He doesn't say much. Works hard.
What's wrong?
SALTMAN: Did he commit a crime? AGENT: Just a routine inquiry.
If and when he leaves this job, please let us know.
Just ask me if you want to know. Ask me.
DAVID: I'm right here. Ask me. AGENT: Thank you, Mr. Saltman.
You want to know something, ask me, not him.
AGENT: Don't get upset.
Upset? Why should I be upset?
You've only ruined my life.
I'm right here. You have something to ask, ask me.
I'm warning you, I'm a federal officer.
Sam, let's go.
Sam? You're warning me? Go ahead, Sam.
DAVID: Warn me. How old are you, Sam?
Warn me.
Tell them I'm not going anywhere! Understand?
DAVID: I'm not going anywhere! Right here.
SALTMAN: They just wanted to know if-- DAVID: Now they know. I'm here.
DAVID: They're after me, not you.
SALTMAN: The FBI.
They make me nervous, David.
SALTMAN: Where you going?
Thank you. I appreciate everything you've done.
[Sorrowful instrumental music]
Operator? I want to make a long distance call to Los Angeles.
Collect. Crestview 0245.
Just say David's calling.
It's me.
How's the new place?
[Car horn honks]
RUTH: Sorry I'm late. I had a meeting after school.
RUTH: I am really sorry to be so late.
DAVID: It's okay. It's good to see you.
Rough trip?
Long.
You want to drive?
DAVID: Where's Paulie? RUTH: We're picking him up.
RUTH: You always want to drive.
DAVID: You drive.
Will you be comfortable on the couch?
I'll be fine. Anything flat.
I know we said some things before you left.
Don't apologize. You were right.
TV: There's enough fresh air and sun...
...in this great country of ours for everybody.
And I'll see to it...
...that you get your share.
RUTH: Paulie, let Daddy sleep.
Five minutes, pal.
I got you now! I got you!
Dad, stop.
RUTH: What are you doing?
Eat your breakfast. We have to go.
RUTH: Damn. I cannot get this.
DAVID: Where you going?
My 8:00 class. I can't get this necklace.
RUTH: Honey, are you finished? PAULIE: I'm hurrying.
I'll be late again.
David, don't, please.
Remember when I bought you this?
-It's a different one. -Than on our honeymoon?
RUTH: I'm seeing Dorothy tonight.
Paulie's staying at a friend's.
RUTH: I'm taking her to a place in Malibu.
Can you afford that?
Can you believe you said that?
I'd never say that.
Want to go?
Sure. You buying?
RUTH: Paulie, finished? We have to go.
RUTH: Keys.
Don't mess up the bed.
It doesn't sag anymore.
Wonder why.
See you later.
[Soft jazz song]
DAVID: Dorothy, over here.
DOROTHY: I drove here so fast I thought I'd get a ticket.
This cop followed me for miles, but he never stopped me.
DAVID: He just saw a beautiful blonde.
RUTH: I love you as a blonde!
I've wanted to be a blonde for years.
The Joan Crawford look is so pass�.
They want the Marilyn look. Do you believe how hot she is?
She must be sleeping with everyone in town to be so hot so fast.
DAVID: Bunny just finished a picture with her. DOROTHY: I doubt they slept together.
Can I get you a drink?
No. I've given the stuff up.
I've decided once and for all to stop drinking.
It's been the source of all my troubles.
DOROTHY: It was killing me.
Just killing me.
I've decided to start working again.
I'm determined. I'm going to...
...get in control again.
Once I start working, I'll be okay.
You look great.
I'm really...
...very angry with you, David.
DOROTHY: You know that I have wanted to do a Broadway play.
You went to New York and didn't even ask me to read your play.
If I can't depend on you, who can I depend on?
But I don't have a play.
I know that you just don't want anybody to know about it.
But listen to me, David.
Give me a part in your play. I'll get good reviews. And then....
Then how can Larry keep Matthew away from me?
I'll be the toast of Broadway in David's new play!
Listen. I don't have a play.
DOROTHY: Listen, Larry really is not that bad.
He really isn't.
We had a good life together.
A wonderful life.
Then all this stuff started.
It's not going to last.
I know that.
I know we'll get back together again.
Wouldn't that be great, Ruthie?
Everything Just the way it was?
Me and Matty and Larry and....
That son of a bitch! I haven't seen my baby in a month!
I don't know how he....
Let's get you home.
You're always right. I should be at home.
What if Larry tries to call me and wants to bring Matthew home?
DOROTHY: I've got to get home.
I have to pick up a new Christmas tree because Matthew loves Christmas.
I bet Larry and Matt are waiting for me.
I have to hurry. They're both waiting for me.
DOROTHY: I have to see my baby.
-Are you all right? -Fine.
DOROTHY: I just want to go home. I'm sure. DAVID: Sure?
You okay?
Please.
I'm okay.
DOROTHY: Please.
All right.
I'm okay.
[Dramatic instrumental music]
[Soft instrumental music]
[Priest recites burial service]
PRIEST: May her soul, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
[Soft instrumental music continues]
[Phone rings]
Bert?
Will you handle the deal?
Thanks, thanks.
DAVID: I think I got a job. Gower Studios. Bert just called.
RUTH: What picture? DAVID: A producer named Gene Woods.
He's a half-assed producer. But it might be good. I'll call you later.
GENE: I knew we'd work together. You didn't believe me.
-I believe you. -Monogram gave me seven days for this.
They brought me in to give it style. And that's why you're here.
-What happened to the director? -He took a flop.
I have to look at the script. I need time to prepare.
No time. Don't worry, the actors are mints. Here's the script.
This scene is next. Take a nice lunch, a half-hour, and read the rest.
I'll be in my office. Don't worry.
We'll walk down the aisle together. I'll see you at the Oscars.
GENE: I'm in my office if you need me.
DAVID: Who's the 1st A.D.? JACK: I am. Jack.
DAVID: You're the sheriff?. Good to meet you.
-What's the next setup? -The villains ride in.
Tie the horses in front of the saloon.
DAVID: They start a fight? JACK: Eventually.
DAVID: What's your first line? JERRY: ''Frank Miller. Good to see you.''
-Got a dolly with an arm? -We can fix something.
We'll start tight on....
We'll start on Jerry then pull back to bring in the bad guys.
Jerry comes out, sees them, goes back in.
The bad guys go in, then the shit hits the fan.
Then the bad guys come flying out.
Here, face down. Then Jerry walks out and says:
''Frank Miller. Good to see you.''
One shot. That's it.
-It's not in the script. -It is now.
What's up?
PAULIE: Fractions. DAVID: Let me see.
''One over two....''
-Daddy's working. -I sure am.
I hated fractions. Got a D.
You never told me that.
I sure did.
Only one or two.
DAVID: ''One over two...
''...is less than or greater than...
''...one over one?''
What do you think?
DAVID: Cut. That's a take.
GENE: David, I must talk to you.
I got 40 days to shoot and six days to do it.
It doesn't matter. Norman here is taking over.
DAVID: What? GENE: Monogram balked on me.
GENE: The projectionists won't run a movie made by a Commie.
Then they're Commies. Ridiculous. Norman....
-Sorry. -You told them? I don't need credit.
I didn't tell anybody.
And I wasn't giving you the credit.
I'll finish. They'll never know.
I'm sick about it. But they'll know.
NORMAN: All right, gather around.
Wait a minute.
I don't want a new director every hour.
Who the fuck gave you a vote? Don't tell me who to hire.
Fire him and I walk. Junk this shit. Explain that to your money man.
Tell him how cold it is out there.
You want to share his coffin? Tell him.
You end up working for assholes.
Nice. This asshole just fired you.
Shitkicker, come back here.
I'm talking to you, Commie!
No one calls me a Commie, you son of a bitch!
I volunteered names of Communists I knew.
You call me a Commie? Back it up!
If he calls you a Commie, he doesn't have to back it up.
Get the shot list.
Sorry about this. I need the job.
Take care of him. Life's not a cowboy movie.
GENE: Don't worry. I'll be in my office if you need anything.
We'll go down the aisle together. We're going to the Oscars.
DAVID: Funny.
Seen enough?
He's got funny hair.
Come on, Paulie, let's go.
PAULIE: Isn't it neat?
It's like Stevie's.
It's too big for me.
Stay here. Stay right here.
-What's wrong with you? It's Christmas! -You got a problem?
Goddamn right!
-Stop it! What's wrong? -I don't know.
I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else.
Merry Christmas, pal.
I thought you were someone else.
[Festive singing]
I'm looking for Felix Graff.
David, come in.
Some mob out there.
Can I get you a drink?
DAVID: No, thanks.
You've lost some weight.
GRAFF: I wish I could lose some.
It's all this damn Christmas cheer.
GRAFF: Hors d'oeuvre?
How you doing?
It's good news you're here.
I presume you had a chance to think and put things in perspective.
I know this is difficult, David.
Nobody says it's easy.
But you've made the right decision.
I haven't made any decision yet.
Isn't there anything I can do? Like the American Civil Liberties Union?
Can I take the Fifth?
DAVID: They can't do anything to me then, right?
Not a real alternative. It implies that you're hiding something.
GRAFF: The only thing to hide, they think, is Communist Party membership.
You protect yourself against self-incrimination but...
...you're guilty by suspicion. Where does that get you?
You asked how I'm doing. You want to know?
I can't get a job.
Can't get a job.
DAVID: All my friends gone.
I'm followed by the FBI. I lost my house.
DAVID: I can't even buy my son a bike for Christmas.
Is it worth all this pain, David?
Is it worth it to your little boy, for example?
What about Dorothy's little boy?
That 6-year-old little boy lost his mother.
GRAFF: That's what I'm saying.
Is it worth all this?
What are they asking you to do?
Just say, ''I'm sorry. I was young and foolish. I made a mistake.
''I was immature.''
GRAFF: That isn't much.
I'm being asked to do more than that.
A lot of people in this country as smart as you...
...think the Committee's good.
GRAFF: A lot of people.
So, when will I get the subpoena?
GRAFF: Two weeks, maybe three.
GRAFF: You're not Cooper or Gable.
You're David. I'm Felix. We have wives and kids and doctors' bills.
This isn't some big screen drama.
Think of yourself.
Don't confuse it with one of your movies.
GRAFF: Ever seen Cooper on screen having to open a doctor's bill?
DAVID: Why are you here?
You look like shit.
Come in.
You were right.
I should have called a lawyer.
But I didn't.
BUNNY: So I went down just to clear my name.
To say I was never a Party member.
They said, ''Fine.'' I said, ''Can I go now?''
They said, ''After you sign a sworn statement.''
BUNNY: I said, ''Fine.''
But in New York...
...so long ago...
...this girl, Magda...
...took me to a meeting.
They thought we could help the folks in Russia...
...by sending canned goods and clothes.
Russia was our ally. The Germans were attacking Stalingrad.
We were both fighting the damn Nazis.
This meeting was just...
...people caring about people.
Magda is....
This was a beautiful girl.
BUNNY: They tell me this was a subversive organization.
BUNNY: They got me for perjury.
The only thing I can do really is cooperate a little bit.
A little bit?
BUNNY: Ten years from now, who will care?
David, I need your help.
I'd like permission....
I need permission to use your name.
You want my permission to inform on me?
I have to give them some names!
It's not enough to eat shit, you have to name names!
They have his name.
Not from me!
That's the whole point, isn't it? Screw your best friends?
This is your fault, David!
You told them we were friends. You came back and then I was called. Help me.
Why don't you just give them my name?
I couldn't do that to you.
Let me use your name.
Get out of my house, Bunny.
You get out of my house, please!
What's the difference? Please! You're dead already.
Get out. Get out.
Don't cry.
DAVID: Why are you crying?
RUTH: So you won't.
[Soft instrumental music]
[Phone rings]
I told you to think about it, Jack.
Think of something convincing.
So far I'm not convinced.
How are you?
Fine, Darryl.
I don't like what's happening.
These politicians think they're doing me a big favor...
...telling me who they'll call and how to get you off.
Then the same guy doing me the big favor asks me for money.
ZANUCK: Congressmen want to be senators...
...even President one day.
I wouldn't let them run a tractor, much less the country.
Is that what you wanted to tell me?
Here.
ZANUCK: It's a good script. Virginia read it and cried.
I want Fonda for the lead. Every director in town wants it.
You want me to read it?
ZANUCK: You can direct it better than anyone.
We start shooting in six weeks.
Just go to that lousy Committee...
...and get this over with.
Graff is at the Mayflower in Washington.
Make a good film, David.
Zanuck wants me to direct it.
Virginia likes it. She's right. It's about something.
DAVID: Zanuck came up with a good one.
I just have to get it over with.
RUTH: Then he'll come through for you?
It felt so good being back there.
The guard. Listening to Zanuck on the phone.
All my life, that's all I've ever wanted to do.
I even miss the reviews.
Never thought I'd miss the reviews.
I'm a filmmaker. That's all I am.
Do they think I'll blow the bridges as the Red Army invades Manhattan?
I can't even get a job in a film equipment store.
DAVID: I worked so hard to make it, I ignored you and Paulie.
I thought nobody could touch me.
Is it so wrong to do what they want?
Is it so wrong to let myself do what I've always wanted to do?
DAVID: Do I spend the rest of my life dreaming what I could have been?
I don't know what to do.
GRAFF: It's time. They're ready for us.
Mark my words. You'll come out of this bigger than ever.
Let's get it over with.
VELDE: In spite of his past, let no one say that Abe Barron is un-American.
GRAFF: There's your friend.
He's demonstrated real patriotism. Each name he's named...
...is a wound at the heart of Communism...
...and a victory for the U.S.A.
We can all sleep better tonight because of this man.
GRAFF: It's way down front, on the left side.
Please state your name and address.
David Merrill. 2851 Winona Place, Hollywood, California.
CHAIRMAN: Please stand.
CHAIRMAN: Hold up your right hand.
CHAIRMAN: You do solemnly swear...
...that you will tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
DAVID: I do. CHAIRMAN: Be seated.
CHAIRMAN: Mr. Merrill is represented by counsel.
CHAIRMAN: Counsel, identify yourself.
Felix Graff. 1830 Jefferson Place, Los Angeles, California.
Proceed, Mr. Tavenner.
Your profession is that of a film director?
Yes.
TAVENNER: Let's begin by getting one matter cleared up at once.
Mr. Merrill, are you now a member of the Communist Party?
No.
TAVENNER: Were you ever a member? DAVID: No.
TAVENNER: Did you attend Communist Party meetings in the fall of 1 939?
Twelve years ago in an organization...
...as perfectly legal as the Republican or Democratic Party...
...where they were getting together to talk about new ideas...
...yes, I attended a few Communist Party meetings.
TAVENNER: Under what circumstances did you attend these meetings? When? Where?
Well, I only attended two or three, at the most...
...over a period of two or three weeks.
TAVENNER: Under what circumstances did you stop attending?
They threw me out.
I think I just argued too much.
TAVENNER: Where did these meetings take place?
Los Angeles.
TAVENNER: Could you be more specific? In someone's home?
I'll restate the question. Were these meetings held in halls or homes?
Homes.
In whose homes...
...were these meetings held?
In whose homes were they held?
Mr. Chairman, may I confer with my client?
By all means.
They want names. That's why we're here.
Come on, you can't beat these bastards!
Keep this up, they'll tear your head off.
They already have.
[Chuckling]
Fuck them.
I beg to be excused, Mr. Chairman.
My client has dismissed me.
[Crowd gasps in surprise]
TAVENNER: I'll ask you again.
In whose homes did these meetings occur?
I'll answer questions about myself.
I won't answer questions about anyone else.
TAVENNER: I introduce as evidence photographs of the witness at a rally of...
...the Federation of Atomic Scientists at the Institute of Technology...
...April 1 7, 1 946.
I ask that they be marked ''Merrill Exhibits no. 1-15. ''
CHAIRMAN: You may do so. The witness will examine these also.
TAVENNER: Did you attend this rally and is this you in the picture?
Yes.
Was the topic of this rally...
...to eliminate the atomic bomb as a strategic weapon?
To eliminate the atomic bomb, period.
TAVENNER: You represented the Hollywood Peace Forum?
Yes.
I read from a statement by the chief of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover...
...wherein he states:
''The Hollywood Peace Forum cries for peace...
''...but has only one purpose: To disrupt public opinion...
''...about the atomic bomb long enough to let the Soviet Union...
''...prepare for war by completing their bomb.''
You were there as a member of the Communist front group?
I was there as an American, with the right to meet anybody, anyplace, anytime.
CHAIRMAN: Who were some of these people you met with as an American citizen?
I told you, I will not--
CHAIRMAN: Just answer the question.
I'll answer all questions about my own actions...
...regardless of the consequence, but not about others.
This Committee examines the extent, character and objectives...
...of subversive conduct in this country.
If I had seen any subversive conduct...
CHAIRMAN: That's enough.
...it would have been my duty to report it to the authorities.
We'll give you that opportunity.
Start now. Who were these people at the meetings?
I won't let you hurt innocent people.
CHAIRMAN: As sure as I'm sitting here, I'll charge you with contempt...
...unless you answer that question.
You have my answer.
VELDE: Mr. Chairman, this witness has been unresponsive...
...and hostile to this Committee.
He's breached his Constitutional protections.
But, Mr. Chairman, this Committee always wants to be fair.
So, to be fair, I'd like to give Mr. Merrill...
...one more chance to address the issues that warranted his appearance here.
Do you deny there was a Communist front meeting at your home last September 21?
DAVID: I don't know what you're talking about.
VELDE: Tell me if the following people were present:
VELDE: ''Dorothy Nolan, Joe Lesser, Nelly Lesser, Claude Rowan, Bert Alan.''
DAVID: When I returned from France, my friends threw a surprise party at my house.
If I tell you who was there, everyone would be a Communist! I refuse.
I won't do that.
I remind this Committee and you...
...of the sworn testimony from Larry Nolan...
...that David Merrill--
Did Larry Nolan testify that he burned books...
...because he was afraid to be caught with those books?
Some books should be burned! Libraries are full of Communist filth!
Alice in Wonderland? Huckleberry Finn?
How many Communists do you know?
How many have you worked with?
What is your association with them?
What are their names? A simple question.
CHAIRMAN: Will the Congressman yield? VELDE: Yes.
Is Ruth Merrill...
...a member of the Communist Party?
DAVID: My wife? CHAIRMAN: You mean your ex-wife?
Here she is at the ''Ban the Bomb'' bash that you all threw.
Clearly mocking our government.
Should a person like this be allowed to teach impressionable children?
Children have the right to discuss government in school.
She must be barred from influencing young minds.
And I will see to it that legislation is adopted...
...requiring teachers to take a loyalty oath.
To prevent people like her from teaching!
DAVID: She doesn't want them killed by atomic bombs!
She's disloyal!
By teaching respect for the Constitution?
Is Ruth Merrill now or has she ever been a Communist? Yes or no?
No. Never. Absolutely, categorically, no.
What about Dorothy Nolan?
CHAIRMAN: Was she ever a Communist? DAVID: She's dead.
CHAIRMAN: That's not what I asked.
CHAIRMAN: Now answer these questions.
Was Dorothy Nolan a Communist? Yes or no?
Don't you have any decency?
CHAIRMAN: Unfortunately...
...Dorothy Nolan was a known drunk, an unfit parent...
...and had been named as a Communist.
She was a good mother. You're responsible for her death!
She has been named as a Communist!
She was falsely accused. She was out of work.
She lost her son because of this Committee!
She killed herself. The Communists twisted her mind.
In the name of ridding the world of Communism, you destroyed her!
Have you no shame? She's dead!
I'm tired of acting...
...as though we're playing some little game!
CHAIRMAN: This Committee and its activities...
...may very well determine the future of this great country!
CHAIRMAN: One Communist in America is one too many, I say!
You don't care about this country.
No concern for the damage you and your Communist friends...
...have inflicted on the minds of free Americans with your films and TV.
CHAIRMAN: Sir, your refusal to answer our questions...
...means you are still a member of the Communist Party...
...and a threat to us all!
Next witness!
VELDE: I move that this witness be cited for contempt!
I might not be the--
You had your chance to speak!
I was raised to stand up for my beliefs and I'll raise my son the same way!
And I'm going to try to live it!
If that isn't what a real American is, then we've failed! Shame on you!
You're dismissed! Remove him!
VELDE: A real American would be proud to answer.
Shame on you!
CHAIRMAN: Next witness!
RUTH: There's Bunny.
CHAIRMAN: Quiet!
This hearing will come to order.
Hold up your right hand.
You do solemnly swear the evidence you are going to give...
...will be the truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
BUNNY: Yes. CHAIRMAN: Be seated.
TAVENNER: Your profession is as a screenwriter?
BUNNY: Yes. TAVENNER: Were you subpoenaed?
BUNNY: Yes. TAVENNER: I'd like to begin...
...if you don't mind, by clearing this matter up.
Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist party?
Mr. Chairman...
...regardless of consequence to myself, I must refuse to answer that question...
...for many reasons. Primarily, it violates my right...
...from the First Amendment to the Constitution.
We all have a right to the freedom of speech.
Freedom of speech! Freedom of assembly.
CHAIRMAN: Answer the question! BUNNY: I am trying to answer...
...but under the circumstances, it appears I must use...
...my Constitutional right as an American citizen.
[Sorrowful instrumental music]
[Soft instrumental jazz]