AllMovie

This documentary, part of the 20th Century With Mike Wallace series from CBS News and the History Channel, probes into the heart of the communist witchhunt of the 1940s and 1950s, led by conservative Senator Joseph McCarthy. Narrated by series host and CBS News correspondent Mike Wallace, this episode explores how many of those "blacklisted" by the threats of communist activities were of the entertainment community, especially from Hollywood, CA. 20th Century With Mike Wallace looks at how McCarthy and the other members of the House on Un-American Activities Committee was able to keep the movie industry under a cloak of fear for so many years. Many careers were suspended by this blacklist scandal, including director Edward Dmytryk and screenwriters Dalton Trumbo and Ring Lardner Jr. Some of these entertainment workers suffered so greatly during these blacklist years that many actors, directors, and writers never found work again, even after the McCarthy era ended.