Hilda Vaughn, actress: (Hildie
Strouse) From 1920 through 1949, Vaughn made 33 films. She was uncredited in 9
of those films and her scene in another film was deleted. Virtually all of her
parts were bit roles, about half had no lines at all. Vaughn was 52 years old
in 1950, again, ancient for a Hollywood actor.
Vaughn told several newspapers that she quit
acting on film in 1945 to dedicate herself to stage work. She appeared in 11
Broadway productions starting in 1928, with her last appearance in 1950.
Multiple sources list Vaughn as being blacklisted but there is no evidence she
was blacklisted. It appears she simply retired, not working on the stage (where
she would not have been blacklisted) after 1950. She died in 1957 of a heart attack a day
after her 59th birthday in her hometown of Baltimore.
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.