The Oscar-awarding ritual is Hollywood's biggest pitch for dignity, but two years ago dignity suffered. When one Robert Rich was announced as top original writer for The Brave One, he never stepped forward. Robert Rich was a pseudonym, masking one of about 150 Hollywood writers (plus an estimated 75 actors, producers, musicians) blacklisted by the industry since 1947 as suspected Communists or fellow travelers. The case was particularly embarrassing because the Motion Picture Academy had barred any Communist or Fifth Amendment pleader from Oscar competition. Last week both the Communist rule and the mystery of Rich's identity were suddenly...
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