On October 1947, 10 members of the Hollywood film industry publicly denounced the tactics employed by the House Un-American Activities Committee, an investigative committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, during its probe of apparent communist influence in the American motion picture business. Screenwriters and directors became the ten people who were under investigation during a national debate over anti-communists in the late 1940s and early 1950s. During the investigation, members of the House Un-American Activities Committee questioned witnesses about their past and present relations of the committee. Knowing that this can ruin their reputation and career, others choose to cooperate with investigators or citied to the fifth- amendment. Nevertheless; a group of ten Hollywood directors and screenwriters took more of a different approach to this investigation and challenged the committee’s investigation. …show more content…
He also wrote short stories and in 1935 he joined a Communist Party. Maltz screen written for Warner Brothers, this made his reputation known for classic dramas. He created a classic movie called, “Casablanca,” in 1942. An Oscar-winning documentary, The House I Live In in 1945 is about a plea for racial tolerance, and he was nominated for another Oscar for writing Pride of the Marines in 1945. In that same year he wrote an article called, “New Masses,” that describes more intellectual freedom of the Communist Party for its members. Pressure from the Party made Maltz recant his position which caught members and supporters in shock. In 1947, HAUC investigated Maltz for being a communist, but he didn’t say yes or no about being one, so he is sentenced for a year in prison and fined. After, he was out of prison he continued to be a communist and wrote