Hollywood on Trial (1976)

The documentary analyzes a dark period in Hollywood's history due to the Red Scare of the 1940's and 1950's, when actors, writers and directors were persecuted and investigated by the House... See full summary »

Director:

David Helpern (as David Helpern Jr.)

Writer:

Arnie Reisman

Stars:

Walter Bernstein, Alvah Bessie, Lester Cole

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Walter Bernstein	...	Self - Interviewee
Alvah Bessie	...	Self - Interviewee
Lester Cole	...	Self - Interviewee
Howard Da Silva	...	Self - Interviewee
Edward Dmytryk	...	Self - Interviewee
Millard Lampell	...	Self - Interviewee
Ring Lardner Jr.	...	Self - Interviewee
Albert Maltz	...	Self - Interviewee
Ben Margolis	...	Self - Interviewee
Zero Mostel	...	Self - Interviewee
Otto Preminger	...	Self - Interviewee
Ronald Reagan	...	Self - Interviewee
Martin Ritt	...	Self - Interviewee
Gale Sondergaard	...	Self - Interviewee
Leo Townsend	...	Self - Interviewee

Storyline

The documentary analyzes a dark period in Hollywood's history due to the Red Scare of the 1940's and 1950's, when actors, writers and directors were persecuted and investigated by the House of Un-American Activities Committee after being considered suspects of committing Anti-American acts by preaching the Communism in their films and television shows.

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Plot Keywords:

communism | house un american activities committee | mccarthyism | blacklisting | independent film | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Early in the film some documentary footage of Harlan County is shown. Ironically, this film lost the 1976 Best Documentary Oscar to Barbara Kopple's Harlan County U.S.A. (1976).

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Connections

Features Casablanca (1942)

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Soundtracks

Which Side Are You On?
(uncredited)
Music traditional
Lyrics by Florence Reece
Played at various times throughout the picture

User Reviews

Hollywood Ten Heroes? More like zeros

I saw this on TCM and it was introduced by Ben Mankiewicz who called this the "darkest period" in American history. The House Un-American Activities Committee investigated Hollywood for communist influences and the result was the infamous "Hollywood Ten". The Hollywood Ten were communist sympathizers--some were former sympathizers, others still believed in the cause. They were correctly blacklisted for years. These were not innocent men who were being crucified for mere political beliefs. Communism is antithetical to the American way of life. So these Hollywood Ten slimeballs believed in an idea to subvert the American way of life, then tried to hide behind the Constitution. That sounds pretty hypocritical to me. They were not and never will be heroes, despite how Hollywood tries to make them out to be saintly victims.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hollywood przed sądem

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema Associates (III)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1