Hollywood Ten and friends

Hollywood Ten and friends

Lawson, John Howard, 1894-1977; Freedom of speech; Political activists; Dramatists; Motion picture producers and directors; United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-American Activities

Black and white photograph of John Howard Lawson (center), and members of the Hollywood Ten. Called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in October 1947 during the second Red Scare, ten prominent film producers, directors, and screenwriters refused to answer questions regarding their possible communist affiliations based on their First Amendment right to free speech. Cited for contempt of Congress, they were sentenced to a year in jail and charged a $1000 fine. Blacklisted by the major studios, screenwriters like John Howard Lawson and Dalton Trumbo were forced to sell scripts on the black market under pseudonyms.

Lawson, John Howard

John Howard Lawson papers, 1905-1977, 1/5/MSS 016: Box 22, Folder 37

Special Collections Research Center, Morris Library, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

1947

Hamilton-Brehm, Anne Marie, 1970-

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