In the late 1940s and 1950s,
America was gripped in a
Red Scare. The
HUAC (House on Un-American Activities Committee) began a government probe into purportedly
Communist activities in
Hollywood. Evidence for such activity was thin and the industry took offense to the allegations, describing them as reckless and claiming that investigations were in violation of the
First Amendment.
The first purge took place in 1947. Those who resisted
subpoena were jailed; they became known as the
Hollywood Ten. The HUAC returned to Hollywood in 1951. Many more actors and writers would be blacklisted for not testifying against their bretheren. In the end, less than ten percent of more than 324 persons blacklisted would ever return to Hollywood. Of those who did, they often labored under front men. Some of the blacklisted committed
suicide. The blacklist would last for 16 years.
The Hollywood Ten were responsible for scripting and directing hundreds of films. Most of the ten had made anti-
fascist films. One (Trumbo) was one of the highest paid writers in Hollywood, and a former president of the
Screen Writers Guild. Three had received
Academy Awards. The Hollywood Ten were:
Despite the climate, some actors prospered under the
McCarthy purges.
Ronald Reagan, then president of the
Screen Actors Guild, reported to the
FBI about leftist actors. It is in this influential capacity that he was sought out by his second wife, a starlet named Nancy Davis, who needed his help when she found she was being indiscriminately blacklisted for sharing the name of another actress.