result of the Red Scare. To be blacklisted was to be denied to be hired for a job because you were had been accused of being a member of the Communist Party. This paper will discuss those affected in the careers of film, radio, television, and theater. As the blacklist was secret, no one knows how many people were affected.
The fear of Communism spread to the entertainment industry in 1947. This began when an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, the House Committee on Un-Human American Activities (HUAC) began hearings to investigate the spread of Communism in the motion picture industry. There were a group of ten men, who when called to testify, refused to tell the committee whether or not they were Communists. They do so because they felt the questions were in violation of their constitutional rights. These men became known as the Hollywood Ten. They were sent to prison and served six months to a year.
The film studios that employed these men fired them and declared that they would not hire Communists. Hundreds of other people were blacklisted. Many of these people just refused to cooperate with the committees by talking about their Communist connections. A lot of these people had been members of the Communist Party in the 1930s and 40s, but they had never done anything illegal. However, the Cold War made Americans feared the spread of Communism.
In 1950, the American Business Consultants published Red Channels, the Report of Communist Influence in Radio and Television, which listed 150 names of entertainers who had supposed Communist ties. The use of the blacklist spread and more and more people were being added. Some of these people were on it just because they opposed the blacklist. This finally ended in the 1960s, but the damage was done. Hundreds of careers were ruined, with actors being the most affected.
Did the people on the committees go too far in trying to contain the spread of Communism? I don’t know. However, by looking at the blacklist, one can see what it means to be human. To be human is to make mistakes. Were mistakes made in going about the stop of the spread of Communism? I think so. The people involved in the hearings wanted to protect our country from Communism and there is nothing wrong with that. Nonetheless, our country is too hung up on labels. We need to classify everyone as something. I think everyone got carried away in the excitement of the hearings and trials going on, which fueled the continuation of the blacklist.
By: Laurie Nobile
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“Blacklist” Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2001.
“Hollywood Blacklist.”
