into that hearing you're going to be walking into a buzz saw."
"I don't think so, Hy; we've talked this through with our lawyers, and we think the Supreme Court will back us in this."
"And what about when you get back out here? Do you think the studios are going to back you?"
"I think they'll remain neutral."
"Sid, I talked to two studio heads this morning. They're leaving tomorrow for New York. There's going to be a meeting of all the studio heads at the Waldorf in a few days, and the consensus is, they're going to institute a blacklist."
"But Hy, Eric Johnston, the head of their group, the Motion Picture Association, has already said publicly there will never be a blacklist."
"Johnston doesn't have a vote. I'm telling you what's going to happen."
"I can't believe they'll do that to us; we make them too much money, and that's all they care about."
"Sid there are other interests working hard to convince them that employing you or any of the unfriendly witnesses will cost them money. If they believe that, how do you think they will act?"
"Hy, I'm already committed to this."
"Sid, there's a way out for you. You can come out of this untainted if you'll just listen to me."
"I'm listening, Hy."
"The investigator told me less than fifteen minutes ago that you can testify as a friendly witness in Alan's stead, that you can make a statement for the record that you are or were a Party member, and you can state your reasons for staying in or getting out, whatever they are. Then, in the questioning that follows, you'll name the five other people Alan was going to name. You'll be on the stand for less than half an hour, and you'll spout a few platitudes about what a great country this is and how you would never do anything to harm it. At the end, you'll be dismissed with the committee's thanks. That will be a kind of coded message to others involved in this, and you will not be blacklisted."
"Hy, if I do that, no one I know will ever speak to me again."
"Wrong. No Communist you know will ever speak to you again. How many people is that? And all of them will be disgraced; they won't be in any position to harm you."
"Hy, it all boils down to this: the committee has no right to demand of an American citizen that he explain his political views; they don't have a constitutional leg to stand on."
"Sid, the party has advocated the violent overthrow of the United States government. If you're a member, then you're tarred with that brush; that's the leg they have to stand on."
"Well, I don't advocate the violent overthrow of the government, and I'll be glad to tell them that."
"If you cooperate with them they'll believe you; if you don't, they'll just..."
"Hy, I'm not going to become a friendly witness; if I did, I might have to do what Al James did."
"You'll lose everything, Sid: your career, your home, your wife."
"My wife? Nonsense, I just talked to her."
"Did she offer her undying support?"
"Not exactly. In fact, she said pretty much what you're saying."
"Well, there you are."
"Hy, if I begin losing things, am I going to lose my agent?"
"I hope not, Sid. You and Dalton Trumbo are the highest paid writers in Hollywood, and I want to see you both survive this. I think of you as my friend, and I'll do everything I can to help you, regardless of what you say before the committee. Just don't tie my hands."
"Thank you, Hy. I appreciate that. When I get back from Washington, let's have lunch and talk about where to go from here, okay?"
"Okay, Sid. I guess all I can do is wish you luck."
"Thanks, Hy."
Sid hung up and went back to his packing.
23
Saturday nights during the location shoot, Manny White staged a square dance for the cast and crew. He hired a western band and a caller, and everybody caught on to the moves quickly. Rick was amazed at how everybody had somehow acquired western outfits--fancy shirts, fringed skirts and cowboy boots--and he and Glenna enjoyed the dancing as much as everybody else.
On Friday, he
"I don't think so, Hy; we've talked this through with our lawyers, and we think the Supreme Court will back us in this."
"And what about when you get back out here? Do you think the studios are going to back you?"
"I think they'll remain neutral."
"Sid, I talked to two studio heads this morning. They're leaving tomorrow for New York. There's going to be a meeting of all the studio heads at the Waldorf in a few days, and the consensus is, they're going to institute a blacklist."
"But Hy, Eric Johnston, the head of their group, the Motion Picture Association, has already said publicly there will never be a blacklist."
"Johnston doesn't have a vote. I'm telling you what's going to happen."
"I can't believe they'll do that to us; we make them too much money, and that's all they care about."
"Sid there are other interests working hard to convince them that employing you or any of the unfriendly witnesses will cost them money. If they believe that, how do you think they will act?"
"Hy, I'm already committed to this."
"Sid, there's a way out for you. You can come out of this untainted if you'll just listen to me."
"I'm listening, Hy."
"The investigator told me less than fifteen minutes ago that you can testify as a friendly witness in Alan's stead, that you can make a statement for the record that you are or were a Party member, and you can state your reasons for staying in or getting out, whatever they are. Then, in the questioning that follows, you'll name the five other people Alan was going to name. You'll be on the stand for less than half an hour, and you'll spout a few platitudes about what a great country this is and how you would never do anything to harm it. At the end, you'll be dismissed with the committee's thanks. That will be a kind of coded message to others involved in this, and you will not be blacklisted."
"Hy, if I do that, no one I know will ever speak to me again."
"Wrong. No Communist you know will ever speak to you again. How many people is that? And all of them will be disgraced; they won't be in any position to harm you."
"Hy, it all boils down to this: the committee has no right to demand of an American citizen that he explain his political views; they don't have a constitutional leg to stand on."
"Sid, the party has advocated the violent overthrow of the United States government. If you're a member, then you're tarred with that brush; that's the leg they have to stand on."
"Well, I don't advocate the violent overthrow of the government, and I'll be glad to tell them that."
"If you cooperate with them they'll believe you; if you don't, they'll just..."
"Hy, I'm not going to become a friendly witness; if I did, I might have to do what Al James did."
"You'll lose everything, Sid: your career, your home, your wife."
"My wife? Nonsense, I just talked to her."
"Did she offer her undying support?"
"Not exactly. In fact, she said pretty much what you're saying."
"Well, there you are."
"Hy, if I begin losing things, am I going to lose my agent?"
"I hope not, Sid. You and Dalton Trumbo are the highest paid writers in Hollywood, and I want to see you both survive this. I think of you as my friend, and I'll do everything I can to help you, regardless of what you say before the committee. Just don't tie my hands."
"Thank you, Hy. I appreciate that. When I get back from Washington, let's have lunch and talk about where to go from here, okay?"
"Okay, Sid. I guess all I can do is wish you luck."
"Thanks, Hy."
Sid hung up and went back to his packing.
23
Saturday nights during the location shoot, Manny White staged a square dance for the cast and crew. He hired a western band and a caller, and everybody caught on to the moves quickly. Rick was amazed at how everybody had somehow acquired western outfits--fancy shirts, fringed skirts and cowboy boots--and he and Glenna enjoyed the dancing as much as everybody else.
On Friday, he
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