Hollywood blacklist was a term used to describe a policy carried out in the mid-1900’s by major entertainment companies in the United States against American entertainment professionals who were suspected of being Communists or Communist sympathizers (see Communism ). The term Hollywood refers to the American motion-picture industry, which is based in Hollywood, California. Many American actors, directors, screenwriters, radio commentators, musicians, and other people in the entertainment industry lost their jobs or were denied employment in the United States as a result of the blacklist.
Hollywood developed the blacklist in response to pressure from the U.S. House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC). This committee of the House of Representatives investigated the threat that certain groups in the United States were working to subvert (weaken and overthrow) the government. Studio executives cooperated with the committee out of fear of government regulation, public disapproval, and box-office losses.
The entertainment industry also created the blacklist as a show of Hollywood’s patriotism during the Cold War. The Cold War was an intense rivalry that developed after World War II (1939-1945) between Communist nations led by the Soviet Union and non-Communist nations led by the United States. During the Cold War, many Americans viewed Communism as a threat to democracy and feared the spread of world Communism. Charges that Americans had served as Soviet spies received wide attention.
In 1947, HUAC held hearings on the influence of Communism in the motion-picture industry. The committee summoned a number of people working in the industry to appear before it. Some called to testify gave the names of suspected Communists or Communist sympathizers. Around this time, some leading Hollywood figures organized the Committee for the First Amendment to protest HUAC’s actions.
Ten writers and directors summoned by the committee refused to testify. They cited their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and assembly. For their refusal to cooperate, they were found to be in contempt of Congress (see Contempt ). A group of Hollywood studio executives announced that the 10 would be fired or suspended without pay. The blacklisted group came to be known as the Hollywood Ten. They all served one-year prison terms.
In 1951, HUAC launched a second investigation of Hollywood and Communism. Eventually, the studios blacklisted more than 300 people in the American entertainment industry. Often, there was no evidence to support the charges. Some of the blacklisted individuals left the United States to find work elsewhere, or they left the entertainment business. Some writers wrote under pseudonyms or the names of colleagues. Pseudonyms are fictitious names writers use to hide their identity.
The second HUAC investigation ended in 1952, though some later investigations took place. But blacklisted film professionals were not eligible for Academy Award consideration until 1959. The blacklist effectively came to an end in 1960. That year, Universal Pictures gave Dalton Trumbo, a member of the Hollywood Ten, screen credit for his role as screenwriter on the motion picture Spartacus. However, most of those blacklisted were unable to work again in their profession for many years.
