Comments on: More Faces from the Blacklist

By: Ted

Ted — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:04:05 +0000

I would like to know if anyone can direct me to a source to learn more about Alvin Hammer, who is listed above. My mother was his first cousin, however after he went to the West Coast, he may not have returned. Any leads would be appreciated.

By: Al Lowe

Al Lowe — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:52:13 +0000

What some people don’t understand about the hearings is that there was no legitimate reason for them.
The committee badgered witnesses for names but already had the names. It wasn’t that hard to find out who in Hollywood had Red leanings or a Communist background.
In those days anything about Hollywood grabbed headlines and the politicians wanted linked with news stories about Hollywood. That’s the real reason for the hearings.

By: medusamorlock

medusamorlock — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:47:03 +0000

Suzi, your comment says it all. No good came of HUAC — just more cynicism about politicians and their agendas. Which maybe isn’t such a bad thing, after all.

By: Suzi Doll

Suzi Doll — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:50:11 +0000

Nice job of summing up what happened to these people after HUAC. In my classes, I always tell my students that nobody won and everybody lost during the McCarthy era: Though the stars and industry personnel who named names continued to work in Hollywood, their peers and later generations lost respect for them; those who didn’t name names kept their honor intact but lost their careers and deprived subsequent generations of their talents and contributions; the politicians are exposed as bandwagon followers or vote-grabbers; and the American people once again got sucked in by flag-waving politicians with an agenda.

By: Joe aka Mongo

Joe aka Mongo — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 22:34:01 +0000

Nicely done article. My heart went out to Larry Parks, who I believe John Wayne attempted to save.
I often wondered if the deleted scenes of Anne Revere in “A Place In the Sun” still exist. I would give my eye teeth to see the completed performance, which she herself said was some of her best work.
It was indeed a sad time for Hollywood.