The Movie TRUMBO

I wanted to see TRUMBO because I read and liked one of Dalton Trumbo's books, JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN. It was an anti-war novel and critical the warmonger leaders.  I also liked the beat of the music in the previews.

Dalton Trumbo was of the ten Hollywood screenplay writers who was blacklisted during the witch hunt of "commies" during the red scare - they refused to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities".  Trumbo was sentenced to a year in prison for contempt of Congress for refusing to testify.

He was a registered Communist Party member, which was perfectly legal.  It was just a political party, no espionage or anything like that.  He refused to provide them names of other members of the party.  It was a matter of principle.

After Trumbo served his time he was still on the Hollywood Blacklist and could not get work under his name.  So, he began writing screen plays under pseudo names and selling his stories to other writers not as good to use as his own.

Hedda Hopper was constantly against the black listed men, which kept them from being hired.  It took the bravery of the King Brothers and Kirk Douglas to hire them and a plug from new president John F. Kennedy didn't hurt.

The movie was well done.  They combined acting with real newsreels and TV news of the time. 

The movie was directed by Johnny Roach; written by John McNamara;  and starred Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, and John Goodman and others.