Radical Innocence
A Critical Study of the Hollywood Ten
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Book Presentation:
On October 30, 1947, the House Committee on Un-American Activities concluded the first round of hearings on the alleged Communist infiltration of the motion picture industry. Hollywood was ordered to "clean its own house," and ten witnesses who had refused to answer questions about their membership in the Screen Writers Guild and the Communist party eventually received contempt citations. By 1950, the Hollywood Ten (as they quickly became known), which included writers, directors, and a producer, were serving prison sentences ranging from six months to one year. Since that time, the members of the Hollywood Ten have been either dismissed as industry hacks or eulogized as Cold War martyrs, but never have they been discussed in terms of their professions.
Radical Innocence: A Critical Study of the Hollywood Ten is the first study to focus on the work of the Ten: their short stories, plays, novels, criticisms, poems, memoirs, and, of course, their films. Drawing on myriad sources, including archival materials, unpublished manuscripts, black market scripts, screenplay drafts, letters, and personal interviews, Bernard F. Dick describes the Ten's survival tactics during the blacklisting and analyzes the contributions of these ten individuals not only to film but also to the arts. Radical Innocence captures the personality of each of the Ten, including the arrogant Herbert J. Biberman, the witty Ring Lardner Jr., the patriarchal Samuel Ornitz, the compassionate Adrian Scott, and the feisty Dalton Trumbo.
About the Author:
Bernard F. Dick is professor emeritus of communications and English at Fairleigh Dickinson University (Teaneck campus). He holds a doctorate in classics from Fordham University and is the author of numerous film books including Anatomy of Film, Hal Wallis, and That Was Entertainment.
Press Reviews:
Rescues the Hollywood Ten from their usual collective anonymity by individualizing their talents and their politics...Thoroughly researched and sharply written, the work concludes with a superb chronology/bibliography/filmography for each writer. -Choice
Most of the Ten found their creativity stymied, their career options limited by their notoriety. This insightful critical study lifts a veil off a period of blacklisting paranoia that lingered on until the mid-1960's. -Publishers Weekly
Dick brings astute analysis and a gift for good writing to his unique look at the Hollywood Ten. -Shepherd Express
> From the same author:
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The American World War II Film
The Golden Age Musicals of Darryl F. Zanuck (2022)
The Gentleman Preferred Blondes
City of Dreams (2021)
The Making and Remaking of Universal Pictures
The Merchant Prince of Poverty Row (2021)
Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures
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Engulfed (2021)
The Death of Paramount Pictures and the Birth of Corporate Hollywood
That Was Entertainment (2018)
The Golden Age of the MGM Musical
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