Hollywood Exile, or How I Learned to Love the Blacklist (Texas Film and Media Studies Series) - Softcover

Gordon, Bernard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0292728336 ISBN 13: 9780292728332

Publisher: University of Texas Press, 2001

Synopsis

The Hollywood blacklist, which began in the late 1940s and ran well into the 1960s, ended or curtailed the careers of hundreds of people accused of having ties to the Communist Party. Bernard Gordon was one of them. In this highly readable memoir, he tells a engrossing insider's story of what it was like to be blacklisted and how he and others continued to work uncredited behind the scenes, writing and producing many box office hits of the era. Gordon describes how the blacklist cut short his screenwriting career in Hollywood and forced him to work in Europe. Ironically, though, his is a success story that includes the films El Cid, 55 Days at Peking, The Thin Red Line, Krakatoa East of Java, Day of the Triffids, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, Horror Express, and many others. He recounts the making of many movies for which he was the writer and/or producer, with wonderful anecdotes about stars such as Charlton Heston, David Niven, Sophia Loren, Ava Gardner, and James Mason; directors Nicholas Ray, Frank Capra, and Anthony Mann; and the producer-studio head team of Philip Yordan and Samuel Bronston.

About this title

Product Description

The Hollywood blacklist, which began in the late 1940s and ran well into the 1960s, ended or curtailed the careers of hundreds of people accused of having ties to the Communist Party. Bernard Gordon was one of them. In this memoir, he tells a engrossing insider's story of what it was like to be blacklisted and how he and others continued to work un-credited behind the scenes, writing and producing many box office hits of the era. In 1997, the Writers Guild of America began publicly re-crediting screenplays to their blacklisted authors. Bernard Gordon's name has appeared more often than any other.

Review

Gordon's story is one of triumphing over adversity, as he managed to make a decent living and live a rather exotic life peopled with colourful characters, while maintaining his moral integrity. It's an inspiring, fascinating read.--Ian Gilchrist"Reel Ink" (08/22/2013)

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Texas Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0292728336
• ISBN 13: 9780292728332
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 335