The Man Who Wrote ‘Exodus’ While Blacklisted
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Anne Cohen August 14, 2015
Those of you still pining for Walter White have some new Bryan Cranston action to look forward to.
Behold the first trailer for Trumbo, a biopic about celebrated Hollywood screenplay writer Dalton Trumbo, who defied the blacklist during the 1950s Red Scare. Cranston, of course, plays Trumbo, who while not exactly Jewish, . Trumbo, who joined the Communist Party in 1943, was one of the “Hollywood Ten” blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).
After refusing to testify, he was essentially barred from working in Hollywood. But that didn’t stop him. He continued writing screenplays for some of the most iconic movies of the era, including “Spartacus” and “Roman Holiday,” the latter of which he received credit for in 1993 (he won a posthumous Oscar).
So, what can you expect from the movie? If the trailer is any indication, look forward to some classic Cranston bad-assery. Oh, and Louis C.K. in a retro hat.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
