BLACKLISTING

    Blacklisting is the practice of refusing to hire or terminating from employment an individual whose opinions or associations are deemed politically inconvenient or commercially troublesome. In the U.S. tradition, the term is forever linked to the fervent anti-communism of the Cold War era, a time when government agencies, private newsletters, and patriotic organizations branded selected members of the entertainment industry as (variously) card-carrying communists, fellow travelers, pinkos, or unwitting dupes of Moscow. The rubric "McCarthyism" is often used as shorthand for the reckless accusations and limitations on free expression during the Cold War, but from a media perspective the term is something of a misnomer. The period of the blacklist pre-dated and post-dated the junior senator from Wisconsin's reign and McCarthy himself evinced little interest in the entertainment industry: his targets of choice were the Department of State and the U.S. Army. The blacklisting of directors, writers, and performers in film, radio, and television was the project of a much wider coalition of anti-communist forces, a web of interlocking agents that included government investigators (the FBI), legislative committees (the House Committee on Un-American Activities and the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee), private interest groups (American Business Consultants, AWARE, Inc.) and patriotic organizations (The American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars). They applied pressure on, and worked in concert with, fearful and compliant studio heads, network executives, sponsors, and advertising agencies to curtail the employment opportunities and civil rights of targeted undesirables.

    The convergence of two cultural historical factors abetted the blacklist. One of the legacies of World War II was a heightened sensitivity to the political impact of the popular media; one of the coincidences of history was that television's early days paralleled precisely the escalating intensity of the Cold War in the years from 1946 to 1954. The contest between East and West, Soviet Communism and American Democracy, found its domestic expression in impassioned debates over the subversive influence of the mass media. In June 1950, the atmosphere reached fever pitch with the arrest of the atomic spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and the outbreak of the Korean War. That same month the editors of Counterattack, a four page "newsletter of facts on communism," issued a special report entitled Red Channels, The Report of Communist Influence in Radio and Television, a listing of 151 names of performers deemed to be communist party members or to have like-minded opinions and associations (called "fellow travelers" in the argot of the day). The Red Channels report formalized an informal practice in effect since at least November 1947 when representatives from the major Hollywood studios pledged they would "not knowingly employ a communist" and "take positive action" on "disloyal elements." Though the scholarship of Red Channels was slipshod--the actors listed ranged from unapologetic Communist Party members, to mainstream liberals, to bewildered innocents--its impact was immediate and long-lasting. CBS instituted in-house loyalty oaths; the advertising firm of Batten, Barton, Durstine, & Osborn recruited executives to serve as security officers. A study on blacklisting in the entertainment industry published by the Fund for the Republic in 1956 concluded that Red Channels put in black and white what was previously an ad hoc practice and thus "marked the formal beginning of blacklisting in the radio-TV industry."

    As an emergent medium subject to government oversight by the Federal Communications Commission, television was the most timorous of the mass media when confronted by state power. The scrutiny of legislative bodies concentrated the minds of network executives powerfully, notably the hearings held by the House Committee on Un-American Activities in November 1947 and throughout 1951 and 1952 and a kindred set of hearings on the "Subversive Influence of Radio, Television, and the Entertainment Industry" held by Senator McCarran's Internal Investigatory Subcommittee in 1951. Moreover, as an advertiser supported medium still in embryonic development, television was especially susceptible to protests from special interest groups threatening product boycotts, pickets, or public censure. Casting the widest commercial net possible, the networks aimed for "100% acceptability" and assiduously avoided alienating any group of potential viewers.

    Though the effect of the blacklist was punitive, its rational was preemptive. From the perspective of the networks, its purpose was less to rid the medium of subversive content than to avoid the controversy that ensued upon the appearance of a suspect individual. Rather than canceling the appearance of announced performers or firing known talent, the blacklist tended to operate off-camera, behind the scenes, by deleting or clearing talent in advance. Though the list in Red Channels was the founding document, other lists and publications (not to say rumors and innuendo) might also render an individual politically radioactive in the eyes of any one of the networks, sponsors, or advertising agencies.

    For talent tainted with the communist brush, the path to vindication was tortuous. Once accused, actors might suffer in silence, defy the accusations, or engage in rituals of public recantation or denial ("clearance") either before Congress, in the public press, or at the offices of Counterattack itself. Given the difficulty of proving a negative, the total number of people burned by the blacklist--careers permanently derailed, jobs lost, or energies squandered--is difficult to gauge, but hundreds were listed and investigated and thousands were singed by paranoia. Even allowing for the vagaries of memory and self-romanticization, the blacklist traumatized a generation of artists in the entertainment industry. One particularly tragic case may stand for many. Listed in Red Channels, Philip Loeb, who played the warm Jewish patriarch in Molly on radio and in the show's first television season in 1950-51, was replaced in the show's second season after General Foods withdrew its sponsorship. An embittered and unemployed Loeb committed suicide in 1955.

    In the wake of the TV-inspired downfall of McCarthy in 1954, some of the pressure to purge alleged subversive from the airwaves lifted, but the blacklist--both as a formal, institutionalized procedure and as an informal gentleman's agreement--endured well into the next decade. The motion picture industry begin gingerly defying the blacklist in the late 1950s and by 1960 was giving screen credit to once-blacklisted writers. By contrast, television, ever cautious, kept well back in the ranks of defiance. Not until the fall of 1967, on The Smothers Comedy Brothers Hour, was blacklisted folk singer Pete Seeger finally "cleared" for a return to network television.

    -Thomas Doherty

     

    FURTHER READING

    Bentley, Eric. Are You Now or Have You Ever Been: The Investigation of Show Business by the Un-American Activities Committee, 1947-1958. New York: Harper & Row, 1972.

    Burton, Michael C. John Henry Faulk: The Making of a Liberated Mind. Austin, Texas: Eakin Press, 1993.

    Ceplair, Larry. The Inquisition in Hollywood: Politics in the Film Community, 1930-1960. Garden City, New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1980.

    Cogley, John. Report on Blacklisting. New York: Fund for the Republic, 1956.

    Faulk, John Henry. Fear on Trial. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1964.

    Foley, Karen Sue. The Political Blacklist in the Broadcast Industry: The Decade of the 1950s. New York: Arno, 1979.

    Navasky, Victor S. Naming Names. New York: Viking, 1980.

    Vaughn, Robert. Only Victims: A Study of Show Business Blacklisting. New York: Putnam, 1972. 

     

    Thumbnail of Walter Bernstein

    Walter Bernstein on being listed in Red Channels, his subsequent blacklisting, and how it affected his career

    10:42
    Thumbnail of Ring Lardner, Jr.

    Ring Lardner, Jr. on being cited for contempt by the House Un-American Activities Committee and going to jail, and on the Hollywood Ten

    08:58
    Thumbnail of Charles S. Dubin

    Charles S. Dubin on being called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee and being blacklisted for five years

    09:05
    Thumbnail of Robert Vaughn

    Robert Vaughn on his dissertation on The Blacklist

    03:59
    Thumbnail of Kim Hunter

    Kim Hunter on the impact of the Hollywood Blacklist on television

    02:12
    Thumbnail of Ruth Engelhardt

    Ruth Engelhardt on the Hollywood Blacklist

    10:05

    Berle Adams

    Berle Adams on how he dealt with the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:03

    Mary V. Ahern

    Mary V. Ahern on Joseph N. Welch (who stood up to Senator Joseph McCarthy at the Army-McCarthy hearings) being involved with the Omnibus series on the Constitution

    06:55

    Steve Allen

    Steve Allen on the Hollywood Blacklist

    05:13

    Charlie Andrews

    Charlie Andrews on working with Walter Cronkite and Dick Van Dyke on The Morning Show and his experience with the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:43

    Alan A. Armer

    Alan A. Armer on the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:16

    James Arness

    James Arness on the Hollywood Blacklist

    00:50

    Beatrice Arthur

    Beatrice Arthur on her awareness of the Hollywood Blacklist, and on her politics

    01:43

    Larry Auerbach

    Larry Auerbach on the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:34

    Reza Badiyi

    Reza Badiyi on censorship because of the Blacklist

    01:03

    Erik Barnouw

    Erik Barnouw on the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:46

    Erik Barnouw on the importance of the Hollywood Blacklist to understanding the history of broadcasting and on Edward R. Murrow's denunciation of Senator Joseph McCarthy

    02:58

    Cliff Barrows

    Cliff Barrows on Billy Graham's response to the threat of Communism

    04:35

    Joseph Behar

    Joe Behar on not being affected by the Hollywood Blacklist

    00:49

    Earl Bellamy

    Earl Bellamy on the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:35

    Dick Berg

    Dick Berg on his experiences with the Hollywood Blacklist

    00:54

    Ted Bergmann

    Ted Bergmann on the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:44

    Shelley Berman

    Shelley Berman on working during the Hollywood Blacklist

    00:54

    Walter Bernstein

    Walter Bernstein on screenwriter Ben Maddow testifying (and naming names) before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

    02:04

    Walter Bernstein on being listed in Red Channels, his subsequent blacklisting, and how it affected his career

    10:42

    Walter Bernstein on "The Hollywood Ten"

    01:12

    Walter Bernstein on using a pseudonym and "fronts" to write for Danger and You Are There during the Blacklist

    28:30

    Walter Bernstein on the subversive subtext of You Are There; on Edward R. Murrow's See It Now denouncing Senator McCarthy; on the use of "fronts" during the Blacklist and how he was cleared to work on movies, but not television

    25:32

    Walter Bernstein on the end of his blacklisting in the film industry -- and on being one of the first people cleared; on how Europeans felt about the Blacklist; on what he would have sad had he been subpoenaed

    05:53

    Walter Bernstein on why he thinks the Blacklist happened and how it affected the television industry; on whether something similar could happen again

    05:02

    Walter Bernstein on what the industry should/could learn from the Blacklist and advice to others who might find themselves in a similar situation to what he went through

    01:46

    Barbara Billingsley

    Barbara Billingsley on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:35

    Paul Bogart

    Paul Bogart on the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:52

    Mili Lerner Bonsignori

    Mili Lerner Bonsignori on the aftermath of Edward R. Murrow's "A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy" on See It Now

    05:48

    David Brinkley

    David Brinkley on Senator Joseph McCarthy's "list" of 205 alleged Communists

    06:31

    James L. Brooks

    James L. Brooks on McCarthyism, the Hollywood Blacklist and Edward R. Murrow's influence

    03:14

    Frances Buss Buch

    Director Frances Buss Buch on being aware of the Hollywood Blacklist and signing a loyalty oath for CBS

    01:06

    James Burrows

    James Burrows on his father being called before the House Un-American Activities Committee

    01:01

    Robert Butler

    Robert Butler on directing a Defenders episode where an actor was deemed "unacceptable" due to the Blacklist

    00:58

    Dann Cahn

    Film editor Dann Cahn on the Blacklist era and Lucille Ball facing accusations of being a communist

    00:56

    Charles Cappleman

    Charles Cappleman on the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:59

    Marge Champion

    Marge Champion on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:23

    Esme Chandlee

    Esme Chandlee on how Blacklisting affected her clients

    02:50

    Cyd Charisse

    Cyd Charisse on the Hollywood Blacklist

    00:35

    Tony Charmoli

    Tony Charmoli on his awareness of the Blacklist in the 1950s

    01:56

    William Clotworthy

    William Clotworthy on the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:24

    Henry Colman

    Henry Colman on his encounter with the Blacklist during his tenure at Robert Montgomery Presents

    03:32

    John Conte

    John Conte on his experience with the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:13

    Hal Cooper

    Hal Cooper on the Hollywood Blacklist

    06:53

    Robert E. Costello

    Bob Costello on producing Armstrong Circle Theatre; on the Armstrong Cirlcle Theatre production of "Nightmare in Red" about Communism; on his dealings with McCarthyism and the Blacklist

    25:25

    Alexander Courage

    Alexander Courage on his memories of the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:54

    Warren Cowan

    Publicist Warren Cowan on representing "High Noon" and Gary Cooper's partnering with suspected Communist Carl Foreman; on some of his clients who appealed to HUAC; on the atmosphere created by McCarthyism

    02:15

    Richard Crenna

    Richard Crenna on the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:40

    Walter Cronkite

    Walter Cronkite on how the Hollywood Blacklist affected him and the news industry, specifically the writers on the dramatic program You Are There: Abe Polonsky, Walter Bernstein, and Charles Collingwood

    08:43

    Hume Cronyn

    Hume Cronyn on the Hollywood Blacklist

    07:53

    Robert Culp

    Robert Culp on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:19

    Michael Dann

    Michael Dann on The Hollywood Blacklist

    02:00

    Ossie Davis

    Ossie Davis on the effect of the Blacklist on him and fellow performers, and on being called to testify at the HUAC

    06:36

    Ruby Dee

    Ruby Dee on protesting the death penalty for the Rosenbergs and being blacklisted in Red Channels

    12:12

    Sam Denoff

    Sam Denoff on the Hollywood blacklist

    02:39

    Sam Denoff on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:17

    Dixon Dern

    Dixon Dern on working for the UPA studio during the McCarthyism era and the Hollywood Blacklist; he was asked to submit the names on the list; he calls it "A conspiracy of censorship". Lucille Ball was accused of being a communist.

    04:51

    Richard Donner

    Richard Donner on the Hollywood Blacklist and Martin Ritt

    03:08

    Louis Dorfsman

    Louis Dorfsman on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:50

    David Dortort

    David Dortort on the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:36

    Hugh Downs

    Hugh Downs on The Hollywood Blacklist not affecting booking guests on The Tonight Show

    02:11

    Bob Doyle

    Bob Doyle on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:52

    Bob Doyle on the impact of the McCarthy hearings being aired on television

    01:28

    Charles S. Dubin

    Charles S. Dubin on being called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee and being blacklisted for five years

    09:05

    Betty Cole Dukert

    Betty Cole Dukert on how Meet the Press  dealt with McCarthyism and partisan politics

    03:46

    Bob Elliott

    Bob Elliott on "Bob and Ray" doing comedy bits about McCarthyism

    04:11

    Ruth Engelhardt

    Ruth Engelhardt on the Hollywood Blacklist

    10:05

    Rod Erickson

    Rod Erickson on the Hollywood Blacklist's effect on television advertising

    13:35

    Nanette Fabray

    Nanette Fabray on the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:59

    Norman Felton

    Norman Felton on his experiences with the Blacklist

    08:00

    Mike Fenton

    Mike Fenton on the craft and technique of casting for television and on the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:10

    Gerald Perry Finnerman

    Gerald Perry Finnerman on Larry Parks and the Hollywood Blacklist

    05:13

    Horton Foote

    Horton Foote on the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:16

    John Forsythe

    John Forsythe on the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:12

    Eddie Foy III

    Eddie Foy III on the Hollywood Blacklist

    06:30

    Reuven Frank

    Reuven Frank on the Senator Joseph McCarthy hearings

    01:28

    John Frankenheimer

    John Frankenheimer on the Hollywood Blacklist

    00:40

    John Frankenheimer on the Hollywood Blacklist and The Senator McCarthy episode of See It Now

    03:38

    John Frankenheimer on the Hollywood Blacklist and the blacklisted writers of You Are There

    00:49

    John Frankenheimer on sponsor interference on Climax!  

    01:58

    Albert Freedman

    Albert Freedman on raising money for the defense fees for those on trial during the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:58

    Gerald Fried

    Gerald Fried on blacklisted musicians

    01:43

    William Froug

    William Froug on his experiences with the Hollywood Blacklist and being forced to have a copy of Red Channels on his desk to use for casting

    06:07

    Arthur Gardner

    Arthur Gardner on his memories of working during The Red Scare and the Blacklist

    00:42

    Betty Garrett

    Betty Garrett on how the Hollywood Blacklist impacted her and her husband Larry Parks

    12:40

    Betty Garrett on finally being removed from the Blacklist, and on meeting Senator Joseph McCarthy

    04:20

    Greg Garrison

    Greg Garrison on the Hollywood Blacklist and how it impacted actor Jack Gilford and others

    04:54

    Larry Gelbart

    Larry Gelbart on his memories of the Hollywood Blacklist; on the seriousness of the Blacklist

    00:55

    Herschel Burke Gilbert

    Herschel Burke Gilbert on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:57

    Leonard H. Goldenson

    Leonard H. Goldenson on airing the McCarthy Hearings in their entirety on ABC

    01:16

    Lewis Gomavitz

    Lewis Gomavitz on the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:24

    Julian Goodman

    Julian Goodman on the Hollywood Blacklist and McCarthyism and Herbert Hoover telling him a Communist was working on one of his shows

    03:21

    Julian Goodman on Edward R. Murrow's See it Now episode, "Senator McCarthy"

    00:57

    Curt Gowdy

    Curt Gowdy on The Hollywood Blacklist

    01:51

    Lee Grant

    Lee Grant on her relationship with Arnold Manoff and their experiences with the Hollywood Blacklist

    15:07

    Lee Grant on testifying before the House Un-American Activities Committee

    09:08

    Lee Grant on her friends and co-workers reaction to having been blacklisted, and on what her life was like when she was on the blacklist

    04:23

    Lee Grant on the fate of her then-husband Arnold Manoff, who'd been blacklisted, and on how other writers and actors dealt with the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:37

    Lee Grant on her feelings on those who named names to the House Un-American Activities Committee like Elia Kazan, and on the end of the blacklist

    07:53

    Lee Grant on appearing on Search for Tomorrow and on being fired because of the blacklist

    04:45

    Lee Grant on how the Hollywood Blacklist effected television as a whole

    01:28

    Walter E. Grauman

    Director Walter Grauman on hiring formerly blacklisted actor Jeff Corey on The Untouchables (and how Corey nearly lost the job)

    03:23

    Director Walter Grauman on the Naked City episode "Hold for Gloria Christmas," recalling it for early appearances by Alan Alda and Jessica Walter, as well as for "Joel Carpenter" who he discovered was blacklisted Arnold Manoff's pseudonym

    03:22

    Everett Greenbaum

    Everett Greenbaum on the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:11

    Earl Hamner, Jr.

    Earl Hamner on the effect of the Blacklisting era

    01:47

    Jeffrey Hayden

    Jeffrey Hayden on the Hollywood Blacklist and how he helped actor Will Geer

    00:37

    Skitch Henderson

    Lyle "Skitch" Henderson on the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:55

    Paul Henning

    Paul Henning on recollections of the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:35

    Arthur Hiller

    Arthur Hiller on the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:04

    Louis J. Horvitz

    Louis J. Horvitz on Elia Kazan's Honorary Oscar in 1999

    03:12

    Roy Huggins

    Roy Huggins on joining the Communist Party

    05:28

    Roy Huggins on how his communist leanings impacted the work he was doing as a novelist

    02:01

    Roy Huggins on writing the feature film "Hangman's Knot" and being placed on the Hollywood Blacklist

    09:41

    Roy Huggins on writing and directing the feature "Hangman's Knot" despite being blacklisted 

    04:16

    Roy Huggins on being subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and naming names

    11:02

    Kim Hunter

    Kim Hunter on being blacklisted in the 1950s

    07:33

    Kim Hunter on the impact of the Hollywood Blacklist on television

    02:12

    Seaman Jacobs

    Seaman Jacobs on the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:02

    Herb Jellinek

    Herb Jellinek on ABC's coverage of the Senator Joseph McCarthy hearings

    04:34

    Joseph Jennings

    Joseph Jennings on the Hollywood Blacklist

    00:25

    Lamont Johnson

    Lamont Johnson on working with Fay Wray, and on the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:25

    Lamont Johnson on being on the Hollywood Blacklist, and on producer Albert McCleery disregarding it to hire him

    07:32

    Lamont Johnson on dealing with the Hollywood Blacklist, and later directing many issue-oriented shows like My Sweet Charlie

    03:04

    Russell Johnson

    Russell Johnson on being questioned about his politics because of his name

    05:29

    Robert Justman

    Robert Justman on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:28

    Irma Kalish

    Rocky and Irma Kalish on the impact of the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:05

    Rocky Kalish

    Rocky and Irma Kalish on the impact of the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:04

    Sidney M. Katz

    Sidney M. Katz on editing Edward R. Murrow's See It Now  series and the episode on Joseph McCarthy

    03:52

    Sidney M. Katz on dealing with Hollywood Blacklist

    01:44

    Bob Keeshan

    Bob Keeshan on the network and Captain Kangaroo  and the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:12

    Ernest Kinoy

    Ernest Kinoy on the McCarthy era and the Blacklist episode of The Defenders

    05:43

    Ernest Kinoy on the Hollywood Blacklist and The Defenders

    03:28

    Ernest Kinoy on the Hollywood Blacklist and Red Channels 

    10:56

    Jeff Kisseloff

    Jeff Kisseloff on interviewing former president of CBS Frank Stanton about the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:06

    Jeff Kisseloff on covering controversial topics like the Blacklist for his book "The Box: An Oral History of Television, 1929-1961"

    02:14

    Jeff Kisseloff on Edward R. Murrow and Fred Friendly's See It Now "A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy"

    02:49

    Jack Klugman

    Jack Klugman on "The Blacklist" episode of The Defenders and winning an Emmy for the role

    04:59

    Jack Klugman on the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:02

    Jack Klugman on his recollections about the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:34

    Ring Lardner, Jr.

    Ring Lardner, Jr. on being called before the House Un-American Activities Committee

    16:16

    Ring Lardner, Jr. on the experience of testifying before the House Un-American Activities Committee

    07:56

    Ring Lardner, Jr. on the experience of testifying before the House Un-American Activities Committee

    05:53

    Ring Lardner, Jr. on being cited for contempt by the House Un-American Activities Committee and going to jail, and on the Hollywood Ten

    08:58

    Ring Lardner, Jr. on serving time for contempt of Congress

    04:51

    Ring Lardner, Jr. on his experiences writing for The Adventures of Robin Hood under a pseudonym during the Hollywood Blacklist era

    08:38

    Ring Lardner, Jr. on the McCarthy hearings, and on the end of the Hollywood Blacklist

    05:55

    Ring Lardner, Jr. on the fear and paranoia of the Hollywood Blacklist, and on writing various feature films

    05:54

    Ring Lardner, Jr. on why he believes the Hollywood Blacklist happened

    02:52

    Ring Lardner, Jr. on how his experience with the Hollywood Blacklist shaped his writing, and on how he'd like to be remembered

    02:09

    Piper Laurie

    Piper Laurie on her experiences with the Hollywood Blacklist

    05:24

    Norman Lear

    Norman Lear on how he turned down requests to be a front for blacklisted writers during the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:52

    Jack Lemmon

    Jack Lemmon on how the Hollywood Blacklist impacted his friends and colleagues

    03:15

    Jack Lemmon on appearing on the series Heaven for Betsy and the Hollywood Blacklist 

    03:18

    Sheldon Leonard

    Sheldon Leonard on the Hollywood Blacklist and on how he got some writers reinstated

    04:33

    Richard Lewis

    Richard Lewis on producing Who's There, starring Arlene Francis and Melvyn Douglas, who was blacklisted

    07:44

    Frank Liberman

    Frank Liberman on the Hollywood Blacklist

    00:21

    William Link

    William Link on the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:11

    James Lipton

    James Lipton on the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:26

    John J. Lloyd

    John J. Lloyd on his recollections of the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:00

    Sam Lovullo

    Sam Lovullo on the Hollywood Blacklist

    00:50

    Sidney Lumet

    Sidney Lument on the correspondents of You Are There, and on their political affiliations and the Blacklist

    10:52

    Sidney Lumet on his experience with the Hollywood Blacklist

    07:01

    Sidney Lumet on individuals that were targeted by the Hollywood Blacklist, including Walter Bernstein, and on blacklisted writers

    08:14

    Sidney Lumet on various television scripts that were covertly about the Hollywood Blacklist

    05:31

    Stewart MacGregory

    Stewart MacGregory on the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:06

    Robert MacNeil

    Robert MacNeil on the Hollywood Blacklist

    06:20

    Loring Mandel

    Loring Mandel on the Hollywood Blacklist, and on casting blacklisted actors on Studio One

    05:46

    Abby Mann

    Abby Mann on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:20

    Delbert Mann

    Delbert Mann on how his career was affected by the Hollywood Blacklist

    07:25

    Martin Manulis

    Martin Manulis on the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:12

    Bob Markell

    Bob Markell on how the Blacklist affected the cast and crew of You Are There

    04:23

    Bob Markell on an episode of The Defenders that dealt with the Blacklist

    04:35

    E. G. Marshall

    E.G. Marshall on The Defenders doing an episode about the Hollywood Blacklist

    05:59

    Dick Martin

    Dick Martin on the Hollywood blacklist

    02:39

    Leslie H. Martinson

    Leslie H. Martinson on the Hollywood Blacklist

    10:33

    Bob McGrath

    Bob McGrath on one of his first times seeing television - the McCarthy hearings

    01:16

    Jayne Meadows

    Jayne Meadows on the Hollywood Blacklist: on her sister Audrey meeting Sen. McCarthy and how Mark Goodson protected his actors

    04:27

    Jayne Meadows on how her sister Audrey Meadows got hired on The Honeymooners with Jackie Gleason because of the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:57

    Anne Meara

    Anne Meara on her recollections of the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:58

    Bill Melendez

    Bill Melendez on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:53

    Burt Metcalfe

    Burt Metcalfe on the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:58

    Sig Mickelson

    Sig Mickelson on his experiences with the Hollywood Blacklist at CBS News

    08:29

    Sig Mickelson on the blacklisting of CBS News correspondent Winston Burdett

    04:33

    Sig Mickelson on the atmosphere at CBS News during the period of the Hollywood Blacklist, and his memories of the time

    02:05

    Sig Mickelson on the publication "Red Channels," and on the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:37

    Sig Mickelson on signing a loyalty oath for CBS News and on other issues connected with the Red Scare

    05:42

    JP Miller

    JP Miller on the Hollywood Blacklist, and on his friend Zero Mostel's experience with the Blacklist

    06:22

    Vic Mizzy

    Vic Mizzy on not having any involvement with the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:01

    Paul Monash

    Paul Monash on the Hollywood Blacklist

    05:55

    Bill Monroe

    Bill Monroe on Senator Joseph McCarthy and the Communist witch hunts of the 1950s

    01:39

    Millie Moore

    Millie Moore on her first film as a full editor, working for Dalton Trumbo on "Johnny Got His Gun"

    02:47

    Thomas W. Moore

    Thomas W. Moore on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:04

    Harry Morgan

    Harry Morgan briefly on the Blacklist (he was neighbors with Lionel Stander in later years)

    00:45

    Howard Morris

    Howard Morris on the Hollywood Blacklist

    00:47

    Robert Mott

    Robert Mott on the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:49

    Tony Mottola

    Tony Mottola on not being affected by the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:04

    Frank Nastasi

    Frank Nastasi on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:44

    Anne Nelson

    Anne Nelson on the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:24

    Alan Neuman

    Alan Neuman on the Hollywood Blacklist

    08:46

    Leonard Nimoy

    Leonard Nimoy on actor Jeff Corey's blacklisting, and how Nimoy became involved in teaching as an indirect result

    00:42

    Daniel Petrie, Sr.

    Daniel Petrie, Sr. on directing Treasury Men in Action, and on his experience with the Hollywood Blacklist

    08:33

    Daniel Petrie, Sr. on dealing with the Hollywood Blacklist

    10:03

    Pam Polifroni

    Pam Polifroni on getting into casting on The Loretta Young Show, and on the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:25

    David Pollock

    David Pollock on his father being on the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:02

    Abraham Polonsky

    Abraham Polonsky on the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:27

    Abraham Polonsky on testifying before the House Un-American Activities Committee

    02:42

    Abraham Polonsky on Elia Kazan's testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee, and on working in the aftermath

    04:39

    Abraham Polonsky on using pen names during the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:48

    Abraham Polonsky on his career after the Hollywood Blacklist

    00:55

    Abraham Polonsky on Elia Kazan, if the Hollywood Blacklist could happen again, and on his and his family's politics

    06:11

    Tom Poston

    Tom Poston on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:02

    Carroll Pratt

    Carroll Pratt on the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:26

    David Pressman

    David Pressman on learning his was blacklisted and being fired from Treasury Men in Action

    05:02

    David Pressman on being blacklisted; on teaching at Boston University from 1954-1959 during his unemployment; on then running the Neighborhood Playhouse; on the end of the blacklist; on trying to get jobs in television during the blacklist period; on David Susskind hiring him for television

    08:53

    David Pressman on how being blacklisted affected him

    04:47

    David Pressman on "secretly" directing The Philip Morris Playhouse while he was blacklisted

    06:27

    David Pressman on the Hollywood Blacklist happening again

    01:12

    Madelyn Pugh Davis

    Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the Blacklist and Lucille Ball's being branded a Communist during I Love Lucy

    02:40

    Ward Quaal

    Ward Quaal on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:31

    Charlotte Rae

    Charlotte Rae on her experience with the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:02

    Tony Randall

    Tony Randall on the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:44

    Joyce Randolph

    Joyce Randolph on Audrey Meadows replacing Pert Kelton in the cast of The Honeymooners

    00:42

    Frances Reid

    Frances Reid on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:49

    Carl Reiner

    Carl Reiner on blacklisted writer, Frank Tarloff and his own experience with the Blacklist

    03:39

    Del Reisman

    Del Reisman on the advent of the Hollywood Blacklist, and on being asked to sign a "loyalty oath" for NBC

    02:21

    Del Reisman on getting an internal memo from CBS with names of writers and actors they were forbidden to hire because of their blacklisted status

    06:58

    Del Reisman on the Screenwriters Guild's participation in the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:42

    Del Reisman on the use of "fronts" to get around the Hollywood Blacklist

    05:12

    Del Reisman on how the Hollywood Blacklist impacted him, and on the end of the blacklist era

    06:15

    Del Reisman on the Writers Guild getting restitution for formerly blacklisted writers

    03:56

    Gene Reynolds

    Gene Reynolds on the Hollywood Blacklist 

    03:40

    Larry Rhine

    Larry Rhine on the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:21

    John Rich

    John Rich on the Hollywood Blacklist (and witnessing an actor being fired during a reading of an episode of I Married Joan)

    03:15

    Lee Rich

    Lee Rich on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:47

    Hank Rieger

    Hank Rieger on United Press covering the Hollywood Blacklist

    00:46

    Rita Riggs

    Rita Riggs on the Hollywood Blacklist

    00:57

    Tony Roberts with Emerson College

    Tony Roberts on Zero Mostel and the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:07

    Cliff Robertson

    Cliff Robertson on his recollections of The Hollywood Blacklist

    00:47

    Andy Rooney

    Andy Rooney on his encounter with the Blacklist while he was at CBS

    08:42

    Mickey Rooney

    Mickey Rooney on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:18

    Marion Ross

    Marion Ross on her very limited experience of the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:22

    Aaron Ruben

    Aaron Ruben on getting a subpoena to testify during the Hollywood Blacklist 

    05:24

    Marlene Sanders

    Marlene Sanders on her recollections of the Hollywood Blacklist

    00:29

    Jay Sandrich

    Jay Sandrich on his memories of the Hollywood Blacklist and some colleagues who were affected, and why Lucille Ball was accused of being a Communist 

    02:22

    Joseph Sargent

    Joseph Sargent on his experience with the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:44

    Edgar J. Scherick

    Edgar Scherick on his experiences with the Blacklist

    00:44

    Bob Schiller

    Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on their recollections of the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:17

    Alfred Schneider

    Alfred Schneider on dealing with the Hollywood Blacklist as an executive at CBS

    02:36

    Arthur Schneider

    Arthur Schneider on his experience with the Hollywood Blacklist, and on NBC's colorblind test

    02:03

    Daniel Schorr

    Daniel Schorr on covering the McCarthy hearings

    05:08

    Daniel Schorr on Edward R. Murrow's See it Now commentary on Senator Joseph McCarthy

    01:22

    William Self

    William Self on dealing with the Hollywood Blacklist as a producer

    01:13

    Ralph Senensky

    Ralph Senensky on his experiences with McCarthyism and the Blacklist

    01:49

    Mel Shavelson

    Mel Shavelson on Bob Hope doing jokes about Senator Joseph McCarthy

    01:40

    Mel Shavelson on his experience with the Hollywood Blacklist and on the societal impact of television

    09:39

    David Shaw

    David Shaw on the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:04

    David Shaw on The Defenders dealing with the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:14

    Jack Shea

    Jack Shea on the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:28

    James Sheldon

    James Sheldon on the Hollywood Blacklist 

    04:53

    James Sheldon on nearly being fired because of a mix up involving another man named James Sheldon during the Hollywood Blacklist era 

    01:12

    James Sheldon on why he doesn't remember many details of the Blacklist era

    01:02

    Sidney Sheldon

    Sidney Sheldon on his recollections of the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:18

    Garry Simpson

    Garry Simpson on Red Channels and advertiser control over early TV programs

    02:53

    Doris Singleton

    Doris Singleton on the Hollywood Blacklist and Red Channels

    02:00

    Ira Skutch

    Ira Skutch on the Hollywood Blacklist

    07:11

    Howard Smit

    Howard Smit on the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:27

    Dick Smith

    Dick Smith on being warned about the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:46

    Sid Smith

    Sid Smith on recollections of the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:37

    Dick Smothers

    Tom and Dick Smothers on hiring blacklisted singer Pete Seeger

    02:20

    Tom Smothers

    Tom and Dick Smothers on hiring blacklisted singer Pete Seeger

    02:20

    Aaron Spelling

    Aaron Spelling on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:27

    Lynn Stalmaster

    Lynn Stalmaster on dealing with the Hollywood Blacklist as a casting director

    01:51

    Frank Stanton

    Frank Stanton on Edward R. Murrow's commentary on Senator Joseph McCarthy

    04:51

    Frank Stanton on the policies invoked at CBS during the blacklist period, and on the loyalty oath

    04:33

    Frank Stanton on CBS and the Hollywood Blacklist

    07:44

    Jean Stapleton

    Jean Stapleton on John Randolph and others standing up to the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:00

    Ben Starr

    Ben Starr on his recollections of the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:06

    Fred Steiner

    Fred Steiner on the Hollywood Blacklist

    07:43

    Leonard Stern

    Leonard Stern on how Jackie Gleason fought for an actress who was supposed to play "Alice" on The Honeymooners , who was blacklisted

    54:56

    Bob Stewart

    Bob Stewart on finding out about the Blacklist when Abe Burrows was discussed as a possible radio show guest but denied because he was "in the book"

    01:36

    Jerry Stiller

    Jerry Stiller on his memories of the Hollywood Blacklist

    06:31

    Gale Storm

    Gale Storm on her memories of how the Blacklist affected the entertainment industry

    02:42

    John Strauss

    John Strauss on the Hollywood Blacklist

    07:54

    John Strauss on speaking to newspaper columnist Hedda Hopper on behalf of actor Sterling Hayden when he was suspected of being a Communist

    01:06

    William Tankersley

    William Tankersley on his involvement with the CBS loyalty oath and the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:59

    Studs Terkel

    Studs Terkel on how the Hollywood Blacklist ended his budding career in television

    03:19

    Studs Terkel on being blacklisted and working with gospel singer Mahalia Jackson

    03:36

    Richard Thomas

    Richard Thomas on working with Will Geer and Ellen Corby as "Grandma and Grandpa Walton" on The Waltons, and on Will Geer having been a victim of the Hollywood Blacklist

    08:29

    Stanford Tischler

    Stanford Tischler on not knowing any editors affected by the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:12

    Mel Tolkin

    Mel Tolkin on the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:10

    Robert Trout

    Robert Trout on the Communist blacklist of the 1950s

    03:40

    Dick Van Patten

    Dick Van Patten on his memories of the Hollywood Blacklist

    00:50

    Robert Vaughn

    Robert Vaughn on his dissertation on The Blacklist

    03:59

    Robert Vaughn on his stage role as Dalton Trumbo, one of the Hollywood Ten, and what blacklisting means today

    03:18

    Robert Vaughn on McCarthyism and the Hollywood Blacklist; on his dissertation on the Blacklist

    03:54

    Jac Venza

    Jac Venza on the Hollywood Blacklist

    00:36

    Ellen M. Violett

    Ellen M. Violett on her experience with the Blacklist of the 1950s

    10:52

    Mike Wallace

    Mike Wallace on the era of the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:08

    Bob Weiskopf

    Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on their recollections of the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:17

    Lou Weiss

    Lou Weiss on the Hollywood Blacklist

    03:25

    Joseph Wershba

    Joseph Wershba on CBS reporter Don Hollenbeck committing suicide after having been accused of Communist sympathy

    01:37

    Joseph Wershba on CBS reporter Don Hollenbeck committing suicide after having been accused of Communist sympathies

    02:49

    Joseph Wershba on working on the See It Now story about reserve Air Force lieutenant Milo Radulovich

    04:16

    Joseph Wershba on working on the See It Now story about reserve Air Force lieutenant Milo Radulovich

    29:18

    Joseph Wershba on Edward R. Murrow's "A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy" on See It Now

    27:29

    Av Westin

    Av Westin on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:49

    Max Wilk

    Max Wilk on The Hollywood Blacklist

    10:50

    Ethel Winant

    Ethel Winant on dealing with the network on casting blacklisted actors and minorities on television in the '50s

    02:08

    Ethel Winant on dealing with the Hollywood Blacklist on shows like Armstrong Circle Theatre

    01:54

    Ethel Winant on dealing with the Hollywood Blacklist as a casting director

    00:00

    Perry Wolff

    Perry Wolff on dealing with the Hollywood Blacklist

    04:20

    Jane Wyatt

    Jane Wyatt on her recollections of the Hollywood Blacklist and her involvement with the CFA (Committee for the First Amendment)

    04:29

    Jane Wyatt on protesting the Hollywood Blacklist

    02:10

    Jane Wyatt on learning she had been blacklisted

    01:50

    Jane Wyatt on why she believes the Blacklist era happened

    01:32

    Bud Yorkin

    Bud Yorkin on dealing with the Hollywood Blacklist and Tennessee Ernie Ford Show writer Roland Kibbee

    01:31

    Alan Young

    Alan Young on the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:23

    Frederic Ziv

    Frederic Ziv on his recollections of the Hollywood Blacklist

    01:46

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