Seventy-five years ago, the Hollywood blacklist ruined lives, stifled creativity, and sent waves of proscription and censorship throughout United States culture. When the Hollywood Ten refused to answer the questions of the House Committee on Un-American Activities about their membership in the Communist Party, they were sentenced to prison, the five who were under contract were fired by their studios, and all were blacklisted from reemployment until they "purged themselves of their communist taint".

The Hollywood Motion Picture Blacklist: Seventy-Five Years Later offers new insights on the origins of the blacklist, the characteristics of those blacklisted, and the probability of future proscriptions of the blacklist type. Author Larry Ceplair draws on previously published work while introducing new material to vigorously recount the events that took place between the US government, Hollywood unions, and motion-picture studios. Ceplair thoroughly examines the role of Jewish identity in many anti-communist efforts—a concept that has never been fully examined by scholars—and analyzes the actions of subpoenaed witnesses who were forced to choose between cooperating with the House Committee or joining the blacklist. This fascinating book is an illuminating examination of a dark period in American history.

The book is published by The University Press of Kentucky. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

"An inspired collection by the dean of Hollywood blacklist studies." (Paul Buhle, coauthor of Tender Comrades)

"Impeccably researched, always illuminating...." (Thomas Doherty, author of Show Trial: Hollywood, HUAC, and the Birth of the Blacklist)

"A renowned authority on the Hollywood blacklist...brings decades of research and a typically fresh and independent eye to this new overview and analysis." (Brian Neve, author of The Many Lives of Cy Endfield)