Unfriendly Witnesses: Gender; Theater; and Film in the McCarthy Era examines the experiences of seven prominent women of stage and screen whose lives and careers were damaged by the McCarthy-era ldquo;witch huntsrdquo; for Communists and Communist sympathizers in the entertainment industry: Judy Holliday; Anne Revere; Lillian Hellman; Dorothy Parker; Margaret Webster; Mady Christians; and Kim Hunter.The effects on women of the anti-Communist crusades that swept the nation between 1947 and 1962 have been largely overlooked by cultural critics and historians; who have instead focused their attention on the men of the period. Author Milly S. Barranger looks at the gender issues inherent in the investigations and at the destructive impact the investigations had on the lives and careers of these seven womenmdash;and on American film and theater and culture in general.Issues of gender and politics surface in the womenrsquo;s testimony before the committeemen; labeled ldquo;unfriendlyrdquo; because the women refused to name names. Unfriendly Witnesses redresses the absence of womenrsquo;s histories during this era of modern political history and identifies the enduring strains of McCarthyism in postmillennial America.Barranger recreates the congressional and state hearings that addressed the alleged Communist influence in the entertainment industry and examines in detail the cases of these seven women; including the appearance of actress Judy Holliday before the committee of Senator Pat McCarran; who aimed to limit the immigration of Eastern Europeans; actress Anne Revere and playwright Lillian Hellman; appearing before the House Un-American Activities Committee; sought the protections of the Fifth Amendment with different outcomes; of writer Dorothy Parker; who testified before a New York state legislative committee investigating contributions to ldquo;frontrdquo; groups; and of director Margaret Webster; before Senator Joseph McCarthyrsquo;s subcommittee; whose aim was the indictment of Senator J. William Fulbright and the U.S. State Department. None escaped subsequent blacklisting; denial of employment; and notations in FBI files that they were threats to national security.Unfriendly Witnesses is enhanced by nine illustrations and extensive excerpts from Red Channels: The Report of Communist Influence in Radio and Television; originally published in 1950 at the height of the Red Scare; and which listed 151 allegedly subversive writers; directors; and performers. Barranger includes the complete entries from Red Channels for the seven women she discusses; which include the ldquo;subversiverdquo; affiliations that prompted the womenrsquo;s interrogation by the government.
#3784563 in eBooks 2013-04-10 2013-04-10File Name: B00CBMOT3E
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Nicely transcribed Fats Waller piano solosBy Jason WeberThose guys who gave this one star dont know much about Fats; that or they are being too picky with small errors. In that case; yes there may be a few small errors and this book might not be 100% accurate note for note what Fats played on these songs; but the transcriptions are still very professional and reflect the style and are pretty close to what Fats actually played. Songs like Aint Misbehavin; Alligator Crawl; and Handful of Keys; are essential to any Waller and stride pianist. Wallers style is quite tricky to master and of course; some of the inversions between notes is just too wide to reach for normal sized hands like myself; so of course; improvising is needed for these. Of course; once you do get Fats rhythm and style down; it wont be hard to impress your friends and audiences when you are at a piano; because everything Fats played was professional and had lots of harmony; with a very upbeat bass line. In the end; for only $10 or so dollars this book is worth it; the transcriptions are very good and mimic Wallers songs accurately. Fats music is timeless for any pianist and fun to play once you can get it down.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Very Accurate and Detailed TranscriptionsBy CustomerI have just finished playing through the whole book. Although the solos are technically challenging (at least for me); they still sound good when played at a slower tempo. After analyzing these songs; one can then apply Wallers concepts and trademarks to other jazz standards.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. If you like stride piano; this is a must-haveBy NolatuneIm an advanced player; background in classical piano. Past couple of years have been loving stride piano.This book is one of my favorites. Mind you; the selections require hard work. If you are an intermediate-levelpianist; this is too difficult. I started with Viper Drag around Halloween. Its a great one and all ofFats works allow for lots of interpretation; esp.Viper. I have a fuzzy memory of an old video featuring a viperslinking around and then in middle section he meets a lady-friend-viper they strut together. Programatic piece; it is. Yes; there are some editorial mishaps around which one can "cover". Break the left hand 10th or do what you have to do to play and enjoy these. Fats wouldnt mind. Ive checked variousrecordings of Fats playing some of these pieces and he never played them the same twice. The player just has to pick a tempo s/he can manage. This book will be very much enjoyed played by a stride player. Gaar-on-tee!