The Hollywood Blacklist Myth : Hilda Simms may have been blacklisted by Hollywood for being black

Hilda Simms may have been blacklisted by Hollywood for being black

It isn’t clear how any one could reach the conclusion that Hilda Simms (1918-1994) was blacklisted from Hollywood. Especially in a Hollywood which, at that time, rarely used black female actress outside of walk-on roles. It seems easier to blame the blacklist for her lack of work instead of racism in the film colony.

The United States Department of Justice denied her passport in 1955 and canceled her scheduled 14-week USO tour of the Armed Forces in Europe. Justice yanked her passport at the demand of the US Defense Department who were wary of her work with the New York Communist Party in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Defense thought it was best not to allow her on bases that contained sensitive material.

During World War 11, before the threat to the United States by the Communist world, Simms entertained troops and made War Bond tours. The Defense Department decision was based on speculation about her affiliation with the Communist Party in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The decision caused her dozens of lost opportunities and any chance of a film career evaporated. In 1960, Hilda penned an article titled "I'm No Benedict Arnold," which told her side of the story.

"If they think I’m a Communist, they're dead wrong,'' she said. "I am not now, nor have I ever been a Communist. I am not an enemy of my country. Both my husband and I have had security clearances time and time again in World War 11”

It was at this point, late 1955, that Simms career was supposedly ruined due her being blacklisted. She didn’t work in film or television for four years.

1944

Anna Lucasta (Broadway Aug 30, 1944 - Nov 30, 1946)

1949

Champion (Film)

Maid (uncredited)

1951

"Hassan" at the Cambridge Theatre in London, England

1953

The Joe Louis Story (Film)

1954

Black Widow (Film)

1955

Repertory Theatre (TV Series)

1960

The Cool World

The Cool World (2 performances).

1962-1964

Nurses (TV Program

1963

Radio, Host, Ladies Day, on New York's WOV.

1965

Director of the Creative Arts Program for the New York State Commission for Human Rights

1970s through the early 1990s,

vocational specialist at the Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation, where she created a "theatre therapy" program, and did other creative initiatives with participants in the clinics.

The problems we have with the Hollywood left

The problem we have with the Hollywood left is it's the notion that accepting differences is no longer good enough, you have to be complicit in them. The problem we have with the Hollywood left it's the notion that any differing opinion is a threat to your very way of existence but never the opposite. The problem we have with the Hollywood left is the blatant hypocrisy of claiming to care about democracy well on abashedly striving to take control of every step of the political process. The problem we have with the Hollywood left is the notion that any idea or opinion outside of your own ideology is morally repugnant and therefore needs to be silenced. The problem we have with the Hollywood left is the notion that your goals must be achieved using everyone resources regardless on whether they agree. The problem we have with the Hollywood left is their supporting of rights situationally when convenient and the outright rejection of those rights when it's in it's the inconvenient for you. The problem we have with the Hollywood left isthat somehow you know what's best for me enough to allow the government to make that choice for me The problem we have with the Hollywood left it's their failure to see the irony in labeling anyone different than yourself as an extremist or a fundamentalist. Originally written by Jason Blood. Edited for this page.

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.

For the most part, front organizations assumed the character of either a mass or membership organization or a paper organization. Both solicited and used names of prominent persons. Literally hundreds of groups and organizations have either been infiltrated or organized primarily to accomplish the purposes of promoting the interests of the Soviet Union in the United States, the promotion of Soviet war and peace aims, the exploitation of Negroes in the United States, work among foreign-language groups, and to secure a favorable viewpoint toward the Communists in domestic, political, social, and economic issues. The first requisite for front organizations is an idealistic sounding title. Hundreds of such organizations have come into being and have gone out of existence when their true purposes have become known or exposed while others with high-sounding names are continually springing up. J. Edgar Hoover on the subject of Communist front organizations. March 26, 1947