Hollywood+Ten+-+Jay





In 1947, the HUAC (House of Un-American Activities Committee) began to investigate the Hollywood Motion Picture Industry. These people were asked a series of questions asking if they were involved in the Communist Party. The volunteers, know as the "freindly witnesses", refered to 19 other people who held 'left-wing veiws." Out of the 19, 10 refused to answer any questions. They claimed that the 1st Ammendment of the United States Constitution gave them the right to not answer the questions about their beliefs. The HUAC accused these people for their Communist beleifs because of the "Red Scare."

The 10 men that refused to answer questions were film directors and writers. They were known as the Hollywood Ten. The Hollywood Ten went to prison for a year in 1950, fined $1,000, and were put on the blacklist. Since they were on the blacklist it made it hard for these people to find jobs. The blacklist eventually grew to 500 people and went on throughout the 1960's.

Top Ten


 * Alvah Bessie
 * Herbert Biberman
 * Lester Cole
 * Edward Dmytrk
 * Ring Lardner Jr.
 * John Howard Lawson
 * Albert Maltz
 * Samuel Ornitz
 * Adrian Scott
 * Dalton Trumbo

Personal stories from the Top Ten: []

ONE OF THE TEN'S STORIES: Lawson was a ambulance driver in WWI for the Red Cross. After the war he was an editor in Rome and a publicity director for the Red Cross. He also wrote plays promoting Marxism. Eight years after he sold his first movie to Paramount he moved to Hollywood. He wrote many movies about the Spanish War, which was his favorite topic. He became a famous Hollywood Ten memeber in 1948 when he refused to answer questions about his beliefs. He was sentenced to a year in prison and put on the blacklist. When he was out of prison he exiled himself to Mexico where he wrote dramas. Later he traveled to American universities to give lectures on theatre and cinema. He wrote the following:
 * __ John Howard Lawson's Story __**
 * Dream of Love (1928)
 * Dynamite (1929)
 * Bachelor Apartment (1931)
 * Goodbye Love (1933)
 * Success at Any Price (1934)
 * Algiers (1938)
 * Blockade (1938) DVD 1524
 * Action in the North Atlantic (1943)
 * Sahara (1943)

Resources: []