Jay Roach Quotes
When Dalton Trumbo and his friends joined the Communist Party it was 1943, and Russia was our ally in World War II. This was connected to a very popular movement of artists and intellectuals at that time towards anti fascism, and an alliance with the union movement.
McDonald, Patrick. "Interview: Director Jay Roach on the Politics, Show Biz of 'Trumbo'." HollywoodChicago.com, 11 Nov. 2015.
A theater arts program that operated nationally under the WPA.
The military security people were so used to ferreting out communists in the 1930s that they had a hard time adjusting to the fact that the security risks or people who might have German connections or backgrounds. Many immigrant scientists were recruited for work on the Manhattan project to build the atomic bomb and they only did security clearances. The military security people kept checking on any communist background they might have had as opposed to possible connections with fascist organizations. By the end of the war they had adjusted but then had to go back to looking for communists as the Cold War evolved.
Although the U. S. denied propaganda and dirty tricks efforts interfering in the internal affairs of South American Countries, this memo proves that there were some instances of just that.
Hollywood was actually very diverse but very tolerant. Hoover, an intolerant racist himself, saw the encouragement of civil rights for Blacks as support of Communism because the Communist Party made a major issue over American Racism. Most Communists were also opposed to racial discrimination, but most of those advocating an end to discrimination were not communists although Southern Politicians almost always claimed that they were.
The Red Scare had affected much of the country. The House Un-American Activities Committee had frightened much of the country claiming that the Communists had infiltrated the government. But when facts and proof were demanded, all they came up with some workers in the Hollywood film industry who had gone to communist meetings and some who had joined the party before the War when The Great Depression was still plaguing the country. The Hollywood and TV executives caved in to the political demagogues and fired and blacklisted not only the communists but those who refused to testify. The actors and musicians could not work for several years until the country came to its senses, but the screenwriters wrote under false names. At least one Academy award was won that way.
Seeger’s admission was typical of tens of thousands of Americans who had become disillusioned with the fairness, equity, and effectiveness of capitalism during the depression. They were easy prey for Communist propaganda which pointed out all the problems in American society from legal racial discrimination to lack of a social safety net while at the same time lying about the Russian achievements and hiding the horrible abuses of human rights—especially the political murders of millions of people. Then the truth about Russia emerged, Seeger and so many others abandoned the Communist Party as at the same time America was improving its society and beginning to try and deal with the great problem that had plagued America from its inception—racism and slavery.
Mathew Jay Roach is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the Austin Powers film series (1997–2002), Meet the Parents (2000), Meet the Fockers (2004), Dinner for Schmucks (2010), The Campaign (2012), Trumbo (2015), and Bombshell (2019).
