Although public interest in the communist threat had waned come the second World War, the onset of the Cold War would make possible new opportunities to highlight and justify the hearings of the HUAC. Two of its most active members, John Rankin, a blatant anti-Semite and chairman Parnell Thomas who was emphatically anti-New Deal, possessed to their advantage, long memories. They recalled the 'intellectuals' of the Thirties; the writers, lawyers and teachers who had been attracted to leftist activities.
As many of these lawyers and writers were now employed by the film industry, Hollywood was an obvious target. Early investigations in 1940 had been 'promising.' In 1947, HUAC opened its attack and would go on to subpoena nineteen 'unfriendly' witnesses - directors, producers, writers and actors. The hearings opened privately in 1947 with the appearance of helpful witnesses. like Ginger Rogers own mother, Lela, who sold her daughter down the veritable river when she revealed Ginger's stubborn refusal to speak the line ' Share and share alike - that's democracy.' In director Edward Dmytryk's 1943's Tender Comrade, more influential friendly witnesses included Jack L. Warner, Walt Disney, Louis B. Mayer, Ronald Reagan, Robert Taylor, George Murphy, Louis B Mayer, Gary Cooper and the self-proclaimed expert on communism, actor Adolphe Menjou.
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| Adolph's like to get self-righteous, don't they? |
Jack L. Warner, eager to explain a way a spate of pro-Soviet movies made during the war years, admonished that communist writers were ' poking fun of our political system' and in particular picking on affluent men. Mr Menjou alerted the committee to 'communist acting' which made propaganda, he said 'by a look, by an inflection, by a change in voice.' Walt Disney told how he had been pressured by 'communists' under the auspices of the League of Women Voters, to accept a cartoonists' union, which he regarded as communist inspired. His evidence albeit, was such manifest and damaging nonsense that it had to be retracted by cable.
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| And then there were (Hollywood) ten, well nine here if you are going to get pedantic. |
After six months of psychological pressure within the industry, the public hearings were held in October. They lasted but two weeks, with testimonies from twenty-three friendly witnesses and concluded after ten of the nineteen unfriendly witnesses had been called before the Committee. And the 'Hollywood Ten' was born.