This Day in Fascism (1947): "Red Scare" Blacklist

[Pogo]

November 25, 1947:

Ten film screenwriters/producers/directors were cited for contempt of Congress and blacklisted after refusing to answer questions about their alleged involvement with the Communist Party:

​

Wiki:

>> In late September 1947, HUAC subpoenaed 79 individuals on a claim that they were subversive and the supposition that they injected Communist propaganda into their films. Although never substantiating this claim, the investigators charged them with contempt of Congress when they refused to answer the questions about their membership in the Screen Writers Guild and Communist Party. The Committee demanded they admit their political beliefs and name names of other Communists. Nineteen of those refused to cooperate, and due to illnesses, scheduling conflicts, and exhaustion from the chaotic hearings, only 10 appeared before the Committee. These men became known as the Hollywood Ten.[72]

Belonging to the Communist Party did not constitute a crime, and the Committee's right to investigate these men was questionable in the first place. These men relied on the First Amendment's right to privacy, freedom of speech, and freedom of thought, but the Committee charged them with contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions. Later defendants – except Pete Seeger – tried different strategies.[73]​

Seventy years ago today. This was the only first wave of mass ideological anti-American witch hunts in movies, television and music. Some went years before they were allowed to work; some never got another chance at all. Hundreds of writers, actors, musicians and other personnel in various parts of the entertainment field were blacklisted in the same sweep over the next decade, especially upon the arrival of an extremist right-wing booklet called "Red Channels" listing scores of insinuations. Among these were Leonard Bernstein, Oscar Brand (who was Canadian), Lee J. Cobb, Aaron Copland, Richard Dyer-Bennett (British), Ruth Gordon, Yip Harburg, Nat Hiken, Langston Hughes, Lena Horne, Burl Ives, Sam Jaffe, Gypsy Rose Lee, Alan Lomax, Burgess Meredith, Arthur Miller, Henry Morgan, Zero Mostel, Dorothy Parker, Edward G. Robinson, Artie Shaw, Howard K Smith, Orson Welles and Josh White.

And those are just a few of those who managed to break the hold. Among those who never did break free from the slur was Philip Loeb, a central and favorite actor on Gertrude Berg's hugely popular radio-and-then-television program The Goldbergs. Loeb was blacklisted in 1950, the sponsor pulled out, CBS demanded he be dropped, and Berg, the creator, writer and owner of the show, to her eternal credit, flatly refused. CBS soon dropped the show but due to its popularity it was picked up by NBC, who also insisted on jettisoning Loeb, and Berg finally relented, though again to her credit, continued to pay a salary to Loeb. Soon after, Loeb resigned, was unable to work after 1952, and committed suicide in 1955.

Seeger mentioned above, and activist musician and longstanding advocate of civil rights, labor rights and pacifism, was called before Congress in 1955, where he famously told the witch hunters: "I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this." Though he continued to record for the independent Folkways label and perform internationally, his national public performance blacklist lasted until February of 1968 when the Smothers Brothers presented him on their Comedy Hour --- but he had been censored off the air by CBS Television just a few months prior.

All this shit began seventy years ago today -- well within the lifetime of many people still living -- in the purported Land of the Free.

Let us remember and vow, Never Again.

 

[aaronleland]

Have you seen Trumbo with Bryan Cranston? It was a great movie about the HUAC and their attempts to keep Dalton Trumbo from working in Hollywood. Louis C.K. had a pretty big part in it too, but I found the lack of masturbation scenes disappointing.

 

[Pogo]

Have you seen Trumbo with Bryan Cranston? It was a great movie about the HUAC and their attempts to keep Dalton Trumbo from working in Hollywood. Louis C.K. had a pretty big part in it too, but I found the lack of masturbation scenes disappointing.

I have not, thanks for the tip.

I'll have to remember to uh, clean the pipes before I go see it.

 

[aaronleland]

Have you seen Trumbo with Bryan Cranston? It was a great movie about the HUAC and their attempts to keep Dalton Trumbo from working in Hollywood. Louis C.K. had a pretty big part in it too, but I found the lack of masturbation scenes disappointing.

I have not, thanks for the tip.

I'll have to remember to uh, clean the pipes before I go see it.

In seriousness, it's a must watch even if you aren't interested in the subject. The acting by Cranston, C.K., John Goodman, Diane Lane and Helen Mirren is amazing.

 

[TroglocratsRdumb]

Marxist have murdered and oppressed millions of innocent human beings.
It's best to nip it in the bud.
But, our dangerous far left wing crackpot Democrats are a constant threat to our democracy and constitutional form of government.

 

[TroglocratsRdumb]

BTW, Louis C.K. is a dumb angry liberal bigot and unwatchable

 

[Pogo]

BTW, Louis C.K. is a dumb angry liberal bigot and unwatchable

I don't give a flying fuck about your personal hangups. I'll watch it for the story it tells. I ain't interested in fucking actors. I'm interested in the concept of free speech.

 

[whitehall]

Funny how liberals pretend to be interested in political history but they can't seem to figure out that congress had no power to blacklist anyone. Hollywood liberals blacklisted their own because they were afraid of losing money. Amazingly they managed to blame a single republican senator for the whole misunderstanding.

 

[Pogo]

Funny how liberals pretend to be interested in political history but they can't seem to figure out that congress had no power to blacklist anyone. Hollywood liberals blacklisted their own because they were afraid of losing money. Amazingly they managed to blame a single republican senator for the whole misunderstanding.

Where does it say "Congress blacklisted anyone"?
Where did I mention a single Senator of any description?
When did Senators start sitting in the House?
Let me know because I'll need to report to USMB how somebody hijacked my account.

Congress did however hand out jail terms. Pete Seeger mentioned above got ten one-year terms. For refusing to go along with the invasion of privacy game.

That's a hero.

Ain't no "misunderstanding" here Hunior. It's abundantly clear who was trying to intimidate who, and who stood up for the concept of free speech, and who trashed it.

 

[whitehall]

The implication i

Funny how liberals pretend to be interested in political history but they can't seem to figure out that congress had no power to blacklist anyone. Hollywood liberals blacklisted their own because they were afraid of losing money. Amazingly they managed to blame a single republican senator for the whole misunderstanding.

Where does it say "Congress blacklisted anyone"?
Where did I mention a single Senator of any description?
When did Senators start sitting in the House?
Let me know because I'll need to report to USMB how somebody hijacked my account.

Congress did however hand out jail terms. Pete Seeger mentioned above got ten one-year terms. For refusing to go along with the invasion of privacy game.

That's a hero.

Ain't no "misunderstanding" here Hunior. It's abundantly clear who was trying to intimidate who, and who stood up for the concept of free speech, and who trashed it.

The implication has always been that somehow the commies in H'wood were blacklisted by the evil U.S. government. Actually it was the Truman administration that went to war with communist infiltration into American society and it was a good thing. When the commies became the darlings of the liberal left the liberal media managed to blame the whole thing on a republican senator who didn't even chair a committee.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

HUAC, the ‘red scare,’ and blacklists, were among the more reprehensible manifestations of conservative reactionaryism – the unwarranted fear of free expression and dissent common to most on the right.

Needless to say it would be naïve to believe it couldn’t happen again – conservatism continues to harbor the same unwarranted fear of change, diversity, and free expression.

 

[whitehall]

HUAC, the ‘red scare,’ and blacklists, were among the more reprehensible manifestations of conservative reactionaryism – the unwarranted fear of free expression and dissent common to most on the right.

Needless to say it would be naïve to believe it couldn’t happen again – conservatism continues to harbor the same unwarranted fear of change, diversity, and free expression.

Why do left wingers become hysterical about normal congressional investigations? Is it about the left's sensitivity about communism? Actually it did happen again and it does happen, often. When democrats gained the majority halfway into Bush's 2nd term what do you think the most important issue democrats at the time? The economy was about to collapse under the "leadership" of newly appointed House banking Chairperson Barney Frank who controlled Fannie Mae but democrats had bigger fish to fry. They held a HUAC like investigations into....gasp....steroid use in professional Baseball. After about year of HUAC like entertainment they managed to blacklist a legendary pitcher from the Hall of Fame.

 

[Pogo]

The implication i

Funny how liberals pretend to be interested in political history but they can't seem to figure out that congress had no power to blacklist anyone. Hollywood liberals blacklisted their own because they were afraid of losing money. Amazingly they managed to blame a single republican senator for the whole misunderstanding.

Where does it say "Congress blacklisted anyone"?
Where did I mention a single Senator of any description?
When did Senators start sitting in the House?
Let me know because I'll need to report to USMB how somebody hijacked my account.

Congress did however hand out jail terms. Pete Seeger mentioned above got ten one-year terms. For refusing to go along with the invasion of privacy game.

That's a hero.

Ain't no "misunderstanding" here Hunior. It's abundantly clear who was trying to intimidate who, and who stood up for the concept of free speech, and who trashed it.

The implication has always been that somehow the commies in H'wood were blacklisted by the evil U.S. government. Actually it was the Truman administration that went to war with communist infiltration into American society and it was a good thing. When the commies became the darlings of the liberal left the liberal media managed to blame the whole thing on a republican senator who didn't even chair a committee.

Truman was a freaking moron. One of the four worst POTUSes we've had since 1900.

Again, I mentioned no "Senators", who do not sit in the "House". Again, Congress doesn't hire people for entertainment jobs, ergo it cannot not-hire them due to a "blacklist". What it can do is put that pressure on and make them LOOK guilty. And what dimwitted sycophants like you and Truman do is go along with it like good little sheep.

And once again, "Liberal" has nothing to do with "left", although it's timely that you bring up this mindless conflation, since this is exactly the time, and the sicko hysteria, that began selling that shit.

 

[Pogo]

HUAC, the ‘red scare,’ and blacklists, were among the more reprehensible manifestations of conservative reactionaryism – the unwarranted fear of free expression and dissent common to most on the right.

Needless to say it would be naïve to believe it couldn’t happen again – conservatism continues to harbor the same unwarranted fear of change, diversity, and free expression.

Why do left wingers become hysterical about normal congressional investigations? Is it about the left's sensitivity about communism? Actually it did happen again and it does happen, often. When democrats gained the majority halfway into Bush's 2nd term what do you think the most important issue democrats at the time? The economy was about to collapse under the "leadership" of newly appointed House banking Chairperson Barney Frank who controlled Fannie Mae but democrats had bigger fish to fry. They held a HUAC like investigations into....gasp....steroid use in professional Baseball. After about year of HUAC like entertainment they managed to blacklist a legendary pitcher from the Hall of Fame.

There's nothing "normal" about grilling people about their private lives and personal opinions as if there are government-sanctioned ones and illegal ones. That's just fucking unAmerican. Ever hear of the Palmer Raids?

And quit trying to hijack the thread somewhere else because you can't handle it where it is.

 

[Pogo]

This Day in Fascism (yesterday actually -- internet was down) -- December 9, 1953, yet another day that will live in infamy.

Genuflecting obsequiously to demagogue, attention whore and circus Flatulence Performer Joe McCarthy, the General Electric corporation announces it will immediately fire all employees who are communist, and suspend any who refuse to testify to the aforementioned infamous HUAC.

 

[Litwin]

November 25, 1947:

Ten film screenwriters/producers/directors were cited for contempt of Congress and blacklisted after refusing to answer questions about their alleged involvement with the Communist Party:

​

Wiki:

>> In late September 1947, HUAC subpoenaed 79 individuals on a claim that they were subversive and the supposition that they injected Communist propaganda into their films. Although never substantiating this claim, the investigators charged them with contempt of Congress when they refused to answer the questions about their membership in the Screen Writers Guild and Communist Party. The Committee demanded they admit their political beliefs and name names of other Communists. Nineteen of those refused to cooperate, and due to illnesses, scheduling conflicts, and exhaustion from the chaotic hearings, only 10 appeared before the Committee. These men became known as the Hollywood Ten.[72]

Belonging to the Communist Party did not constitute a crime, and the Committee's right to investigate these men was questionable in the first place. These men relied on the First Amendment's right to privacy, freedom of speech, and freedom of thought, but the Committee charged them with contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions. Later defendants – except Pete Seeger – tried different strategies.[73]​

Seventy years ago today. This was the only first wave of mass ideological anti-American witch hunts in movies, television and music. Some went years before they were allowed to work; some never got another chance at all. Hundreds of writers, actors, musicians and other personnel in various parts of the entertainment field were blacklisted in the same sweep over the next decade, especially upon the arrival of an extremist right-wing booklet called "Red Channels" listing scores of insinuations. Among these were Leonard Bernstein, Oscar Brand (who was Canadian), Lee J. Cobb, Aaron Copland, Richard Dyer-Bennett (British), Ruth Gordon, Yip Harburg, Nat Hiken, Langston Hughes, Lena Horne, Burl Ives, Sam Jaffe, Gypsy Rose Lee, Alan Lomax, Burgess Meredith, Arthur Miller, Henry Morgan, Zero Mostel, Dorothy Parker, Edward G. Robinson, Artie Shaw, Howard K Smith, Orson Welles and Josh White.

And those are just a few of those who managed to break the hold. Among those who never did break free from the slur was Philip Loeb, a central and favorite actor on Gertrude Berg's hugely popular radio-and-then-television program The Goldbergs. Loeb was blacklisted in 1950, the sponsor pulled out, CBS demanded he be dropped, and Berg, the creator, writer and owner of the show, to her eternal credit, flatly refused. CBS soon dropped the show but due to its popularity it was picked up by NBC, who also insisted on jettisoning Loeb, and Berg finally relented, though again to her credit, continued to pay a salary to Loeb. Soon after, Loeb resigned, was unable to work after 1952, and committed suicide in 1955.

Seeger mentioned above, and activist musician and longstanding advocate of civil rights, labor rights and pacifism, was called before Congress in 1955, where he famously told the witch hunters: "I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this." Though he continued to record for the independent Folkways label and perform internationally, his national public performance blacklist lasted until February of 1968 when the Smothers Brothers presented him on their Comedy Hour --- but he had been censored off the air by CBS Television just a few months prior.

All this shit began seventy years ago today -- well within the lifetime of many people still living -- in the purported Land of the Free.

Let us remember and vow, Never Again.

in 1947 USA was totally infiltrated by Koba spies, who worked in GULAG killed and tortured millions of people in the same time , and Full of Koba´s useful idiots . by logic usa ´d open guantanamo prisons for commies traitors , Koba´s useful idiots and terrorists

 

[whitehall]

HUAC, the ‘red scare,’ and blacklists, were among the more reprehensible manifestations of conservative reactionaryism – the unwarranted fear of free expression and dissent common to most on the right.

Needless to say it would be naïve to believe it couldn’t happen again – conservatism continues to harbor the same unwarranted fear of change, diversity, and free expression.

Why do left wingers become hysterical about normal congressional investigations? Is it about the left's sensitivity about communism? Actually it did happen again and it does happen, often. When democrats gained the majority halfway into Bush's 2nd term what do you think the most important issue democrats at the time? The economy was about to collapse under the "leadership" of newly appointed House banking Chairperson Barney Frank who controlled Fannie Mae but democrats had bigger fish to fry. They held a HUAC like investigations into....gasp....steroid use in professional Baseball. After about year of HUAC like entertainment they managed to blacklist a legendary pitcher from the Hall of Fame.

There's nothing "normal" about grilling people about their private lives and personal opinions as if there are government-sanctioned ones and illegal ones. That's just fucking unAmerican. Ever hear of the Palmer Raids?

And quit trying to hijack the thread somewhere else because you can't handle it where it is.

Democrats dragged former baseball players before an inquisition designed to uncover steriod use in professional sports during the 2nd half of Bush's 2nd term.. A Hall of Fame pitcher ended up being blacklisted. How is that different from the Commie menace that plagued America during the Truman administration?

 

[Pogo]

HUAC, the ‘red scare,’ and blacklists, were among the more reprehensible manifestations of conservative reactionaryism – the unwarranted fear of free expression and dissent common to most on the right.

Needless to say it would be naïve to believe it couldn’t happen again – conservatism continues to harbor the same unwarranted fear of change, diversity, and free expression.

Why do left wingers become hysterical about normal congressional investigations? Is it about the left's sensitivity about communism? Actually it did happen again and it does happen, often. When democrats gained the majority halfway into Bush's 2nd term what do you think the most important issue democrats at the time? The economy was about to collapse under the "leadership" of newly appointed House banking Chairperson Barney Frank who controlled Fannie Mae but democrats had bigger fish to fry. They held a HUAC like investigations into....gasp....steroid use in professional Baseball. After about year of HUAC like entertainment they managed to blacklist a legendary pitcher from the Hall of Fame.

There's nothing "normal" about grilling people about their private lives and personal opinions as if there are government-sanctioned ones and illegal ones. That's just fucking unAmerican. Ever hear of the Palmer Raids?

And quit trying to hijack the thread somewhere else because you can't handle it where it is.

Democrats dragged former baseball players before an inquisition designed to uncover steriod use in professional sports during the 2nd half of Bush's 2nd term.. A Hall of Fame pitcher ended up being blacklisted. How is that different from the Commie menace that plagued America during the Truman administration?

"Democrats"?

Hmm... How is fraud different from a blatant violation of the First Amendment.... gee Wally, that's a head scratcher.

 

[Litwin]

This Day in Fascism (yesterday actually -- internet was down) -- December 9, 1953, yet another day that will live in infamy.

Genuflecting obsequiously to demagogue, attention whore and circus Flatulence Performer Joe McCarthy, the General Electric corporation announces it will immediately fire all employees who are communist, and suspend any who refuse to testify to the aforementioned infamous HUAC.

so you think that commies´ General Electric suffered more than my people in GULAG , or the freedom fighters who were fighting Mongol - commie - satanists hordes in the woods of Western Belarus-Ukraine/Baltics at that time ?

 

[whitehall]

HUAC, the ‘red scare,’ and blacklists, were among the more reprehensible manifestations of conservative reactionaryism – the unwarranted fear of free expression and dissent common to most on the right.

Needless to say it would be naïve to believe it couldn’t happen again – conservatism continues to harbor the same unwarranted fear of change, diversity, and free expression.

Why do left wingers become hysterical about normal congressional investigations? Is it about the left's sensitivity about communism? Actually it did happen again and it does happen, often. When democrats gained the majority halfway into Bush's 2nd term what do you think the most important issue democrats at the time? The economy was about to collapse under the "leadership" of newly appointed House banking Chairperson Barney Frank who controlled Fannie Mae but democrats had bigger fish to fry. They held a HUAC like investigations into....gasp....steroid use in professional Baseball. After about year of HUAC like entertainment they managed to blacklist a legendary pitcher from the Hall of Fame.

There's nothing "normal" about grilling people about their private lives and personal opinions as if there are government-sanctioned ones and illegal ones. That's just fucking unAmerican. Ever hear of the Palmer Raids?

And quit trying to hijack the thread somewhere else because you can't handle it where it is.

Democrats dragged former baseball players before an inquisition designed to uncover steriod use in professional sports during the 2nd half of Bush's 2nd term.. A Hall of Fame pitcher ended up being blacklisted. How is that different from the Commie menace that plagued America during the Truman administration?

"Democrats"?

Hmm... How is fraud different from a blatant violation of the First Amendment.... gee Wally, that's a head scratcher.

First Amendment? Hollywood had no 1st Amendment mandate to keep commie writers on the payroll and the Truman administration had nothing to do with firing the hacks.