THE LOS ANGELES REPORT
NY FILE NO.: 100-32522
THIS CASE ORIGINATED AT: Los Angeles, California
REPORT MADE AT: Los Angeles, Cailf.
DATE WHEN MADE: 9/8/50
PERIOD FOR WHICH MADE: 8/26; 9/5/50
REPORT MADE BY: [Name censored by the FBI]
TITLE: Judy Holliday, wa. Judy Tuvim
CHARACTER OF CASE: Security Matter - C
SYNOPSIS OF FACTS:
On August 11, 1950, Judy Holliday finished work at Columbia Pictures on movie entitled "Born Yesterday". She left Los Angeles on August 24, 1950, and presently resides at 158 Waverly Place in New York City. Subject's name appeared on a telegram protesting the action of the Califonria Un-American Activites Committee. The name Judy Holliday appears in an advertisment calling for film industry to revoke the black listing of the "Hollywood Ten".
DETAILS:
AT LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
[Name censored by the FBI.] advised that Judy Holliday had formerly worked as an actress on the New York stage but that she was presently under contract to Columbia Pictures in Hollywood, California. She was scheduled to play the lead in the screen version of "Born Yesterday", a New York stage play in which she had played the leading roll (sic) prior to filming of the same production. The informant stated that her agent in Hollywood was the William Morris Agency of Beverly Hills.
[Name censored by the FBI.]advised that Judy Holliday was at that time residing at the El Royale Apartments, 450 North Rossmore in Hollywood. She resided at this address while she was working at Columbia Pictures. According to the informant Holliday was scheduled to finish the picture "Born Yesterday" on August 11, 1950.
APPROVED AND FORWARDED: [Signature too hard to read.] SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE
COPIES OF THIS REPORT:
5 - Bureau
1 - New York (100-98813) (Info.)
3 - Los Angeles
LA 100-32522
[First sentence censored by the FBI.] Informant stated that on August 24, 1950, Judy Holliday moved out of the El Royale Apartments, 450 North Rossmore, and left Los Angeles to reside in New York City. According to the informant, Holliday will continue to reside in New York City. While there her address will be 158 Waverly Place, New York City. The informant further stated that while in Los Angeles, Mrs. Helen Tuvim, mother of the subject, also resided at the El Royale Apartments and further that Mrs. Tuvim had left Los Angeles with her daughter for New York. [The last sentence of this paragraph has been censored by the FBI.]
The Daily Variety (news of the show world) for August 25, 1950, stated that Judy Holliday had left Los Angeles and gone to New York.
The November 3, 1948 issue of Hollywood trade paper Variety contains an article which states as follows: "Let us give thanks (but not for the black list) for the downfall of the inquisitors: Representatives Vail and McDowell defeated at the polls; Representative J. Parnell Thomas reported by the United Press as being unable to 'devote full time' to the Un-American Activities Committee work. For the return of the valiant: 16 re-elected of the 17 Congressmen who voted against citing the Hollywood Ten for contempt. For this verdict of the people on November 2 in Hollywood, let us show our thanks by return to a free democratic screen with equal opportunity for all. On Thanksgiving Day, anniversary of the black list, we call upon the film industry to revoke the black list." Among the names of persons signing this article was the name Judy Holliday.
The article further stated that on Friday, November 26, 1948, at 8:15 p.m. the Arts, Sciences and Professions Council would hold a "Come to a Thanksgiving Meeting with the Hollywood Ten" which was to be held at the El Patio Theater in Hollywood. The advertisement further stated that Mr. William B. Esterman would be a featured speaker at the Thanksgiving meeting.
[The next paragraph has been censored by the FBI.]
[Name censored by the FBI.]that the Communist Party, at least in Hollywood, was shifting it's open work almost 100 per cent to front groups in organizations such as the Hollywood Arts, Sciences and Professions Council. It was this informant's observation that the Arts, Sciences and Professions Council was currently the key to the Communist Movement in Hollywood among the so-called cultural and professional groups.
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In a full page advertisement in the Hollywood trade paper Variety on February 17, 1948, it was announced that a new group has been formed called the California Theater Council located at 1455 North Laurel Avenue, Hollywood, California. It was noted that this address is the same as the Actors Laboratory. The advertisement announced that the world premiere of the Janet and Phillip Stevenson play "Declaration", which dramatized Jeffersonian democracy, was followed by a pact meeting at which members of a number of theaters contributed over $1,400 and voted unanimously to set up a California Theater Council to fight the investigation of the Actors Lab by the California Legislative Committee investigating un-American activities. (This committee is usually referred to as the Tenney Committee.) The announced purpose of the new group was to fight any encroachment upon free theaters by the Tenney Committee or any committee as a violation of our free expression guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States. It may be noted that the Tenney Committee opened a three day hearing in Los Angeles on February 17, 1948, and among those subpeonaed before the Committee from the Actors Laboratory was J. Edward Bromberg and Rose Hobart. Both Bromberg and Hobart were members of the Board of the Actors Laboratory.
[Name censored by the FBI] advised that the Actors Laboratory was organized on May 10, 1943, by Communist Party members and fellow travelers for the purpose of teaching acting for motion pictures and indoctrinating those who attended the classes with Communist philosphy.
[The entire next paragraph has been censored by the FBI.]
A full page advertisement taken up by the California Theater Council sets out a list of theaters in Los Angeles which contributed to the funds which set up the new organization. It further set out a long list of signers to the following telegram which it claimed was received from Broadway actors and actresses in New York:
"Report of subpoenaeing Rose Hobart and J. Edward Bromberg, members of the Actors Lab Board by Little Un-American Committee is the first attack on free, uncensored legitimate theaters in this country. We support your fight and let this telegram serve as initial expression of theater people in New York that these attacks on our American democratic culture to stop once and for all."
[The entire next paragraph has been censored by the FBI.]
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The December 17, 1948 issue of the Daily People's World on page 14, carries an article entitled "Show Business" by Harold J. Salemson. The article states that Thanksgiving was made the occasion by the Hollywood Arts, Sciences and Professions for celebrating the return to Congress of sixteen of the seventeen representatives who voted against citing for contempt of the "Hollywood Ten" and the defeat of of two leading members of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (Vail of Illinois and McDowell of Pennsylvania), and the exposition of J. Parnell Thomas. The highlight of the meeting was the revelation of the present occupation of each one of the "Hollywood Ten". The article continued: "Joining with the Hollywood Ten and calling this meeting were such nationally known figures as Sam Wanamaker, Oscar Hammerstein II, Judy Holliday, Norman Mailer, and Clifford Odets". [Name censored by the FBI] advised that Daily People's World was a West Coast Communist newspaper.
The February 8, 1949 issue of the Daily People's World announced that members of the "Hollywood Ten" had been subpoenaed in October, 1947, to appear in Washington, D.C., before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. The House Committee on Un-American Activities was reported to be inquiring into Communist activities in the motion picture industry. The "Hollywood Ten" was composed of ten persons subpoenaed by the group, all of whom refused to answer the question as to whether or not they had been a member of the Communist Party.
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ADMINISTRATION PAGE
This investigation of the subject did not reveal positive evidence of membership in the Communist Party, and, therefore, no recommendation for a Security Index Card is being made at this time.
One copy of this report is being furnished to the New York Office inasmuch as the subject is residing in New York City. Form FD-128 is not being enclosed inasmuch as investigation has not revealed that subject is or has been a member of the Communist Party.
In event the New York Office should later develope information that the subject is a Communist Party member, the New York Office should consider itself the office of origin.
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[The FBI has chosen to entirely withhold page 6 of this document.]