Congressional Theatre: Dramatizing McCarthyism on Stage, Film, and Television (Cambridge Studies in American Theatre and Drama, Series Number 11)

Congressional Theatre Is The First Book To Identify And Examine The Significant Body Of Plays, Films, And Teleplays That Responded To The Actions Of The House Committee On Un-american Activities During The Show Business Hearings That It Held Between 1947 And 1960. Brenda Murphy Discusses The Dramatization In The Works Of Huac's Effects On American Life And The Political, Social, And Moral Issues That Its Actions Raised For American Citizens.--jacket. Galilei. Pt. I. The Committee And The Culture. 1. The Stage Is Set -- 2. The Social Drama -- 3. Dramatizing Directly. Investigation: Big Jim Mclain, Thirty Pieces Of Silver, You're Next. Interrogation: Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been -- Blacklist: Blacklist, Fear On Trial, The Front, Guilty By Suspicion -- Pt. Ii. Making Analogies -- 4. Witch Hunt: The Crucible, The First Salem Witch Trial, The Witchfinders -- 5. Inquisition. Joan Of Arc, Unfriendly Witness: Saint Joan, The Lark, Joan Of Lorraine, Joan Of Arc, The Execution Of Joan Of Arc. Galileo, Cooperative Witness: Galileo, Lamp At Midnight, The Crisis Of Galileo, The Recantation Of Galileo -- 6. Informers: The Hook, On The Waterfront, A View From The Bridge, After The Fall -- 7. Forensics. The Self And Others: Darkness At Noon, Montserrat, Incident At Vichy -- The Individual And The State: The Caine Mutiny Court-martial The Andersonville Trial -- Conclusion: Further Fields: High Noon, Panic In The Streets. Brenda Murphy. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 289-300) And Index.

discusses Plays, Films, And Teleplays Responding To The House Committee On Un-american Activities Hearings.

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the Tactics Of The House Committee On Un-american Activities Mesmerized The Public And Created A Political Fervor Now Known As Mccarthyism--although Sen. Joseph Mccarthy Did Not Serve On This Particular Investigative Committee. Artists Took A Strong Interest In The Proceedings, Particularly Since Many Of Their Own Were Called Upon To Testify Or Were Objects Of Suspicion. Murphy (english, Univ. Of Connecticut) Explains The Social, Political, And Historical Contexts Of The Mccarthy Era, Providing Riveting Slices Of Testimony And Examples Of Its Often Stunning After-effects. She Also Gives A Detailed Overview Of The Hearings That Pertained To Literary And Show Business Figures. In Response To The Hearings, Dramatists And Screenwriters Produced A Body Of Work (including The Crucible, Joan Of Lorraine, And Galileo, Among Others) Either Directly About The Hearings Or Rife With Analogous References To The Atmosphere Of The Time. Murphy Discusses These Works In Relation To Their Individual Historical Content And In Terms Of Their References To Mccarthyism. For Students Of This Era And Those Concerned About The Impact Of Politics Upon Art, This Is Essential. For Libraries With Large Scholarly Arts Collections.--carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, Nj Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Congressional Theatre is the first book to identify and examine the significant body of plays, films, and teleplays that responded to the actions of the House Committee on Un-American Activities during the "show business hearings" it held between 1947 and 1960. Among the writers discussed are Arthur Miller, Bertolt Brecht, Lillian Hellman, Maxwell Anderson, Elia Kazan, Barrie Stavis, Herman Wouk, Eric Bentley, Saul Levitt, Budd Schulberg, Carl Foreman, Abraham Polonsky, and Walter Bernstein. Frontmatter List of Illustrations (page xi) Acknowledgments (page xiii) Introduction (page 1) Part I: The Committee and the Culture 1 The Stage Is Set (page 9) 2 The Social Drama (page 35) 3 Dramatizing Directly (page 75) Part II: Making Analogies 4 Witch Hunt (page 133) 5 Inquisition (page 162) 6 Informers (page 206) 7 Forensics (page 226) Conclusion Further Fields (page 255) Notes (page 265) A Note on Archives and Library Collections (page 287) Works Cited (page 289) Index (page 301) In a speech to the American Association for the Advancement of Science on 13 September 1948, President Harry Truman warned that crucial scientific work might "be made impossible by the creation of an atmosphere in which no man feels safe against the public airing of unfounded rumors, gossip and vilification." With this volume, Brenda Murphy identifies and examines the significant body of plays, films, and teleplays that responded to the actions of the House Committee on Un-American Activities during the show business hearings it held between 1947 and 1960