Aware that their answers could ruin their reputations and careers, most individuals either sought leniency by cooperating with investigators or cited their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. These men, who became known as the Hollywood Ten, not only refused to cooperate with the investigation but denounced the HUAC anti-communist hearings as an outrageous violation of their civil rights, as the First Amendment to the U.
Constitution gave them the right to belong to any political organization they chose. In November , they were cited for contempt of Congress.
After unsuccessfully appealing the verdicts, they began serving their terms in While in prison, one member of the group, Edward Dmytryk, decided to cooperate with the government. In , he testified at a HUAC hearing and provided the names of more than 20 industry colleagues he claimed were communists. A more lasting punishment came as a result of the movie industry blacklist. Studio executives did not want their business to be associated with radical politics in the minds of the movie-going public and therefore agreed that they would not employ the Hollywood Ten with the exception of Dmytryk or anyone else suspected of being affiliated with the Communist Party.
The motion picture industry blacklist grew steadily larger as Congress continued its investigations into the s, and numerous careers were damaged as a result. The blacklist ended in the s. The Hollywood Ten were controversial figures at the time they launched their protest, and their actions continue to inspire debate decades later.
Some tend to view their punishment as justified, since the individuals were admitted communists, while others generally view them as heroic figures who spoke out against the abuses of the Red Scare—and in defense of the U. Constitution—when many of their colleagues remained silent. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present.
For example, a store may maintain a list of individuals who have not paid their bills and deny them credit privileges. Similarly, credit reports can effectively function as blacklists by identifying individuals who are poor credit risks.
Because the purpose of blacklists is to exclude and discriminate, they can also result in unfair and illegal discrimination. In some cases, blacklists have done great damage to people's lives, locking them out of employment in their chosen careers or denying them access to influential organizations. Blacklists may also necessitate disclosure laws. State and federal fair credit reporting acts, for example, require that access to information in a credit report must be given, upon request, to the person to whom the information applies.
The most famous instance of blacklisting in U. Motion picture companies, radio and television broadcasters, and other firms in that industry developed blacklists of individuals accused of being Communist sympathizers. Those firms then denied employment to those who were named on the blacklists. As a result, many people in the entertainment industry were subpoenaed for the October hearings by the HUAC. In holding its hearings, HUAC had two main purposes. First, it intended to prove that the SWG had members who were communists.
Second, it hoped to show that these writers were able to insert subversive propaganda into Hollywood films. Lawson was gaveled into silence every time he started to say something beyond what he was asked. Lawson was eventually ordered off the witness stand and cited for contempt of Congress. Shortly after the hearings, the CFA was quickly disbanded. Opponents of the contempt citations argued that HUAC had conducted its inquiry illegally by violating the constitutional rights of free speech and thought.
In speaking out against the committee, Rep. Herman P. In November , film executives and producers met in New York and issued the Waldorf Statement, which declared that they would not hire any member of the Hollywood Ten unless he was acquitted or had declared under oath that he was not a communist. They also would not knowingly hire anyone who was a communist. After being cited for contempt, the Hollywood Ten went to jail in once their appeals were exhausted. During the second set of HUAC hearings in , many of those subpoenaed used the Fifth Amendment to avoid self-incrimination, and some of them named names of those they believed to be communists.
Because of the blacklist, some screenwriters had to leave the country to find work.
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