Hollywood’s Blacklist developed out of complex social, political, and economical conditions. The Hollywood’s blacklist was a method utilized by the federal government to deny employment to many professionals in the entertainment industry, including but not limit to screenwriter, actor, producer, director, musicians, and animators. These professionals were “blacklisted” as a result of suspected political association with the Communist party. The manufacturing of the blacklist sprung out of panic and fear of communist reconnaissance as a result of many events that were taking place around the world such as the Soviet Eastern Europe, Berlin blockade, Chinese Civil War, confessions of high-ranking government officials of espionage for the Soviet Union, Korean War and , Atomic bomb,. The Hollywood’s blacklist was also a manifest of extreme paranoia related to the Cold War. Americans indentified a threat to their freedoms of society and democracy which facilitated a climax of intense anti-communist sentiment during the 1940’2 and 1950’s. This study will examine the creation and influence of the Hollywood’s blacklist on a political platform, and economical consequence, and a social exile of civil liberties. The events leading American to go to extreme measures to protect their democracy against a communist takeover did not first appear with the creation of the blacklist, it began in the late 1900’s and early 1920’s a result to the First World War. Americans were intensely patriotic and more than ever protective of the American way of life, capitalism, wage systems, and heirachary of social class. The concern of a government takeover effected the perception of labor strikes and social welfare program, and as a result they were conside... ... middle of paper ... ...e American Dream. Larry Ceplair and Englund stated in the book The Inquistion in Hollywood, “The destruction of the motion picture Left not only transformed the political atmosphere in Hollywood, but also adversely affected the kind of product which the studios turned out. “ In the early 20th century Hollywood reframed from producing politically controversial films in fear of becoming a target of McCarthy or the HUAC. Anti-communism influences the films produced, films portrayed communism as evil and immoral. The films during the cold war certainly portrayed the political storm between the progressive left and the conservative right. Films such as Ninotchka in 1939, showed anti-communism, guilty of Treason 1949, showed an attack against communism, exploiting the evils of communism was shown in Docudrama. The Red Menace in 1949 showed the immense threat f communism.
The Hollywood blacklist and the subsequent Paramount decision altered the direction of U.S. moviemaking in a big way. While both events are important in filmmaking history, the opinions on the legality, necessity, and effects of these events vary widely depending on who you ask. While the filmmaking industry management opposed the blacklist and the Paramount decision, some management executives may have taken advantage of the blacklist by negotiating stricter contracts based upon extortion, in that to be blacklisted, one only needed to be rumored to be associated with communist ties (Lewis, 2008). The employees, such as actors, directors, and writers of the large studios were also opposed to the Paramount decision and the blacklist, but the ability actors, directors, and writers to fight for and gain large contracts has improved since the Paramount decision, as it cast the studios as advantageous, money hungry totalitarian fraternities. I would argue that the Paramount decision and the
To get a clear view and understanding of the book, first must review the time period in history. The book was written in the mid 1950's during the cold war. Former General McCarthy, then U.S. Senator started a fire ball of suspicion, suppression, and incarceration. This had a very huge impact on the entrainment industry, which included everyone from playwrights to filmmakers, as well as writers and actors. If anyone in that time period was suspected of being a communist, the government could come and pull them out of their home. At the least a suspected communist would be banned, or put on a black ball list. Printed in the Times, McCarthy's First Slander, "Overnight, his speech sparked a media firestorm that played to the basest fears of Americans swept up in a frightening cold war and triggered loyalty oaths, blacklists and personal betrayals that cost an estimated 10,000 Americans their jobs and some shattered innocents their lives." (Johanna McGeary 28) This happened to a number of actors and film makers during that time period. The black ball list was a list of names of people who were believed to be communist. The people on this list came from the movie industry as well as writers. These people would no longer be able to get work ...
In the 1930s and 1940s many Hollywood writers, actors, producers, and directors were suspected for communist affiliations. During this time, communism was a popular political movement in the United States, especially among young liberals. There was a growing fear of communism invading American society. By the end of World War Two an event known as the Red Scare resulted in communism become increasingly feared and hated by many in the United States. The Hollywood blacklist caused the Hollywood industry a lot of harm in its business and reputation.
In the 1950’s, the U.S government black listed artists, playwright and other intellectuals as Communists and unfairly destroyed many careers.
In 1929, America experienced a stock market crash that led the country into what is historically known as the Great Depression. Many industries across America experienced alterations in order to fit the social and economic changes that America was undergoing as a nation. Specific industries included Hollywood and the film industry. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the movies that Americans enjoyed viewing were considered immoral at the time. This was f...
Former U.S. President Richard Nixon once said, “Communism is never sleeping; it is, as always, plotting, scheming, working, fighting.” From 1919 – 1921, a hysteria over the perceived threat of communism spread like wildfire across the nation. Known as the First Red Scare, the widespread fear of Bolshevism and anarchism quickly invaded the infrastructure of the U.S. government and radically influenced the American people. American citizens, such as Sacco and Vanzetti, were convicted and found crimes that evidence showed otherwise only because they supported anarchism. The US government arrested and deported radicals only because of their political standing. Although The First Red Scare may have begun as a cultural movement, private business owners actually catalyzed and facilitated the wide spread hysteria over communism.
Overall, it is fair to assume that although the Communist party posed a threat to American society, the anti-communist witch hunts went much further and accused innocent Americans that did not provoke the oppression that was thrust upon them. The demonisation of Communism allowed Americans to blindly follow the hysteria created by anti-communists without questioning whether their actions were reasonable. To conclude, the American anti-communist crusade was not a justified reaction to the threat faced by the United States as the American communist threat was blown completely out of proportion and affected too many innocent people. Even though the communist threat may have been real, it was not justifiable to start a public hysteria-induced crusade against supposed un-American ideologies that prevented innocent citizens from exercising their constitutional rights.
Before the Second World War began Hollywood’s purpose lied within entertainment for the American people. After the war started, the main focus shifted to wartime propaganda. Film was used to display the war in a way that did not show its true colors—including the censorship of soldier causalities and other negative connotations that are a simple fact of war. There was even a time in which some actors became better known to America than politians. Through films, Hollywood began to make a statement of their anti-Nazi beliefs. They began to make motion pictures for American recruitment into the Army as well as many that supported the war effort, and intended to make other Americans more aware of the war’s effect on the United States, and how people can get involved. Many European countries banned these Hollywood films, as they began to affect not only America but many other countries that were involved in the war as well.
Liz's first day as a field agent was not how she imagined it to be and having blood stained carpets was very discomforting to say the least. However, it was great motivation for Liz to cut out the stained carpet. Could this be why Red sent Zamani to attack Tom? Did Red ask Zamani so there would be blood on the carpet that Liz would want to change in turn revealing a floorboard where Red knew Tom hid his get-out-of-the-country-quick-box? That's a long con even Sawyer would envy (LOST reference). The scene is important for two reasons; the first of which is it planted a seed of doubt about Liz's husband being a "good guy" to both Liz and us, the audience. The second reason is because it adds to the air of mystery surrounding the scar on Liz's hand; The symbol engraved on the box is identical to the scar on Liz's wrist. This was a great moment in the show as it expanded the overall mystery and lead to another great moment when...
When Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in the early 1950s, the United States was in the midst of what is known as the Red Scare. During this period, the entire nation was panicking over Communism and the threats it posed to American security. One of the most passionate crusaders against Communism was Senator Joseph McCarthy, who unjustly accused dozens of State Department employees of being Communists (“Joseph McCarthy”). McCarthy’s actions during this panic are reflected in The Crucible
The Blacklist has been able to utilize its marketing strengths to better position itself in the industry. In entertainment, particularly the film and series sector, marketing is a challenging and dynamic function of business. Fortunately, the issue of marketing and positioning was not challenging for The Blacklist because of the brilliance of the actors, scriptwriters and producers of the show. The series is able to capture the attention of its audience, by casting its popular actors. Other audiences that have been and will continue to be crucial to The Blacklist’s success are the fans that each cast member has brought with them from their previous work. For inst...
The purpose of this document is to inform and draw attention to the real intentions of the communists and how it represented a threat to the “American way of living”. He believed that the greatest advantage of the communist on their quest to conquer the United States was the ignorance of American people; “I fear for ignorance on the part of all our people who may take the poisonous pills of communist propaganda.” His intended audience consisted not only of the House Un-American Activities Committee, but also of the rest of the American
...creased monitoring of censorship throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Hollywood experienced a major shift in the way pictures were made. Going from depictions of a carefree lifestyle, characteristic of the California dream, to a more monitored approach to filmmaking, Hollywood make the necessary transition in order to abide by the mass request of censorship to the filmmaking process. In this, the California dream was lost, as Americans were brought back to reality, but the action offered a stepping stone to enter a new age where films were praised for decades to come. Today, censorship is still a major issue in Hollywood, and has moved not only to include movies, but all forms of mass media. This shows that the ideals of morality in media will continue to encompass a majority of issues in society, and is one that should continually be addressed in order to find harmony.
This is where the House Un-American Activities Committee came in. They had a whole Hollywood blacklist bashing many actors and actresses and even people who worked on the sets. Wartime films were even being viewed as pro-Soviet because no one could be trusted. That’s when anti-soviet movies started to get pumped out to sway people that were right. Eventually 300 artists would join the Hollywood blacklist which caused many to change their names or leave to the US to find work. Not many were fortunate enough to rebuild their careers after being put on this
Throughout contemporary history we see that movies and pop culture have the power to influence opinion and beliefs. During the Cold War the movies and the media was a means used to spread propaganda regarding the war. Individuals and directors used the movies they made to convey a message they wanted Americans to hear. At this time, it was used to garner support for the anti-communist agenda and to start conversations about the Cold War and the actions the government was taking to fight it. Although these two movies may seem conflicting, it reflects the mixed feelings Americans had about the Cold War.