POPULAR CULTURE

In response to the HUAC trials and the trends of

turning in your neighbours and friends, various
films & books were written that were either
supportive or opposing of the events happening.

The Crucible

Play Arthur Miller [Writer] (1953)

Playwright Arthur Miller had encountered HUAC and been charged in
contempt of congress for refusing to name other guilty members of
Hollywood. He wrote The Crucible as a metaphor for the anticommunist fear and hysteria that was taking over Hollywood and
America. The play focused on the fact that once accused, a person
had little chance of amnesty due to the irrational trials and behaviour
of the public.
"The more I read into the Salem panic, the more it touched off
corresponding images of common experiences in the fifties. (Miller).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUIAxTxrnCc

On The Waterfront
Film Elia Kazan [Director] (1954)

Director Elia Kazan had spoke before HUAC and, unlike the
Hollywood 10 and other members of Hollywood, named other
communists. While this act may have reduced the backlash he received
from the public & HUAC, it did the opposite in regards to many of his
colleagues and friends.
On The Waterfront is a film about an oppressive and corrupt union and
a mans struggle with his conscience in regards to doing what is right or
what is easy.

It is a justification on Kazans part, for cooperating with HUAC and

shows the consequences of standing up for what is right and just in the
wake of condemnation and rejection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOLHbQjtSFs

A King In New York

Film Charlie Chaplin [Director] (1957)

A King in New York presents a satirical view of the McCarthy

communist-hunt era and certain other aspects of United
States politics and society.

Chaplin, after contact with HUAC fled the US and went

underground until the heat died down, so to speak.
The film, which was produced in Europe after Chaplin's exile from
the U.S. in 1952, did not open in the United States until 1973.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3ayceCgN3s

Spartacus

Film - Stanley Kubrick [Director] (1960)

Spartacus is an epic history film based on battles between Ancient
Rome & Spartacus.
While the film has no background themes or metaphors for the
McCarthy & HUAC period screenwriter Dalton Trumbo
was blacklisted at the time as one of the Hollywood Ten. It was
publicly announced that Trumbo was the screenwriter of Spartacus, and
John F. Kennedy crossed picket lines to view the film, helping to end
blacklisting.
The author of the novel on which it is based, Howard Fast, was also
blacklisted, and originally had to self-publish it.
The film became the biggest money maker in Universal Studios'
history, until it was surpassed by Airport (1970)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcIMY1Ah3aw

North By Northwest
Film Alfred Hitchcock [Director] (1959)

North by Northwest is a tale of mistaken identity, with an innocent

man pursued across the United States by agents of a mysterious
organization.

Hitchcock's classic sendup of spies and counterspies, this film marks

the beginning of the end of Red Scare melodrama.
While this film was specifically not written in response to the McCarthy
era and HUAC, it is an important film of the time as it draws many
parallels with the time and also is representative of the changing public
view of HUAC and the idea of seeking out communist sympathisers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek7T9Gyl_J4

Trumbo

Film Jay Roach [Director] (2015)

Trumbo is a film about the life of Dalton Trumbo, a member of the
Hollywood Ten. It explores his life before, during and after HUAC
and the impact it had on his life and family as well as the effects on
the Hollywood industry.
The film is a great representation of the McCarthy & HUAC era and
creatively interprets not only the consequences of the time on career
but also family life and society.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lup9Fh4HoT0