We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
have to avoid certain themes and often feel called upon to shun the "controversial." The number of people who would actively boycott a movie on the basis of the political past of its writer or star is probably small, but nonetheless large enough to alert the businessmen responsible for a million-dollar picture. In the world of the Broadway theatre, the audience is significantly different. The New York Theatre relies on two major groups. One is composed of New Yorkers who are regular theatre-goers — and these people would be the last to stay away from a play because they object to the politics of an actor. The other group comes from all over the United States. It is made up of tourists and travelers. This group is much more like the cross-section of America forming the movie and television audience. In their own home towns they well might object to a play written by someone named in Red Channels or accused of "pro- communism" by the American Legion. But in New York they are on holiday and are unlikely to be so discriminating. Broadway theatre tickets are hard to get, there are no grass-roots organizations of tourists, and the decision to buy a ticket takes place in a gala atmosphere. The political is simply not as important as it might be back home. How important the New York element is in explaining the ab- sence of blacklisting in the theatre can be seen from the experiences plays have had on the road. In the summer of 1955, Uta Hagen was under attack in Chicago. The year before Jean Arthur had been scheduled to appear in Chicago in "Saint Joan," but the run was cancelled due to a combination of American Legion pressure against another member of the cast and Miss Arthur's sickness. In 1951, an incident in Wilmington, Delaware, would probably have resulted in closing a play had it not been for concerted action on the part of Equity and The League of New York Theatres. And in two important cases, considerable pressure was brought to bear in Syracuse, New York. 213