Oral Histories

Interview of Donald Gordon

Story editor who was blacklisted in the post-World War II Hollywood blacklist.
Subtitle:
Hollywood Blacklist: Donald Gordon
Series:
Hollywood Blacklist
Topic:
Social Movements
Communist Party
Film and Television
Biographical Note:
Story editor who was blacklisted in the post-World War II Hollywood blacklist.
Interviewer:
Ceplair, Larry
Interviewee:
Gordon, Donald
Persons Present:
Tape I: Gordon, his wife, Henriette Gordon, and Ceplair; Tape II: Gordon and Ceplair.
Place Conducted:
Gordon's home in Los Angeles, California.
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
Interviewer Background and Preparation:
The interview was conducted by Larry Ceplair, UCLA Oral History Program; B.A., Economics, UCLA; Ph.D., History, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Co-author, The Inquisition in Hollywood: Politics in the Film Community, 1930-1960. Ceplair prepared for the interview by consulting sources he had collected while writing The Inquisition in Hollywood and materials in the library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Processing of Interview:
Emma Gee, editor, edited the interview. She checked the verbatim transcript of the interview against the original tape recordings, edited for punctuation, paragraphing, and spelling, and verified proper names. Words and phrases inserted by the editor have been bracketed. Gordon died before he could review the transcript. His daughter, Tina Gordon Gainsboro, verified proper names but made no corrections or additions. Teresa Barnett, editor, prepared the table of contents and index. Richard Martinez, editorial assistant, prepared the biographical summary and interview history.
Length:
1.5 hrs.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the recollections of selected individuals in Los Angeles who were affected by the Hollywood blacklist during the Joseph R. McCarthy-J. Edgar Hoover era.
Abstract:
TAPE NUMBER: II, Side One (September 2, 1988) Acting careers of Gordon's mother, Sadie Levy Gordon, and his sister, Mildred Gordon--Religious background--More on Gordon's poetry--Readers' and story editors' duties--Following the Communist Party line--More on the HUAC hearings.