Today in History

October 20, 1947

The Hollywood Black List

On October 20, 1947, a Congressional committee began investigating Hollywood writers and actors in one of the darkest moments of what is now known as the "Red Scare." As conservative members of Congress sought to further their own ambitions by suppressing the rights of others, the House Un-American Activities Committee began questioning witnesses in an attempt to intimidate them into "naming names" of suspected socialists and communists in the ranks of the movie industry. "Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?" became the infamous refrain of the Committee. Hollywood powers instituted a "Black List" banning the work of more than 300 writers, actors, and directors including Dorothy Parker, Arthur Miller, and Orson Welles.

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

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