As I had some free time away from school, I decided to page through some old Photoplay magazines, to see if I could find an article that caught my eye. Right away, I did. It was an article that was published in 1948 and was written by Humphrey Bogart himself. It was his retort to claims of him being a Red, due to the actions that he and other actors took in response to modern-day “witch hunt,” was being conducted by the House Committee for Un-American Activities. In today’s society, public figures taking a stand for what they believe in is common practice, and rarely has a negative impact on anyone’s career. However, during this time in history, there was mass hysteria and fear surrounding potential Communist ideals infiltrating American culture. At one point, even Lucille Ball was accused of being a Red. To help ease the public’s mind, Desi Arnaz opened the live filming of an episode by stating, “The only thing red about Lucy is her hair, and even that’s not legitimate.” When Lucy came on-stage after the introduction, she received a standing ovation from the audience. Here is the article that Bogart composed to address the accusations of being a Communist.
Reel Hollywood Legends 