The final victim of the blacklist : John Howard Lawson, dean of the Hollywood Ten / Gerald Horne.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Horne, Gerald.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Lawson, John Howard, 1894-1977.

Lawson, John Howard.

Dramatists, American--20th century--Biography.

Dramatists, American.

Screenwriters--United States--Biography.

Screenwriters.

Blacklisting of authors--United States.

Blacklisting of authors.

Communism and literature--United States--History--20th century.

Communism and literature.

Theater--New York (State)--New York--History--20th century.

Theater.

Motion picture industry--California--Los Angeles--History.

Motion picture industry.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (385 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, c2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Before he attained notoriety as Dean of the Hollywood Ten-the blacklisted screenwriters and directors persecuted because of their varying ties to the Communist Party-John Howard Lawson had become one of the most brilliant, successful, and intellectual screenwriters on the Hollywood scene in the 1930's and 1940's, with several hits to his credit including Blockade, Sahara, and Action in the North Atlantic. After his infamous, almost violent, 1947 hearing before the House Un-American Activities Committee, Lawson spent time in prison and his lucrative career was effectively over. Studded with anecdotes and based on previously untapped archives, this first biography of Lawson brings alive his era and features many of his prominent friends and associates, including John Dos Passos, Theodore Dreiser, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charles Chaplin, Gene Kelly, Edmund Wilson, Ernest Hemingway, Humphrey Bogart, Dalton Trumbo, Ring Lardner, Jr., and many others. Lawson's life becomes a prism through which we gain a clearer perspective on the evolution and machinations of McCarthyism and anti-Semitism in the United States, on the influence of the left on Hollywood, and on a fascinating man whose radicalism served as a foil for launching the political careers of two Presidents: Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. In vivid, marvelously detailed prose, Final Victim of the Blacklist restores this major figure to his rightful place in history as it recounts one of the most captivating episodes in twentieth century cinema and politics.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Prologue

Introduction

1. Beginnings

2. Toward Commitment

3. Hollywood

4. From Hollywood to Broadway

5. Commitment

6. Theory and Practice

7. Struggle

8. Fighting-and Writing

9. Writing-and Fighting

10. Red Scare Rising

11. Inquisition

12. Jailed for Ideas

13. "Blacklisted"

14. The Fall of Red Hollywood

Conclusion

Notes

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 269-345) and index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN:

9786612358579

9780520939936

052093993X

9781282358577

128235857X

9781601295019

1601295014

OCLC:

476008714