The Cold War that began after World War II was reflected in Hollywood films as an ideological conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. The anti-Communist atmosphere, influenced by McCarthyism, was so strong that many films showed secret agents of Communist countries amidst espionage activities against the “evil” Americans.
To be noted is that the first American film on the Cold War was “I was a Communist for the FBI” (1951), directed by Gordon Douglas, starring Frank Lovejoy as Matt Cvetic. This is based on the autobiography of an ex-FBI agent who posed as a member of the American Communist Party itself to infiltrate it. Although this film does not show a character as a typical Communist, it reflects the beginning of the anti-Communist trend in Hollywood.
As far as espionage is concerned, many films were released on this topic between 1947 and 1953. In 1951 “I was a Communist for the FBI” was followed by “The Iron Curtain,” directed by William Wellman. This film was rather anti-Communist, portraying the Soviets as an espionage organization. “I was a Communist for the FBI” paved the way to other films on this topic, while Allen Ruggles’ “Red Planet Mars” (1952) examined how Communists are presented in Hollywood. This film is about an astronomer who discovers that evil Reds are planning to conquer the US with flying saucers.
Eisenhower, who had felt humiliated by McCarthy’s accusations, was elected president in 1952 and helped to reduce the anti-Communist campaign after Stalin died in 1953. This resulted in filmmakers examining Communism critically instead of simply denouncing it as “evil.” The first example of this is Joseph Losey’s “The Intimate Stranger” (1956), in which Boris Karloff plays a Hollywood actor who takes part in Communist propaganda movies. Losey himself was blacklisted after this film.
As the anti-Communist Cold War started to fade away, Hollywood produced many pro-American films. For example, John Wayne’s “Blood Alley” (1955) shows pro-American Chinese characters against the evil Communists. “The Rack” (1956), starring Paul Newman, is about a military officer who has been captured by the North Koreans and must endure torture from them before being rescued.
In 1954 the House of Un-American Activities Committee was closed down after it started investigating some actors, such as Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball. In 1959 an epic film directed by Otto Preminger was released, “Exodus,” which showed Jews fighting against the British in Palestine before the creation of Israel. It also analyzes how many American Jews feel towards Communism.
How were films used as propaganda during the Cold War?
Hollywood reflected the anti-Communist campaign of McCarthyism and reflected it in most of their films. However, this trend changed after Stalin died and with Eisenhower’s presidency, which reduced the anti-Communist pressures from Hollywood producers. By using such characters as “the evil Reds” in many films, Hollywood created a popular image of the “evil Communists” that contrasted with the “good Americans.”
As an example of this anti-Communist trend, one can mention how much Hollywood portrayed everyone who was accused by McCarthy to be a Communist as evil people. These included the Hollywood Ten, who were banned from working in Hollywood because of their political beliefs.
Hollywood films are full examples of how anti-communist McCarthyism influenced producers to portray all Communists as “the evil ones” by depicting them as spies or people who are spying on the US. The first example of this is Joseph Losey’s “The Intimate Stranger.”
As the anti-Communist Cold War started to fade away, Hollywood produced pro-American films. For example, John Wayne’s “Blood Alley” shows pro-American Chinese characters against the evil Communists. The Rack shows how Americans fought against the North Koreans and endured torture before being rescued. In 1959 an epic film directed by Otto Preminger was released, “Exodus,” which showed Jews fighting against the British in Palestine before the creation of Israel. It also analyzes how many American Jews feel towards Communism.
Finally, one can say that during the Cold War, most Hollywood films were full examples of how anti-communist McCarthyism influenced producers to portray all Communists as evil ones.
How did Hollywood play a role in the Cold War?
Hollywood played a role in the Cold War by reducing their anti-communist campaign after Stalin’s death and Eisenhower’s presidency, which reduced the anti-Communist pressures from Hollywood producers.
However, this trend changed after Stalin died and with Eisenhower’s presidency, which reduced the anti-communist pressures from Hollywood producers. An example of this anti-Communist trend is how much Hollywood portrayed everyone who was accused by McCarthy to be a communist as evil people.
These included the Hollywood Ten, who were banned from working in Hollywood because of their political beliefs. Finally, Hollywood played a role in the Cold War by reducing their anti-communist campaign after Stalin’s death and Eisenhower’s presidency, which reduced the anti-communist pressures from Hollywood producers. By using such characters as “the evil Reds” in many films, Hollywood created a popular image of the “evil Communists.”
The Early Cold War Hollywood Cinema
The “Hollywood blacklist” refers to a list of entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the American film industry during the 1950s. The blacklist was a result of McCarthyism, a time where government officials searched for communists within existing institutions and acting professions.
This event is often cited as an example of ‘McCarthyism,’ meaning that an innocent person can be destroyed by false accusations. It is widely regarded that the entertainment industry was one of the most affected sectors during the McCarthy era. Notable examples include screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, actor Philip Loeb, and director-producer Edward Dmytryk.
The Politics of Cold War Culture
The reality is that when the Cold War was at its height in America, there were two things that were never supposed to meet: sex and politics. Politicians engaged in sex scandals could be forgiven for just about anything except being found naked with their secretaries (Clare Boothe Luce).
At the same time—or so it appeared at the time—if you were a public figure and happened to be caught in flagrante delicto, the only question about your political future was: “when can you tender your resignation?”
How Did McCarthyism Influence Hollywood?
During the Second Red Scare of 1947-1957, Senator Joseph McCarthy accused many people of being communists or communist sympathizers and drove them out of their jobs.
Hollywood film producers began to engage in self-censorship so as not to get involved with politics and be accused of having communist ties. For example, the movie “Salt of the Earth,” which dealt with a real strike by Mexican-American miners struggling against unfair labor practices, was subject to extensive criticism and was not shown for many years.
After the death of Joseph Stalin and the 20th Party Congress in 1956, which denounced Stalinism and his cult of personality, American Communists became less significant politically, and liberals and leftists turned their attention to other issues such as feminism and civil rights. Hollywood producers began to engage in self-censorship so as not to get involved with politics and be accused of having communist ties. The Hollywood blacklist was effectively broken when director Otto Preminger publicly announced that Trumbo, who wrote the film “Exodus,” had written the script for him under a pseudonym.
