Customer Reviews

Inside Out: A Memoir of the Blacklist

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Just a fact check here. The House Unamerican Activities Committee was NEVER run by Senator McCarthy. In fact, he was never on the Committee. He was a first year senator on the Senate Housing Committee at the time that HUAC became active in 1947. McCarthy didn't begin his anti-communist efforts until 1950. I would think the editor would do some research before referring to "McCarthy's House Committe on Un-American Activities." Plus, HOUSE means House of Representatives. McCarthy was a Senator. He was, however, a member of the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee. Little different.

Although Inside Out would make remarkable reading at any time, it's especially appropriate this year -- the 50th anniversary of the investigative hearings by the House Committee for Un-American Activities that resulted in hundreds of directors, actors, and screenwriters being blacklisted and forced to endure personal and professional hardship through the late forties, the 50s, and even into the 60s. A screenwriter with many wonderful films to his name, Bernstein has an unaffected writing style and dry wit, which make this book all the more appealing and powerful. Whether you are interested in memoir-writing, in the industry we call Hollywood, or in a shameful not-so-distant era in our country's history, Walter Bernstein's book is for you.

Having met Walter Bernstein prior to finishing the book probably helped me in understanding his point of view about the Blacklist. I believe that the pain and betrayal of colleagues such as Elia Kazan are downplayed in the book when Mr. Bernstein could have really exacerbated them. It is not an expose - but his personal memoirs about a time in his life when he struggled to earn a living due to government paranoia. I don't think that Mr. Bernstein's reason for becoming a member of the communist party has any relevance, which is his point. It is not unlike the experiences that certain Americans are experiencing today based on their beliefs and backgrounds. I think this is an interesting and thought provoking story which should be shared and revived to remind us of the dangers of censorship and government control.

Inside Out claims to be a memoir of the blacklist and while the blacklist, HUAC and McCarthy trials are mentioned, it's mostly just a meandering autobiography. Bernstein needs an editor to shorten and break up these chapters to keep things more on topic. The first chapter is by far the best at covering the blacklist era and shows how it turned the film and television industry "inside out." The second and third chapters go back in time, covering in all of his childhood in one and all of World War Two in another. They also strive to build an explanation of why Bernstein chose to join the American Communist party but instead of presenting a well-thought and erudite discussion of third party politics, socialism and communism, he weakens his overall memoir with long winded, rambling tangents.

A very well-written memoir of the blacklist years. Bernstein is not vitriolic, vengeful. He is also not apologetic about the idealism that led him to the Communist Party. His times of despair also include not only acts of random kindness but a bonding with fellow blacklisted writers that resulted in their mutual support of each other in doing what they did best, writing, with a front, someone who agrees to have their name on the blacklisted writer's script. Bernstein does not shout but with his quiet dignity allows the readers to shake their heads as to how we allowed this hysteria to go on for so long. And how much we lost during this period when so many talented people were unable to do what they did best.

The above House reviewer writes, "Shortly afterwards Joe McCarthy's House Committee on Un-American Activities initiated its notorious witch-hunt for Reds in the government and, to garner publicity, in Hollywood, where Bernstein had become a writer for film and television."

This is not only a ridiculous statement. It is categorically untrue. Senator McCarthy was not in the House, and House members are not Senators. McCarthy also never called one Hollywood Commie or follow traveller before his Senate Committee.

I thought that "Inside Out: A memoir of how wonderful myself and my friends were" would have been a better title. An un-entertaining book with lots of name dropping.

I found it informative on neither Hollywood nor the blacklist and got no feel for the era.

Why was the author a socialist? He never gives a reason for his idealism , simply seems to have gone along for the gag.