The screen writer (June 1947-Mar 1948)

WITCH-HUNTING IN HOLLYWOOD no important action without a vote of the full membership. Even if they wanted to, there's no way under heaven they could influence what anyone else writes. The second charge, that the screen is being used to spread Communist propaganda, is even more ridiculous. I pointed out in a previous issue of THE SCREEN WRITER that Motion Pictures are big business controlled entirely from Wall Street. There's not the remotest possibility of getting upon the screen any ideology or political point of view contrary to that of the financial titans wTho control the major companies and the theater chains. This is so obvious it shouldn't even have to be argued. The third accusation, that many prominent citizens in the film industry are contributing time and money to a movement to overthrow the present government, is a clear charge of treason. Anyone having evidence to this effect, or information bearing upon it, and who does not turn it over to the Department of Justice, is equally guilty as an accomplice. In the April 30 issue of the Hollywood Reporter Mr. Wilkerson printed a list of pictures "containing sizable doses of Communist propaganda." I haven't seen all of them, but I'd like to mention three. There was Margie, a nostalgic tale of puppy love in the twenties, produced by Darryl Zanuck. Are you holding still for that, Darryl? There was The Best Years Of Our Lives, which swept the field in the recent Academy Awards. It's too bad the handless veteran featured in this picture can't be lent a fist to answer appropriately the slur on his patriotism. There was Pride Of The Marines, based upon the real life story of Al Schmid, one of the outstanding heroes of Guadalcanal. This was directed by Delmer Daves, produced by Jack Warner, with the enthusiastic approval and cooperation of the United States Marine Corps. Al Schmid gave his eyes for his country. The United States Marines pretty well established their Americanism in the jungles of the Solomons, and on the beaches of Tarawa and Iwo Jima. What did you do, Mr. Wilkerson, or Senator Tenney, or Mr. Hearst and your stalwart sons? What did any of you risk? What did you sacrifice? Have any of you ever been within sound or sight of battle? And Jack Warner, after producing the best war picture it was this writer's privilege to see, you are going to let such an accusation go unchallenged? This brings us to Louis B. Mayer, probably the wealthiest, most powerful and most astute producer in the business. Several of the writers most frequently mentioned as spear-heading the Communist movement have been under contract at MGM. Do you like the inference, Mr. Mayer, that these foul fellows have been too smart for you, and have been able to slide past you subversive propaganda that you didn't recognize but that would corrupt the Right Thinking of the general public? It would be interesting to know the private emotions of Mr. Mayer over the published statement of actor Robert Taylor at the Congressional inquiry that he, Taylor, was forced into appearing, against his patriotic judgment, in Song of Russia, produced by MGM in 1943. This film, Mr. Taylor stated, favored Russian ideologies, institutions and ways of life over the same things in our country. He said he protested to MGM that the picture was Communist propaganda, and that he was kept from joining the Navy until he completed the picture. It was not revealed either by Mr. Taylor or Congressman Thomas how the Navy, during that trying year when the war was going pretty badly for our side, managed to get along without the handsome actor until this foul plot was consummated. I have never been important enough in the film industry to know Mr. Mayer personally, but several of my friends who do assure me that he does not force easily. How many men did it take, I wonder, to hold Mr. Mayer while this dastardly deed was being done in his name. Another fascinating revelation transmitted to the public from the Biltmore hearings was the gallant story of how Mrs. Leila Rogers, mother of Ginger, saved her daughter from uttering the infamous lines, "Share and share alike — that's democracy!" These lines, occurring in Tender Comrade, were a prime exhibit illustrating the Kremlin's grip on the film industry. I wonder how, if we ever make a definite film biography of the great Lincoln, we can record some of his utterances, such as the one in which he said that in any conflict between property rights and human rights, human rights must prevail. Or how, if the life of Christ is filmed in the future, we can use His verbal portraits of the rich exploiters and Pharisees and hired scribes of His dav. Let us turn upon our detractors the sly Socratic method of character defamation the Hollywood gossip columnists use so frequently. Questions like this: "What actor's wife (or writer, director, or producer) 19