Dalton Trumbo: Blacklisted Hollywood Radical

by Larry Ceplair, Christopher Trumbo

James Dalton Trumbo (1905--1976) is widely recognized for his work as a screenwriter, playwright, and author, but he is also remembered as one of the Hollywood Ten who opposed the House Un-American Activities Committee. Refusing to answer questions about his prior involvement with the Communist Party, Trumbo sacrificed a successful career in Hollywood to stand up for his rights and defend political freedom.

In "Dalton Trumbo," authors Larry Ceplair and Christopher Trumbo present thier extensive research on the famed writer, detailing his work, his membership in the Communist Party, his long campaign against censorship during the domestic cold war, his ten-month prison sentence for contempt of Congress, and his thirteen-year struggle to break the blacklist.

The blacklist ended for Trumbo in 1960, when he received screen credits for "Exodus" and "Spartacus." Just before his death, he received a long-delayed Academy Award for "The Brave One," and in 1993, he was posthumously given an Academy Award for "Roman Holiday" (1953). This comprehensive biography provides insights into the many notable people with whom Trumbo worked, including Stanley Kubrick, Otto Preminger, and Kirk Douglas, and offers a fascinating look at the life of one of Hollywood's most prominent screenwriters and his battle against persecution.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Politics, Film

716 pages, Hardcover

First published December 30, 2014

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched and written, even-handed in its treatment of Trumbo, this is a gold standard for biographies. A must read for those interested in the Hollywood blacklist, and a great read for writers in general, as it outlines Trumbo's processes for writing in addition to examining his politics.

[Diego Fernandez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read the first half and skimmed the last. His life is not interesting enough to read in depth for 500 plus pages. The real juicy cool parts are seeing how early Hollywood and the Left worked, including how these 2 things crossed paths. The trial is well known.

[Karoline Spence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, very interesting and well written.

[Tiffany Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read half... the 1st half was quite interesting. Then getting into all of the extreme details of political saga bored me. I found myself skimming... so I knew I would better spend my time on a book I was into.
But I found it interesting and look forward to the movie to be released later this year.

[Frank Ogden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful biography about an iconic screenwriter caught up in the witch hunt to identify communist in the motion picture business. Highly Recommended!