The
film, written and co-produced by Carl Foreman, premiered on July 24, 1952 in
New York City. Foreman
was called before the House Un-American Activities
Committee (HUAC) during production., admitting being a member of the Communist Party in the early
1940s, but refused to provide names of
other members and then fled to England (where he wrote The Bridge on the River Kwai).
High
Noon was
nominated for 7 Academy Awards, and received 4 (Best Actor, Best Editing, Best
Score, Best Song). John Wayne accepted the Best Actor Award for the absent Gary
Cooper and said that he was going to ask his “business manager, agent, and
producer and writers” and find out why “I didn’t get High Noon and Coop did.”
In fact, Wayne was offered the film first, but refused, as he believed
“Foreman’s story was an obvious allegory against blacklisting.”