The United States V. Paramount Pictures (1948)

Hollywood has influenced American history since it began. It boosted and shaped the morale of a nation for almost a century. But Hollywood has not only been the influencing American society, it has been influenced by American society. In the 1920s, American society was booming; people were getting rich, spending and borrowing money, and they thought life was looking good. Then in October of 1929 the stock market crashed. Many people lost all they owned. People had invested all their money into the banks before the Crash. After the Crash, the banks had nothing. People were destitute. They had no money to pay for their houses, electrical bills, and food. It became the Great Depression. Likewise, Hollywood was impacted by the Great

In the 1950’s, the U.S government black listed artists, playwright and other intellectuals as Communists and unfairly destroyed many careers.

In chapter two of The Cultures of American Film, the main focus is the establishment of studios. As demand for films rose in the early 1900’s, production companies needed to expand; this lead to the creation of large scale studios. In the early 1900’s, as films stated centering their focus

My response: The Hollywood Blacklist was an event that occurred in America where some people who worked in Hollywood were accused of working with the communists. According to an article published by Online Highways LLC, the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) brought in many Hollywood writers, producers, and directors to question (Hollywood Blacklist). Then, according to an article published by A&E Television Networks, a notable group of 10 people who were brought in for questioning directly challenged the HUAC’s authority to question people about communist involvement, which forced them to spend a year in prison, pay a $1,000 fine, and become blacklisted so that they couldn’t work on any future Hollywood projects (“Hollywood Ten”). Their defiance was very controversial, since some people saw them as heroic people who stood up against McCarthyism and the Red Scare, while others felt that they needed to be punished for being admitted communists.

Baby Face and the Production Code The censorship conflicts in the 1900s were extremely intriguing and intense. Around the end of the 1920s, individuals possessed immense moral shifts powered by religious groups during the Great Depression, which resulted in decisions that created a new revolution that dealt particularly with the regulation of content of films. Consequently, in 1934, at the same time that the “Golden Age of Hollywood” began, the Hollywood Production code was formally implemented. The film

The 1950s marked an incredible time in United States history. Many events that lead to the inspiration of future generations were revolutionized in economic and social expenditures of paramount proportion, most notably the manufacturing of war related materials for World War II. With an economic surge that catapulted the US even further into a position of world power, several industries flourished and suburban America took shape. Of these industries, film was one of the most substantial influences on the public and subsequently sparked a multitude of emotions. The culmination of entertainment adjoined with pressing issues allowed for designations of many political agendas. Some agendas proved to be melodramatic in nature regarding social reform while others were seen as substantial regarding national safety and protection.

Being a Communist was not a crime so most of the people convicted served sentences for perjury or contempt of Congress. Another tool used to punish citizens suspected of communist affiliations was a practice called the Blacklist. Having one’s name on the Hollywood Blacklist guaranteed that person would be unable to find work in the motion picture industry. Hollywood screenwriter Michael Wilson was called before the HUAC in 1951. When he refused to testify, his name was added to the Hollywood Blacklist. Writing under a pseudonym, Wilson continued to write but after 1951 never received credit, during his lifetime , for his screenplays including two Oscar Winning movies, Bridge on the River Kwai and Friendly Persuasion. (King 2016)

“Whatever hysteria exists is inflamed by mystery, suspicion and secrecy. Hard and exact facts will cool it.” -Elia Kazan. Elia Kazan, a famous actor and director in the 1950’s, was accused of being a communist during The Red Scare. Many famous actors and directors like Kazan in Hollywood were at high risk of being blacklisted. Being blacklisted at the time meant it was impossible to get any jobs in the movie business, as most businesses did not want to be associated with communists. To protect himself from being blacklisted, Kazan was forced to give up names of communists living in the US. Kazan truly lived in a time when America was plunged into hysteria. Hysteria also played a huge role in The Crucible. Much like Elia Kazan was, many

In the 1930s and 1940s many Hollywood writers, actors, producers, and directors were suspected for communist affiliations. During this time, communism was a popular political movement in the United States, especially among young liberals. There was a growing fear of communism invading American society. By the end of World War Two an event known as the Red Scare resulted in communism become increasingly feared and hated by many in the United States. The Hollywood blacklist caused the Hollywood industry a lot of harm in its business and reputation.

-- http://www.merriam-webster.com/ During the late 1940’s and throughout the 1950’s, there was a great fear of Communism in America and abroad. The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) was created in 1938 as a means to investigate and weed out Communists and Communist supporters from American society. Its first major attack was on the Hollywood film industry. Blacklisting of Hollywood writers, actors, producers, directors and others suspected of Communist affiliations began with the committee's hearings in October of 1947, and flourished throughout the 1950s. Senator Joseph

During the 1950’s, communism was a big issue in countries around the world. It was a different ideology that was usually run by a dictator, who would run the country very poorly and punish anyone who would stand in their way. This new ideology, challenged the principles of democracy so the Western hemisphere retaliated, banned the ideology and would persecute anyone who would believe in or be associated with it. Soon enough, people began to notice that communism was brought up quite frequently in Holly wood. The government began to crack down by starting the communist blacklisting’s. The blacklisting’s were eradicating anyone who was involved in communism from the film industry. This became a very frequent topic in the world, and soon enough

Dear, Editor of the Los Angeles Times, Good Afternoon, let me formally introduce myself. I am the set designer for the Hollywood movie production company that you may be very aware of. I am reaching out as I have a few conferences revolving around the actions of communists that have been acknowledged around Hollywood that have been confirmed by Mr. Senator Joseph McCarthy. I do not know if you are aware but many Actors, good Actors with that being said are losing their jobs and it’s costing the production loss of money. This hunt needs to be settled in a proper manly matter and needs to be stopped. We all know that Communism is presented and viewed socially. Everyone has different initiatives as well was wants and needs and money is only being

Outline the main changes the paramount decree effected on the structure of the American film industry and discuss the measures the ex-studios took to remain in control of the film market.

Before unions were introduced into the Hollywood industry, there was lots of race and gender discrimination, anti-communism, and lots of corruption and complicity(L.,2011). The unions went in and cleaned house, adapted to changing conditions and learned to organize new work(L.,2011).

How did the Paramount decision of 1948 change the U.S. film industry? To what degree did the decision alter the way the industry did business? The Supreme Court ruled against the Hollywood’s monopoly of the film industry of the United States, directing that the production and distribution of movies be