News report: Blacklisting of the Hollywood Ten
November 25, 1947
1:40
[title]
 
If the file does not automatically play, try clicking here. This file is available on CD500
(New York City, November 25, 1947)

In 1938, Congress founded the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) to investigate fascists, communists, and other "subversives" residing in the United States. After World War II, HUAC turned its efforts almost exclusively against communists and in 1947 held hearings on "the extent of communist penetration in the Hollywood motion picture industry." A group of 10 Hollywood communists--seven screenwriters, two directors, and a producer--were brought before the committee in the fall of that year. The so-called "Hollywood Ten" included John Howard Lawson, co-founder of the Screen Writers Guild, and Oscar-winning screenwriter Ring Lardner Jr. The Hollywood Ten chose to remain silent during the questioning and ill-advisably invoked the First Amendment (the right to free speech and to assemble) rather than the Fifth Amendment (protection against self-incrimination). One of the few to respond to a question put to him was Lardner, who, when asked if he was or ever was a member of the Communist Party, replied, "I could answer the question exactly the way you want, but if I did, I would hate myself in the morning." On November 24, 1947, the Hollywood Ten were convicted of contempt of Congress and sentenced to up to a year in prison. The next day, the Association of Motion Picture Producers fired the Hollywood Ten, expressed their support of HUAC, and announced their intent to blacklist any other individuals working in Hollywood who were thought to have communist associations. Hundreds of communists and "communist sympathizers" were fired from the industry over the next decade. Some of the blacklisted managed to continue their movie work in other countries or under assumed names, but most were forced into menial jobs. By the mid-1960s, blacklisting had ended, and a few of the Hollywood Ten returned to Hollywood, including Ring Lardner, who later won a Best Screenplay Adaptation Oscar in 1971 for M*A*S*H.
House Un-American Activities Committee in Action
Original caption: 10/20/1947-Washington, DC: Scene in the Caucus Room of the House Office Building as the House Un-American Activities Committee opened its investigation into alleged Communist activities in the movie industry. Jack L. Warner, VP of Warner Brothers, is first witness on stand (2nd lt, center); beside him is Paul V. McNutt, counsel for producers. Committee members at right, (l-r): Ricgard Vail (R.IL); John McDowell (R.PA); J. Parnell Thomas (R.NJ), chairman; Richard Nixon (R.CA); and John Wood (D.GA). October 20, 1947
Adolphe Menjou Taking Oath at Hearing
Actor Adolphe Menjou takes the oath before testifying at the House Un-American Activities Committee hearing in Washington, D.C.. At the hearing on October 21, 1947 Menjou said Communism is "an incredibly serious menace" and that there are "many, many dangerous directors and actors" in Hollywood.
Actor Ronald Reagan Testifying Before House Committee
Movie actor Ronald Reagan testifies before the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Date Photographed: October 23, 1947
Film Stars Protesting Against Congressional Hearing
Prominent motion picture stars, lead by Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, cross a Washington, DC street to protest hearings by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. October 27, 1947
Curious Onlookers Watch Stars During Senate Hearing
Original caption: 10/27/47-Washington, D.C.: Curious spectators peer through windows for a glimpse of Hollywood figures who arrived by plane in Washington, Oct. 26, to protest the House Un-American Activities Committee's method of probing alleged Communism in Hollywood. Left to right are: producer Joe Sistrom, actor Humphrey Bogart, and actresses Evelyn Keyes and Lauren Bacall. October 27, 1947
Dalton Trumbo Leaving Witness Stand
Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, one of the "Hollywood Ten" targeted by the Un-American Activities Committee, leaves the witness stand shouting "This is the beginning of Amercan concentration camp." He is the second Hollywood personality in two days to defy investigators questions regarding Communist affiliation. He is accompanied by his defense lawyers Robert Kenny and Bartley Crum.