At the end of World War II, Americans feared that the Soviet Union intended

to spread communism all over the world and the “the second red scare” began.
“Red scare” is a term used to describe a period of heightened fear of communism
that preceded both of the world wars of the twentieth century. As the Second World
War came to an end, America’s political spectrum once again shifted from
progressive to conservative. Many Americans believed that the Communist intended
to overthrow democratic and capitalistic institutions and anti-communist sentiment
fell into full effect. The administration of President Harry Truman reacted to this
fear and began conducting an internal security program aimed at discovering and
terminating the employment of any federal employee they found to be potentially
disloyal or seditious. The crusade of communist in government spread and the
House Un-American Activities Committee developed. The HUCA was a committee of
the United States House of Representatives that investigated communist activity in
the United States. The entertainment industry was of particular interest to the
HUCA because it was the center of political radicalism. Many citizens began
demanding the entertainment industry blacklist writers, and the HUCA began
subpoenaing screenwriters and tried them for being communist. Ring Lardner Jr.
was a screenwriter who was part of the Communist Party. In1947, he was
subpoenaed by the HUCA and, when he refused to testify to the HUCA, he was
blacklisted from the entertainment industry and sentenced jail time. He was one of
ten screenwriters that were cited for contempt of congress. The writers would later
become known as the “Hollywood ten.” The writers greatly affected by the blacklist
and were banned from the entertainment industry until 1960.
Many American films have social and political content, and many
times screenwriters write screenplays with their political beliefs intertwined in
their works; however, a screenwriter’s politics are a private matter. Citizens of the
United States are granted the right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
Therefore, a screenwriter has the right to write regardless of their political beliefs.
When the HUCA started subpoenaing people in Hollywood they were violating the
rights of the individuals involved.. A writer’s point of view may be transmitted
through his or her scripts, but that doesn’t mean that every writer is trying to
subvert the minds of their viewing audience. American politics has repeatedly been
portrayed in films in which a screenwriter’s political beliefs are revealed, and
occasionally, the political atmosphere is portrayed in films. However, screenwriter’s
have the right to freedom of expression and they should be able to express
themselves freely. Screenwriter’s also have the right to be affiliated with whichever
political party they please, and the constitution does not grant the United States
government the right to dictate the entertainment industry’s political beliefs.
When examining Ring Lardner Jr.’s works, it is possible to draw a correlation
between his beliefs and his scripts. In the 1955, Lardner wrote under pseudonyms
for British television, and he produced The Adventures of Robin Hood series, which
was extremely successful. The series stars Richard Greene as the outlaw Robin
Hood and Alan Wheatley as his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham. In
1970, he produced episodes for the television show mash, an anti-war satire about
the Korean War. The show appealed to young audiences who saw the Korean War
setting as a reference to Vietnam.
 The issues that surfaced in America after the terrorist attacks on September
11th can be compared to the issues that surfaced during the Second Red Scare. On
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacked the United States. The Twin Towers and the
Pentagon were the targets. The attacks took the lives of thousands of innocent
Americans and shocked the nation. Like the post World War II period, Americans
became extremely concerned about their safety and national security. As a result,
congress passed the Patriot Act. Like the legislation passed during the Second Red
Scare, the Patriot Act was designed to strengthen national security. In addition, the
Patriot Act is similar to the legislation passed during the Second Red Scare because
it gives the American government more authority. In both cases, the government is
granted access to the privacy of individuals. The Smith Act was a piece of legislation
passed in the 1940’s and 1950’s and it was used to prosecute The HUCA hearings
and the Patriot Act were also The American However, unlike the HUCA hearings, the
Patriot Act gives the government the authority to spy on individuals. The
individuals involved in the HUCA hearings were subpoenaed and knew that they
were involved.
The Second Red Scare affected many individuals, particularly ones
that worked in the entertainment industry. Screenwriter’s were subpoenaed by the
HUCA and questioned about their political affiliations. Many people in the
entertainment industry were affected by the backlash of the post World War II
issues and some of them even lost their jobs.