Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/914212
93 Q4 2017 / CINEMONTAGE CUT / PRINT sent DeMille a letter of apology the following day. SDG members did vote to sign a voluntary loyalty oath. Brianton unfortunately does not reprint that document, but Article III, Section H of the guild's constitution required all members to swear to an oath reading: "I am not a member of the Communist Party or affiliated with such party, and I do not believe in, and I am not a member [sic] nor do I support any organization that believes in or teaches the overthrow of the United States government by force or by any illegal or unconstitutional methods." The book's flaws underscore its strength as an outsider's assessment. Brianton does not seem to fully grasp how terrifyingly vital Daily Variety, "the Bible of Showbiz," was to economic and social life in Hollywood. The Twitter of its day, careers could be made or destroyed in its pages — even when those pages were sometimes only reprints of publicity releases. DeMille's blinding anger, rising from the article that questioned his power and control, makes sense when one understands that every day, those in the industry read in the trade papers what was understood to often be "fake news." Hollywood Divided cuts through the conflicting sentimentality and rancor that still surround the Blacklist era. By citing original documents and comparing conflicting stories, Brianton demonstrates how reasoned scholarship offers ways to make sense of seemingly overwhelming political confusion. Some 67 years after the 1950 Screen Directors Guild meeting, the US is again a nation torn by partisanship and fear. DeMille's rallying cry of "right to work" is heard loudly, and many devoted Americans find their patriotism questioned. Reading this book is a reminder that the country has found ways to seek truth, even in Hollywood, where it is far more comforting to "print the legend." f (Writer's note: Thanks to Jeff Burman for information about how IATSE dealt with the black- and graylists.) Speaking of those SDG members who signed a petition to undo the Mankiewicz recall, DeMille railed, "Is it their object to split this Guild wide open so that The Daily Worker and Pravda can gloat over the spectacle?"