On this day in Labor History the year was 1947 that was the day that the US House of Representatives found ten Hollywood writers and directors in contempt for their alleged ties to Communism.
The decision was based on the House Un-American Activities Committee’s finding the ten to be in contempt the week before.
More than forty screenwriters, directors and producers were brought before the committee to testify about allegations of rampant Communist activities in the movie-making industry.
During the Cold War fear of Communism reached a fevered pitch.
This included the fear that Communists were infiltrating Hollywood to spread their message to the public through the movies.
Ten refused to answer the committee’s questions or to name names of other potential Communists.
Each of the ten was fined $1,000, sentenced to a year in prison, and blacklisted from working in Hollywood.
Perhaps the most well-known of the ten was one of Hollywood’s leading screenwriters, Dalton Trumbo.
He served 11 months in federal prison for refusing to cooperate with House Un-American Activities Committee.
While he was blacklisted he wrote the screen play for Roman Holiday, the romantic film starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn.
Since Trumbo could not take credit for the film, another screenwriter friend put his name on it.
Roman Holiday won the 1953 Academy Award for best screenplay.
Three years later another Trumbo script, The Brave One also received the Academy Award.
Finally, in 1960 Trumbo worked on Stanley Kubrick’s acclaimed film Spartacus.
Kubrick refused to remove Trumbo from the credits—busting the blacklist.
In 2015, actor Bryan Cranston starred in a film about Trumbo’s life.
During the House Un-American Activities Committee’s hearings, the Screen Actors Guild passed a resolution that members had to disavow any ties to the Communist Party.
They also elected actor Ronald Regan president of their union.
December 1 - Standing Up for Themselves and Their Patients
November 30 - Angel of the Stockyards is Born
November 29 - The Fight for $15 & A Union
November 28 - Disaster in the Mines
November 27 - Death Trap in Newark
November 26 - The Birth of William Sylvis
November 25 - Chicago Printers Walk Off the Job
November 23 - The Thibodaux Massacre
November 22 - Uprising of the 20,000
November 21 - Autoworkers Join the Postwar Strike Wave
November 20 - Birth of the Time Clock
November 19 - Joe Hill’s Final Words
November 18 - Accident or Murder?
November 17 - Resisting Impressment
November 16 - NFL Players End Strike
November 15 - The IWW is Raided
November 14 - The Origins of CWA
November 13 - The Holland Tunnel Opens
November 12 - Striking Against Privatization
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