You Must Remember This 72: The Blacklist Part 2: Crossfire – The Trials of the Hollywood Ten
Feb 9, 2016
Delve into the gripping tale of the Hollywood Ten as they defy the House Un-American Activities Committee. Discover the tumultuous journey of the film 'Crossfire,' which tackled anti-Semitism while its creators faced severe backlash. Explore the origins of the Red Scare and the chilling impact of political affiliations in Hollywood. Learn about the Waldorf Declaration and the blacklisting that changed careers, revealing the moral dilemmas faced by filmmakers battling censorship and persecution in a fierce political landscape.
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Crossfire’s Success Amid Political Scrutiny
- Crossfire was positioned by RKO as a courageous, timely film about anti-Semitism and became the studio's biggest moneymaker that year.
- The film's success coexisted with growing political scrutiny that soon targeted its director and producer as subversives.
Political Shift Made Hollywood A Target
- HUAC's late-1940s revival and figures like John Rankin reframed many Hollywood progressive and immigrant voices as un-American.
- The 1946 Republican victory and new HUAC leadership turned industry scrutiny into a political imperative.
The Unfriendly Nineteen Stand Their Ground
- Nineteen Hollywood figures declared they would not cooperate with HUAC, including founders of the Screenwriters Guild like Lester Cole and John Howard Lawson.
- Many subpoenaed writers had careers filled with anti-fascist or progressive credits from the 1930s and '40s that later became evidence against them.
