Joseph Julian (Joseph Shapiro)
was a regular at communist front organizational meetings. Red Channels reported
his presence at those meeting. Although
Red Channel never said he was a communist, Julian sued for libel.
The lower courts held that
"Red Channels" had not libeled him and he appealed to the New York State
Court of Appeals.
Julian contended that the listing
of his name in Red Channels had held him "up to public ridicule and
contempt and prejudiced his opportunities to earn a living.”
At the same time, he conceded that
his pro-Communist leanings were factual and that the sponsors of meetings he
attended were Communist sympathizers.
Julian clearly had no case for a valid
action, but the appeals court decided that the larger question was whether it
is ethical to expose the activities of pro-Communists and heard the case on
that merit as well.
The court's opinion was that "The plaintiff, an actor (in radio-TV), a
major medium in shaping public opinion performed a public act in appearing and
reciting at meetings organized by Communist fronts . . .”
"Actors, writers, directors, and producers can and do mold the thinking of our citizens to a degree far
greater than our leaflets in political, economic, philosophic or religious
life, who cannot afford . . . these media.
"If the public figure's
political activities at sponsored Communist front rallies cannot be criticized,
and his presence on radio or TV cannot be challenged as being opposed to the
national interest, then there is no field of fair comment . .”
"Those who seek public acclaim and
support, cannot expect immunity from criticism or insist that the public remain
uninformed regarding their activities . . .
"Those who demand the right
of free speech as necessary to the successful pursuit of their profession, should not seek to deny the same rigid standard
to their critics . . “
"The plaintiff had the right
of assembly and the exercise of free
speech in attending a Communist front meeting to the same extent his fellow
citizens have a right to show who organized the meetings . . . and whether in
their opinion, it impaired (Julian's) qualification for employment in an
Industry disseminating news and ideas.
In the end, the Court upheld the
lower-court dismissal of Julian’s $150,0o0
libel suit.
As for his claim that being in
Red Channels cost him work, Julian was never out of work from 1957 through
1959. Between 1950 and 1959 Julian worked in over 10,000 broadcasts in all
forms of production from sound effects to leading man. Between 1953 and 1963,
Julian wrote scripts for "Theater
Guild-U.S. Steel Hour".
1959 Deadline (TV Series)
1958 The Mugger
Walk Into My Parlor (Broadway) Nov 20, 1957 - May 03, 1958
1957 The Violators
1957 That Night!
1956-1957 The Big Story (TV Series)
1956 As the World Turns (TV Series)
Joe (1960-1963)
1954 Omnibus (TV
Series)
Two episodes in 1951 and one in 1950
1950 Danger (TV Series)
Judgment Day (Broadway) Nov 19, 1941 - Dec 13, 1941
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.