Oral Histories

Interview of Christopher Trumbo

Son of the screen and television writer Dalton Trumbo, who was one of the Hollywood Ten, who were imprisoned and blacklisted in the post-World War II Hollywood blacklist.
Series:
Hollywood Blacklist
Topic:
Social Movements
Film and Television
Communist Party
Biographical Note:
Son of the screen and television writer Dalton Trumbo, who was one of the Hollywood Ten, who were imprisoned and blacklisted in the post-World War II Hollywood blacklist.
Interviewer:
Ceplair, Larry
Interviewee:
Trumbo, Christopher
Persons Present:
Trumbo and Ceplair.
Place Conducted:
Trumbo's home in Ojai, California.
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the recording 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. Coauthor, 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 Pictures Arts and Sciences.
Processing of Interview:
The transcript is a verbatim transcription of the recording. It was transcribed by a professional transcribing agency using a list of proper names and specialized terminology supplied by the interviewer. Trumbo was then given an opportunity to review the transcript and made a few corrections and additions. Those corrections were entered into the text without further editing or review on the part of the Center for Oral History Research staff.
Length:
4.5 hrs.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Audio:
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.
Importance of Dalton Trumbo—Beginning of blacklist—Beginning of black market in scripts—Mexico—Plan to break blacklist—Maneuvering Academy Awards.
Attitude toward blacklist and black market—Movie-by-movie discussion of black market scripts—Getting off the blacklist—Laurel Award speech (attitude toward informers).