Letter from Charles Chaplin to John Howard Lawson, September 9, 1955

Title

Letter from Charles Chaplin to John Howard Lawson, September 9, 1955

Subject

Records and correspondence; Letters; Lawson, John Howard, 1894-1977; Chaplin, Charlie, 1889-1977; Freedom of speech; Political activists; Motion picture producers and directors

Description

Letter expressing appreciation and support from Charles Chaplin to John Howard Lawson, dated September 9, 1955, on the occasion of Lawson's sixty-first birthday. 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. As one of the Hollywood Ten, Lawson was jailed and fined and found it difficult to work in the aftermath of the McCarthy era. Those who supported the Hollywood Ten were also threatened. British director and actor Charlie Chaplin was investigated by the FBI as a communist sympathizer after donating money to the defense of the Hollywood Ten and was denied a reentry visa to the United States in 1952.

Creator

Chaplin, Charlie

Source

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

Publisher

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

Date

1955-09-09

Contributor

Hamilton-Brehm, Anne Marie, 1970-

Rights

For permission to reproduce, distribute, or otherwise use this image, please contact the Special Collections Research Center, Morris Library, Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Phone: + 1 (618) 453-2516. Email: http://reftrack.lib.siu.edu/reft100.aspx?key=SCRCEmail&cllcid=SCRR

Files

lawson_011_crop.jpg

Citation

Chaplin, Charlie, “Letter from Charles Chaplin to John Howard Lawson, September 9, 1955,” SCRC Virtual Museum at Southern Illinois University's Morris Library, accessed March 28, 2024, https://scrcexhibits.omeka.net/items/show/321.

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