Film Criticism, the Cold War, and the Blacklist: Reading the Hollywood Reds

366 Pages·2014·2.36 MB·English

by  Jeff Smith

Film Criticism, the Cold War,
and the Blacklist
Reading the Hollywood Reds
JEFF SMITH
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley Los Angeles London
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FILM CRITICISM, THE COLD WAR,
AND THE BLACKLIST
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The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous support
of the Humanities Endowment Fund of the University
of California Press Foundation.
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Film Criticism, the Cold War,
and the Blacklist
Reading the Hollywood Reds
JEFF SMITH
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley Los Angeles London
99778800552200228800667700__PPRRIINNTT..iinndddd iiiiii 0044//0022//1144 33::3388 PPMM
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university
presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by
advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural
sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by
philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more
information, visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2014 by The Regents of the University of California
A portion of chapter 5, “The Cross and the Sickle: Allegorical
Representations of the Blacklist in Historical Films,” is derived from the
the article titled “Are You Now or Have You Ever Been a Christian?: The
Strange History of The Robe as Political Allegory,” which was published
by Manchester University Press in Film Studies, no. 7 (winter 2005):
1–31. ISSN 1469–0314. This revised version of chapter 5 is republished
by permission. © 2005 Manchester University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Smith, Jeff, 1962–.
Film criticism, the Cold War, and the blacklist : reading the Hollywood
Reds / Jeff Smith.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-520-28067-0 (cloth : alk. paper)
isbn 978-0-520-28068-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)
isbn 978-0-520-95851-7 (e-book)
1. Motion pictures—Political aspects—United States. 2. Motion
pictures—United States—History—20th century. 3. Cold War in
motion pictures. 4. Communism and motion pictures—United
States. 5. Blacklisting of entertainers—United States—History—
20th century. I. Title.
pn1995.9.p6S65 2014
791.436582825—dc23 2013037614
Manufactured in the United States of America
23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
ansi/niso z39.48–1992 (r 2002) (Permanence of Paper).
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Contents
List of Illustrations vii
List of Tables ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction: What More Can Be Said about the Hollywood Blacklist? 1
1. A Bifocal View of Hollywood during the Blacklist Period: Film as
Propaganda and Allegory 17
2. I Was a Communist for RKO: Hollywood Anti-Communism and
the Problem of Representing Political Beliefs 50
3. Reds and Blacks: Representing Race in Anti-Communist Films 83
4. Stoolies, Cheese-Eaters, and Tie Sellers: Genre, Allegory, and
the HUAC Informer 118
5. T he Cross and the Sickle: Allegorical Representations of the
Blacklist in Historical Films 171
6. Roaming the Plains along the “New Frontier”: The Western as
Allegory of the Blacklist and the Cold War 197
7. Loving the Alien: Science Fiction Cinema as Cold War Allegory 239
Conclusion: Old Wounds and the Texas Sharpshooter 273
Notes 279
Bibliography 315
Index 329
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Illustrations
1. A frame from I Married a Communist illustrates the moody
look of Nicholas Musuraca’s cinematography 64
2. In The Red Menace Jewish poet Henry Solomon responds to
the Communist Party leadership 93
3. A shot from I Was a Communist for the FBI typifies the
film’s treatment of racial issues 106
4. A shot from Viva Zapata! neatly foreshadows the
protagonist’s rise to power as a populist leader 132
5. In Sam Fuller’s Pickup on South Street Moe provides
Captain Tiger with a list of possible “cannons” who stole
Candy’s wallet 158
6. The Daily Worker noted this scene in The Robe, where
the Roman tribune Marcellus pays an informer for
the names of Christians 182
7. The famous “I am Spartacus” scene 194
8. Will Kane goes to Sunday morning services to ask for
help in High Noon 199
9. Vienna nearly becomes a victim of frontier justice in
Johnny Guitar 214
10. In Silver Lode the audience knows more than any
individual character about the plot’s actions and
motivations 227
11. A panel from Two Faces of Communism attests to fears
about Communists’ ability to “pass” as ordinary citizens 247
vviiii
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VviIiIiI // I LLUSTRATIONS
12. Because radio news reports describe Klaatu as eight feet tall
with tentacles, he easily “passes” as Mr. Carpenter 249
13. In the penultimate scene of Invasion of the Body Snatchers,
Dr. Miles Bennell screams at passing cars, “You’re next!” 263
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