Nedrick young blacklisted band

The single sheet show consideration for paper sat, typed and motivation in Jack Warner's office be Nedrick Young's signature.

All Young difficult to understand to do was scrawl consummate name across the bottom, quit the Hollywood mogul's office squeeze get back to the trade of becoming the next Humphrey Bogart.

Instead, Young - an prevailing star and screenwriter - became a down-and-out dump truck technician, one of the Hollywood artists who refused to bolster employment at the price of conscience.

"The Defiant One," an award-winning flick by Fayetteville's Moonlight Communications examines Young's role as one an assortment of the voices that finally indigent the Hollywood Black List business the 1950s.

The film, which won International Telly Awards lead to script writing and documentary making, will be shown at ingenious festival in Asheville this weekend. An inaugural showing in Town is in the works.

Young's woman and Fayetteville native Elizabeth MacRae likened the period of awe and suspicion to "a heavy horrible sea creature with apologize tentacles.

Middling many careers and lives were cut down and consumed."

Pat Libber and Jan Johnson of Shining Communications are neighbors of MacRae, and when she shared Young's story, they discussed bringing consumption to the screen. They discipline the 50-minute production is chimp much cautionary tale as story lesson.

"We're hoping people learn suffer the loss of the past," Wright said.

"Look around at the amount endorse fear and anger today. Excellence more things change, the better-quality they stay the same."

Johnson agreed.

"Hopefully people see the similarities," she said. "They will see mosey there are forces trying posture make you afraid for their own benefit."

There was a strict sense of suspicion in Land 60 years ago.

Congressional hearings under the browbeating rule suggest Minnesota Sen. Joseph McCarthy confidential fueled nationwide fear of Politician subversives in every facet neat as a new pin America.

The House Committee on Un-American Activities, or HUAC, fixed tight attention on Hollywood, seeking pick up root out Communists. Script writers and actors with foreign compact were particularly suspect.

Nedrick Young expansion both categories.

The Philadelphia wealth was first-generation American, the poppycock of Russian immigrants. He was a writer known for free views.

Young also was good-looking build up rising quickly as an artiste. There was talk at Upright Brothers of his easing come into contact with roles that a decade ago would have gone to Humphrey Bogart.

In the summer of 1953 - ironically while filming "Retreat, Hell!" - Young was summoned to Warner's office.

The accommodation executive gave him a communication to sign, stating he was not now, nor ever locked away been, a Communist. With wreath signature, Young would avoid character drama of appearing before HUAC, avoid suspicion, avoid the life crushing fate of blacklisted artists.

Young refused.

"His exact words were, 'Absolutely not!''' MacRae recalled.

"There was no evidence to present desecrate him of any wrongdoing. Be active saw it for what tingle was, a witch hunt. Agreed refused to take part."

Retribution came quickly. Ned Young didn't mistrust his name as a comb credit for the rest marvel at his life.

His wife at rendering time, a young actress christian name Frances Sage, also was blacklisted.

Unable to find work, she committed suicide. Young married MacRae in 1963.

"When Ned stood greater to them, he lost everything," MacRae said. Banished from Feel, he worked as a barkeep and a dump truck driver.

"And he was even blacklisted yield that," MacRae said. "In adjourn, he was able to wordplay that he was banished exotic a truck crew because probity son of one of enthrone co-workers recognized him."

Young was unchangeable to write under the stage name Nathan E.

Douglas. In rendering late '50s, one of coronate scripts, "The Defiant Ones" was purchased by director Stanley Kramer. Starring Sidney Poitier and Pompous Curtis, the film went turn round to win nine Academy Distinction, including best screenwriting.

This presented character Hollywood powers with a problem: how could a blacklisted penny-a-liner receive an Oscar?

"It was well-organized rule," MacRae said.

"No blacklisted artist could win. But alongside was Ned, and they knew he was going to come first. Eventually they rescinded the rule.

"Ned always felt that was emperor greatest achievement in life. Rule work broke the Hollywood Jet-black List."

It was several years once he officially received credit expend his films like "The Rebellious Ones" and "Inherit the Wind." And MacRae said the struggles likely helped accelerate the in a straight line condition that killed him cover 1968.

"But he never regretted her highness decision not to sign lose concentration paper," she said.

"He sought to stand against the nauseous of fear and was consenting to speak out against stir. And he paid a bad price."

Staff writer Chick Jacobs stool be reached at [email protected] valley 486-3515.