Blacklisted: Recent Episodes
Produced and directed by Tony Kahn
In October 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee opened its hearing into Communist influence in the movie business and promptly denounced 19 prominent directors, producers, screenwriters, and actors as enemies of the state. One of them was Hollywood screenwriter Gordon Kahn, whose films include All Quiet on the Western Front and The African Queen.
In this six-part personal history of the Hollywood Blacklist, Gordon Kahn's son, Morning Stories producer Tony Kahn, tells the story of his father's 15 years of persecution and the fear that followed him, his family, and thousands of other Americans for being accused of having the wrong political ideas.
J. Edgar Hoover, calls Gordon Kahn "one of the three most dangerous Communists in Hollywood."
Gordon Kahn, earning a small living under the pseudonym of Hugh G. Foster, gives up hope of getting back his name.