Doubtfully blacklisted: Herschel Bernardi



Herschel Bernardi, actor. One of the many suspicious claims of being blacklisted come from Bernardi. Prior to the 1950s, Bernardi had only three screen credits, one as an uncredited doorman and two Yiddish audience films with limited distribution.
A homely fellow, he was not leading man material, which limited his options. Because of the huge demand, from 1950 until the end of his career three decades later, he worked primarily in voice-over for commercials and cartoon. Bernardi made a tape recording of himself doing nearly two dozen different voices, then "jumped on my motor scooter and went from agency to agency selling myself."
From 1955 through 1958, he worked steadily as  “Utility face” on  "Matinee Theater," appearing 22 on the daytime drama.
Bernardi said he was blacklisted in 1953, but only by CBS television because he had once been a member of the Actors Lab, a Communist front in LA. He later modified his Blacklisting claim to being blacklisted by CBS television and then modified that, saying that the blacklisting only lasted for two seasons.
″In those years, each network had its own blacklist, and I was on CBS’. I inadvertently found out when I lost three jobs in a row. A friend informed me that my credentials had been checked and said, ’Your name came back dirty. I wasn’t well enough know to be hurt by it, I was pretty small fish. I didn’t suffer much, I was still able to do commercials.”
Again, prior to his supposed Blacklisting in 1953, Bernardi had never appeared on television and had a minor, uncredited role in a film. So what he was blacklisted from isn’t clear. 
1959
1001 Arabian Nights  (voice over)

1958
Murder by Contract
M Squad (TV Series)
The Executioner
Schlitz Playhouse (TV Series)
Zorro (TV Series)
Matinee Theatre (TV Series)
State Trooper (TV Series)
he Court of Last Resort (TV Series)
Mike Hammer (TV Series)
Harbor Command (TV Series)
The Walter Winchell File (TV Series)

1957
Studio 57 (TV Series)

1955
He toured Jewish theater in 1955 and in 1957, he toured as The Hershel Bernardi Show
Just because someone’s name appeared in Red Channels, that doesn’t mean they were blacklisted. It just means there name appeared in Red Channels.
Just because a person said they were blacklisted doesn’t mean they were. Many people in Hollywood have lied about being blacklisted over the years.
If  a person was actually blacklisted…and not many were actually blacklisted….it was the studios and TV sponsors who blacklisted them. Not the United States federal government.
If a person claims the blacklist ruined their career, they should be able to prove they had a career before the blacklist.