Video: 'Hollywood 'Red' Probe, HUAC Hearings Begin 1947/10/20'

(Monday, October 20, 1947, 10:30 a.m. EST; during the Second Red Scare and the Cold War) — The House Un-American Activities Committee opened hearings today in Washington, D.C., into alleged Communist influence and infiltration in the U.S. motion picture industry.

The hearings would result in the establishment of the Hollywood blacklist, the practice of denying employment to screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians and other American entertainment professionals because they were accused of having Communist ties or sympathies.

Video: 'The House Un-American Activities Committee'