How Marsha Hunt fought Hollywood blacklisting

[Judi Lynn]

By Vincent Dowd
Witness History, BBC World Service
23 March 2020



It's 70 years since Red Channels was published in the USA - a directory of writers, actors and producers alleged to be communists or communist sympathisers. The red scare ended many careers. Now 102, actress Marsha Hunt is almost the last person still alive named in the book.

Marsha Hunt never wanted to do anything except act. Born in 1917, she grew up in New York City and remembers going to the theatre with her father when she was five.

"It was a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta - probably HMS Pinafore. I turned to my dad and I said I'm going to do that. After that if there was a play I was always in it," she says.

. . .

"I knew nothing about communism but I just thought that as it was a legal party other people had the right to join the darned thing if they wanted to. But it was a time of hysteria and all of us who spoke out against blacklists were punished in some way or other. There was a very strong right wing in the movie business."

More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-51979690

[Stargleamer]

1. Composer too

https://m.

[CaptYossarian]

2. I've never heard of Red Channels before, but you should see the list of

blacklisted artists.

Lee Grant is still alive and on the list. There are many surprising names too, like the guy who played Grandpa Walton, Will Geer.

I read once that they had Nancy Davis' name on the list of suspects, but her co-star, Ronald Reagan came to her defense.

(I wonder whatever became of that.)