2 The HUAC Targets Hollywood
(1947)The House of Un-American Activities Committee was formed to see if communists were working in the Motion Picture Industry.
HUAC wanted to know if movies were promoting communist beliefs in an attempt to destroy America from within.
Actors, writers and producers were summoned to testify in front of congress
Asked two questions
1. Are, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party? 2. Do you know any communists working in the Motion Picture Industry?”
if they said yes their career was no more, if they were caught lying they could have the punishment of spending many years in prison
anyone in Hollywood with even the remotest link to communism was abandoned or disowned.
the Hollywood Ten was a group felt the HUAC had no right to ask questions or to force people to rat out others.
When called to testify, the Hollywood Ten refused to answer questions
For refusing to testify in front of congress. A grand jury indicted them, and the Hollywood Ten served served 6-12 months in prison.
Fearing the movie industry would be no more, the executives got rid of the Hollywood Ten, and created a Blacklist containing 250 names of suspected communists working in the Motion Picture Industry.
The Executives agreed to fire the 250 and never hire them again.
Those blacklisted were shunned by friends and family. Some left the country, saw their careers ruined, and a few even committed suicide.
For the next 10 years, Hollywood continued to blacklist anyone with ties to communism.
over fifty Anti-communist movies were made from 1947-1954.
In the early 1950s, Ronald Reagan, (president of screen actors guild), had actors sign a loyalty oath to prove they were not communists.
paranoia in Hollywood continued until the mid 1960s.
HUAC wanted to know if movies were promoting communist beliefs in an attempt to destroy America from within.
Actors, writers and producers were summoned to testify in front of congress
Asked two questions
1. Are, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party? 2. Do you know any communists working in the Motion Picture Industry?”
if they said yes their career was no more, if they were caught lying they could have the punishment of spending many years in prison
anyone in Hollywood with even the remotest link to communism was abandoned or disowned.
the Hollywood Ten was a group felt the HUAC had no right to ask questions or to force people to rat out others.
When called to testify, the Hollywood Ten refused to answer questions
For refusing to testify in front of congress. A grand jury indicted them, and the Hollywood Ten served served 6-12 months in prison.
Fearing the movie industry would be no more, the executives got rid of the Hollywood Ten, and created a Blacklist containing 250 names of suspected communists working in the Motion Picture Industry.
The Executives agreed to fire the 250 and never hire them again.
Those blacklisted were shunned by friends and family. Some left the country, saw their careers ruined, and a few even committed suicide.
For the next 10 years, Hollywood continued to blacklist anyone with ties to communism.
over fifty Anti-communist movies were made from 1947-1954.
In the early 1950s, Ronald Reagan, (president of screen actors guild), had actors sign a loyalty oath to prove they were not communists.
paranoia in Hollywood continued until the mid 1960s.