Watch a preview:
Airs Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at 8pm EST on PBS
Adapted from his son Christopher’s 2003 play and based on the remarkable letters Dalton Trumbo wrote during the devastation wrought by the ‘Red Scare’ in mid-20th century. With credits for Kitty Foyle and Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo to his name – and the anti-war novel Johnny Got His Gun – the young Trumbo was one of the highest paid Hollywood writers. Refusing to testify before HUAC in ‘47, he was part of the group known as the Hollywood Ten – convicted for contempt, he spent 11 months in federal prison and lost all right to ply his craft. Writing 30 scripts under pseudonyms – he won an Oscar in ’56 for The Brave One as Robert Rich – he was not recognized publicly again until 1960, when Otto Preminger credited him on Exodus and Kirk Douglas did so on Spartacus – actions considered to mark the end of the blacklist. As late as 1993, Trumbo was awarded a posthumous Acadamy Award for Roman Holiday (’53.)
Read his Additional Dialogue and the correspondence with Steve Allen to enjoy his great mind and irrepressible spirit. I was of the generation that was held to loyalty standards in college and that saw our so called liberal profs canned. Remember it can happen again as we have seen with the Bush crowd and their contempt for civil liberties.
I want to buy the DVD of this excellent program but it’s not available in your Shop section. Where can I get a copy?
WILL THIS SHOW AGAIN, MISSED IT
What is the reference in the letters to the ‘lash’ of the blacklist. I am trying to find the original letter in Additional dialogue.
Any ideas.
Hi I was wondering about the music used in this episode. If anybody could point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it.
Rich and informative! And who wrote the lively musical score? It’s wonderful, and driving me crazy–can’t find it on imdb, either!
I can not remember seeing such a wonderful program on TV. I cried, I laughed.. .But mainly I was filled with admiration for his honesty, his ethics and his true friends. Please please will someone tell me where can I get a DVD ?
Does anyone know where I mught find the actual Trumbo letters? I am specifically interested in the one written to the school teacher concerning his daughters health.
First time I saw the film/documentary involving his son Chris and such luminaries as Donald Sutherland etc. I wept buckets of tears. I have watched it several times since and it still brings me to tears. What a man of thoughtfulness and integrity and what an awful episode in American history.