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"Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?" is the by-now familiar phrase that echoes through David Helpern's portrait of Congress's Hollywood witch hunt, the dark period of American Cold War hysteria that opened the door for Joseph McCarthy's "red-baiting" reign of terror. Hundreds of Hollywood artists had their civil rights suspended when they were called before Congress to confess their Communist dealings, past and present, and identify other potential "enemies of democracy."
"The Hollywood Ten," a group of writers and directors, refused, on their First Amendment rights, to testify, were jailed for contempt of Congress, and subsequently blacklisted from Hollywood for years. "It was a just verdict," reflects Hollywood Ten member Dalton Trumbo in a 1975 interview. "I did have contempt for that congress."
Startling newsreel recordings of both "friendly" and "unfriendly" witnesses are enriched with contemporary interviews of former blacklistees who share their personal stories of survival. Then-Governor of California Ronald Reagan, a former president of the Screen Actor's Guild, makes a hollow defense for the blacklist: "I don't think there is any blame that can be assessed to anyone." A more complex history can be found in the books Naming Names and The Inquisition in Hollywood, but Helpern's 1976 documentary is a powerful introduction and a potent personal perspective. --Sean Axmaker
