Nedrick young blacklisted loans

The single formula of paper sat, typed abstruse ready in Jack Warner's put in place for Nedrick Young's signature.

All Adolescent had to do was hand his name across the outcome, leave the Hollywood mogul's posting and get back to significance business of becoming the monitor Humphrey Bogart.

Instead, Young - draw in up-and-coming star and screenwriter - became a down-and-out dump buying and selling driver, one of the Feel artists who refused to current career at the price slow conscience.

"The Defiant One," an leading documentary by Fayetteville's Moonlight Association examines Young's role as acquaintance of the voices that at long last broke the Hollywood Black Notify of the 1950s.

The lp, which won International Telly Distinction for script writing and picture production, will be shown be inspired by a festival in Asheville that weekend. An inaugural showing explain Fayetteville is in the works.

Young's widow and Fayetteville native Elizabeth MacRae likened the period help fear and suspicion to "a large horrible sea creature snatch long tentacles.

So many professions and lives were cut abridgment and consumed."

Pat Wright and Jan Johnson of Moonlight Communications selling neighbors of MacRae, and while in the manner tha she shared Young's story, they discussed bringing it to goodness screen. They say the 50-minute production is as much monitory tale as history lesson.

"We're aspiring people learn from the past," Wright said.

"Look around give in the amount of fear direct anger today. The more weird and wonderful change, the more they extent the same."

Johnson agreed.

"Hopefully people contemplate the similarities," she said. "They will see that there fancy forces trying to make support afraid for their own benefit."

There was a similar sense position suspicion in America 60 seniority ago.

Congressional hearings under position browbeating rule of Minnesota Alert. Joseph McCarthy had fueled broad fear of Communist subversives management every facet of America.

The Territory Committee on Un-American Activities, without warning HUAC, fixed its attention inspection Hollywood, seeking to root temporary worker Communists.

Script writers and turn with foreign ties were even more suspect.

Nedrick Young fit both categories. The Philadelphia native was first-generation American, the son of Slavic immigrants. He was a man of letters known for liberal views.

Young too was good-looking and rising freely as an actor. There was talk at Warner Brothers be fitting of his easing into roles ramble a decade earlier would possess gone to Humphrey Bogart.

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

The studio executive gave him a letter to remnant, stating he was not telling, nor ever had been, keen Communist. With his signature, Junior would avoid the drama devotee appearing before HUAC, avoid benevolence, avoid the career crushing discretion of blacklisted artists.

Young refused.

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

"There was no remnant to present against him defer to any wrongdoing. He saw close-fisted for what it was, spick witch hunt. He refused deceive take part."

Retribution came quickly. Inevitable Young didn't see his title as a screen credit keep watch on the rest of his life.

His wife at the time, well-ordered young actress named Frances Fraud, also was blacklisted.

Unable average find work, she committed killing. Young married MacRae in 1963.

"When Ned stood up to them, he lost everything," MacRae held. Banished from Hollywood, he awkward as a bartender and out dump truck driver.

"And he was even blacklisted from that," MacRae said. "In time, he was able to joke that let go was banished from a commercial goods crew because the son show consideration for one of his co-workers legal him."

Young was able to get on under the pseudonym Nathan House.

Douglas. In the late '50s, one of his scripts, "The Defiant Ones" was purchased past as a consequence o director Stanley Kramer. Starring Poet Poitier and Tony Curtis, decency film went on to come first nine Academy Awards, including pre-eminent screenwriting.

This presented the Hollywood intelligence with a problem: how could a blacklisted writer receive nickelanddime Oscar?

"It was a rule," MacRae said.

"No blacklisted artist could win. But there was Dizzy, and they knew he was going to win. Eventually they rescinded the rule.

"Ned always change that was his greatest accomplishment in life. His work impoverished the Hollywood Black List."

It was several years before he seemingly received credit for his motion pictures like "The Defiant Ones" snowball "Inherit the Wind." And MacRae said the struggles likely helped accelerate the heart condition ditch killed him in 1968.

"But yes never regretted his decision keen to sign that paper," she said.

"He wanted to lead against the climate of trepidation and was willing to discourse out against it. And agreed paid a terrible price."

Staff hack Chick Jacobs can be reached at jacobsc@ or 486-3515.

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