Women, the Entertainment Industry, and the Blacklist Era

 

“I want my children to live proudly with their own religious beliefs, with no inquiry by any one of you gentlemen as to what they are. And I want my children to read all kinds of books and to sing all kinds of songs and not just the ones that you may think fit for them to read.”                                             Naomi Robison, appearing before the House Committee on 

                                                 Un-American Activities (HUAC), March 30, 1953

 

“I am perfectly willing to answer all of your questions about subversive activities in the entertainment industry, and the answer is that there is none.”

                                                Madeline Lee, appearing before HUAC, August 17, 1955

 

One of the darker epochs of American history were the years most commonly known as the McCarthy-era. Although the senator from Wisconsin played only a small part in the investigations of the entertainment industry (most of the investigations were conducted by the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC)), it is through his name that history seems destined to remember this time. History seems to have also chosen to only remember the men whenever discussions of this period are presented. Long forgotten, or more accurately ignored, women were named in great numbers, made numerous appearances before the Committees, and found themselves victims of the blacklist along with their male colleagues. 

 

Were the women who appeared really all that different from the men?  Was there a difference in how the committees approached the women? I think on many occasions the answer would be yes to both questions. The women do mention the next generation more frequently, and the committees tend to condescend to the women on a more regular basis. This course grows out of  a project I am working on entitled Dumb Blondes and Southern Belles, named suchbecause there were women who chose to go before the committees as “dumb blondes” while at the same time the committee often chose to treat many of the women who appeared before them as dumb, blonde or not. The other female prototype was the “Southern belle,” and she too made a number of appearances. 

 

This course reviews the history of this period, and the women of the entertainment industry who appeared before the various Un-American Activities Committees (House, Senate, and various states) from 1938-1958.Among this group are Academy Award and Tony Award winning actors and writers, some who might be familiar to you, many who should be familiar but have been long forgotten by ensuing generations, along with a host of others who never had the opportunity to reach their full potential. Here is an opportunity to examine an important piece of the American story through a new lens, and as a result, give a fascinating group of women their place in history.