# Are any actors blacklisted today? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 27, 2002, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882 "2002-04-27T00:16:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/21 "2002-04-29T18:54:09Z")
I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned Faye Dunaway, who had an incredibly hot streak in the 70s but was a complete industry pariah after her unflattering turn as Hollywood legend Joan Crawford in _Mommie Dearest_. She has since resurfaced in small character parts, but it took over a decade to achieve that modest standing. I know Vanessa Redgrave still gets flak about her anti-Zionist speech at the Oscars over 20 years ago, but she still manages to wrangle Oscar nominations (though enough people were rankled that she’ll never win again) and keeps suitably busy, though more often than not they are smaller, off-the-beaten path films. ---
**Author:** ![TigoleBitties](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cab0a1/32.png) [@TigoleBitties](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TigoleBitties)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/22 "2002-04-29T19:01:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Slacker \* > \*\*For the younger pop-culture fans among us - who are some stars who were blacklisted in their day? > > Didn’t the Smothers Brothers experience this? What did they do anyway? \*\* From TVParty on “The Smothers Brothers” “We were the first show that said ‘Hey, man, the war is bad’ and criticized (President) Johnson from a public platform.” Tommy Smothers related in 1975. Because of the show’s growing popularity, Bonanza was no longer number one by 1968 - but still, CBS wasn’t all that happy. It wasn’t long before Tommy Smothers discovered that he may have artistic control contractually, but the network had absolute control. Popular phrases, controversial songs and sometimes whole comedy segments were excised by the strict network censors. Sure, it was OK in 1967 to make fun of a President’s golf game on TV - but not his war. At the end of the third season, because of numerous censorship battles and a constant beating in the conservative press - and the fact that Tommy Smothers was turning in the shows too late to be edited before broadcast - CBS demanded that the Comedy Hour episodes be completed and reviewed by censors by Wednesday of each week. The network claimed the last show of the season was turned in late, cried breach of contract and dropped the series. (It was later proved that the network DID have the tape in their possession after all.) The network ultimately refused to run the episode anyway because they said it “would be considered irreverent and offensive by a large segment of our audience.” Even after they had renewed the show for another season, CBS cancelled the Comedy Hour in 1969 - sending the Smothers Brothers and the network into court, and squelching Tommy Smothers’ idea of filming season four from counter-culture ground zero - San Francisco. “In our case, seventy-five percent of the twenty-six shows we’ve done this season were censored,” Tom Smothers told Look Magazine in June, 1969, “And we’re mild. Now, if we’re thrown off that easily, what will happen to someone who has something really important to say?” This may go down as one of the most important censorship battles ever fought (and lost) in the United States. The Smothers offered the censored episode on a syndicated basis, hoping that stations would sign on for a new ninety-minute Smothers special with new material added. Long story short…they pissed off the network with their liberal and anti-war views and went too far so CBS found a quick way to drop em. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/23 "2002-04-29T19:20:02Z")
Speaking of actors that were treated poorly, what’s the story on Montgomery Clift? REM has the song ‘Monty Got a Raw Deal’ which is about him, but I don’t know exactly why he allegedly got a raw deal. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/24 "2002-04-29T19:57:49Z")
He got a raw deal because he had a run-in with a tree in an auto accident that required extensive facial reconstruction surgery. He may not have lost his talent, but he did lose his “movie star quality” good looks, and this only contributed to an already-existing drug & alcohol problem. Being tortued by his closeted homosexuality didn’t help either and he died at a (relatively) young age. Also check out The Clash’s _The Right Profile_ on their album **London Calling** ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/25 "2002-04-29T20:07:05Z")
Re: the OP, I should note that said accident did not prevent Clift from returning to movies and having a career (although a somewhat different one than he might have otherwise expected), so no “blacklist” comparison applies. ---
**Author:** ![Zoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6de8d8/32.png) [@Zoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoff)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/26 "2002-04-29T21:31:36Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by jcmckaig_ > I tend to think that there are probably more conservatives in Hollywood than is commonly thought. Sharon Waxman covers Hollywood (among other things) for the _Washington Post_ and she has said repeatedly in online chats that there is a sizeable number of Republicans and conservatives in Hollywood. They generally keep quiet, she says, because they believe their politics would hurt their careers. So, there’s at least a perception that there can be fallout if you go against the grain. Of course, as others have noted, that’s different from the studios actually getting together and agreeing not to hire certain actors. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/27 "2002-04-29T21:43:14Z")
Also many of the people who agreed to testify for HUAC were essentially blacklisted. Look at Elia Kazan…when he finally got that lifetime achievement award last year there were many people who refused to stand or applaud. “On the Waterfront” was made in an attempt to explain why Kazan felt he had to testify. The other thing to remember is that most of the people hauled before HUAC really _were_ communist party members, although most had quit the party after the 30s. Of course it isn’t and shouldn’t be a crime to be a communist, just like it isn’t and shouldn’t be a crime to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan. But would you work with someone you knew was a Klansman? ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/28 "2002-04-29T21:49:39Z")
**Mickey Rourke** had a reputation of being difficult to work with, or just not showing up for work. But IIRC it was his support of **John Gotti** , during his trial that caused him to become a pariah in Hollywood. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/29 "2002-04-29T22:15:51Z")
I also liked **Red Planet** sort of - can someone post a link to what Tom Sizemore said about Val Kilmer? I can’t find anything on Google… ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/30 "2002-04-30T00:21:20Z")
Re Sizemore and Kilmer: The original article appeared in the New York Daily News in January 2000, which puts it in their “pay to read” archives. You can see the brief introduction [here](http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nydailynews/main/abstract.html?QDesc=%5bnydailynews%5d+CO-STAR+IS+SEEING+%26%2339%3bRED%26%2339%3b+OVER+%26%2339%3bPLANET%26%2339%3bS%26%2339%3b+KILMER&QCPP=http:%2f%2fpqasb.pqarchiver.com%2fnydailynews%2fmain%2fresults.html%3fnum%3d25%26st%3dbasic%26QryTxt%3dsizemore%2bkilmer%26datetype%3d7&QVPID=nydailynews-single-001&FrameName=doc&Args=site%3dnydailynews%26QDesc%3d%255bnydailynews%255d%2bCO-STAR%2bIS%2bSEEING%2b%2526%252339%253bRED%2526%252339%253b%2bOVER%2b%2526%252339%253bPLANET%2526%252339%253bS%2526%252339%253b%2bKILMER%26QVPID%3dnydailynews-single-001%26ID%3dnydailynews%26FMT%3dABS%26FMTS%3dFT&Qref=0%2E0%2E0%2E1+%2Faccount+81399554&QIID=000000049399716), or you can see an excerpt on another site [here](http://menace.imdb.com/StudioBrief/2000/20000127.html). ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/31 "2002-04-30T00:51:32Z")
Thanks **Cervaise**! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/32 "2002-04-30T01:36:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \* > \*\*The Smothers Brothers weren’t exactly blacklisted – CBS cancelled their show, in part because they didn’t like their political commentary, but no one tried to deny them work. > > John Garfield is one star who ended up blacklisted. Also, [the Hollywood Ten](http://www.moderntimes.com/palace/ten.htm) were all blacklisted, though they were all writers. Dalton Trumbo wrote using assumed names. > > According to [http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/blacklist.html](http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/blacklist.html), other stars blacklisted included Sam Jaffee, Lionel Stander, Lee Grant, Larry Parks, Charlie Chaplin (who was not allowed to return to the U.S., but this was late in his career and didn’t affect him that much), Zero Mostel, and Herschel Bernadi. The film _The Front_ gave many role to ex-blacklisted actors. \*\* I believe that in the seventies, Gregory Peck was on the list of Nixon’s enemies, or people he considered a threat. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/33 "2002-04-30T06:26:46Z")
I don’t know about Peck but Jane Fonda and Paul Newman were definitely on Tricky Dick’s list. This may not fit the definition of being “blacklisted” but this link about[Jean Seberg and the FBI](http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Guardian/0,4029,688874,00.html) is still disturbing. After reading it, you’ll have another reason to hate J. Edgar Hoover. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/34 "2002-04-30T14:24:32Z")
**[Eartha Kitt](http://www.earthakitt.com/)** definitely was banned from Hollywood for several years for purely political reasons. Because in 1968, when she was invited to the White House for lunch, she told Lady Bird Johnson to her face, how can you solve the problem of violence in the ghettos when the government is causing violence in Vietnam. They of course immediately put the squelch on her, not only did she speak truth to power, she was a **uppity black woman**. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/35 "2002-04-30T15:36:40Z")
\*\* Anita Bryant \*\*. Lost her OJ and a TV show cause she didn’t know the difference between homosexuality and pedophila. Served her right. \*\* Rob Lowe \*\* had a tough time after being discovered on a sex tape with two under-aged females. Speaking of \*\* Faye Dunaway \*\*, she was set to take over for Glenn Close as Norma Desmond in the LA production Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard when he decided to close the show, claiming he didn’t think she could do it. She settled out of court. ---
**Author:** ![Doubting\_Robert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e495f1/32.png) [@Doubting\_Robert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doubting_Robert)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/36 "2002-04-30T19:46:35Z")
> [@](#): > > ## \*Originally posted by Cisco \* \*\*quote: > > ## _Originally posted by RealityChuck_ you can be anything short of a child molester and would still be hired if you brought in an audience. > > Wrong! Convicted child molestor [Victor Salva](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Salva,+Victor) directed last summer’s “hit” **Jeepers Creepers**. I put “hit” in quotations because it was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen and I never would have given money to a scumbag like Victor Salva had I known what a turd he was. \*\* “Powder” was a good movie, but one of the scenes is rather creepy when you know the reputation of Victor Salva, who wrote and directed it. As far as my wife is concerned (and I am sure she is not the only person who feels this way), Woody Allen qualifies as a child molestor. His career has certainly not come to a halt. ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/37 "2002-04-30T20:32:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nanook of the North Shore \* > \*\*When you consider people like Roman Polanski(I think thats it, the one that moved to France to escape prosecution), you can BE a child molester and still work in Hollywood. \*\* Yep. Can we say Woody Allen, boys & girls? ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/38 "2002-04-30T20:35:27Z")
> [@](#): > > “Powder” was a good movie, but one of the scenes is rather creepy when you know the reputation of Victor Salva, who wrote and directed it. Viewed in that context, the ad campaign was _very_ creepy. It referred to the protagonist being a misunderstood outsider attacked for being different. It was worded so broadly that several people (like the reviewer for Washington’s _City Paper_) thought he was trying to defend his pederasty through the ad campaign. ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/39 "2002-04-30T20:36:41Z")
Damn! So close on the Woody Allen call! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882/40 "2002-04-30T20:36:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoff \* > Sharon Waxman covers Hollywood (among other things) for the _Washington Post_ and she has said repeatedly in online chats that there is a sizeable number of Republicans and conservatives in Hollywood. They generally keep quiet, she says, because they believe their politics would hurt their careers. Of course, that begs the question of whether (a) coming “out” as a conservative would _truly_ result in them being blacklisted by various non-conservative producers/directors/whoever, or (b) these conservative actors/actresses only _think_ that being an overt conservative would get them blacklisted because that’s what _they’d_ do if the situation was reversed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-actors-blacklisted-today/105882.md?page=3)