Book Review - Robert Rossen - Blacklisted Idealist

Full Title: Robert Rossen. The films and Politics of a Blacklisted Idealist
Author : Alan Casty

This is an adequate, academic, biography of Robert Rossen with the main focus, as you would expect, on his politics. Casty doesn't have that much to say about the entertainment value of Rossen's films, instead he's content to discuss why and how Rossen decided to make any particular movie with a few anecdotes about casting and the mood on the set.

Rossen's story is a familiar one. He was a 27 y/o New York screenwriter who came to Hollywood in 1936 and secretly joined CPUSA in the same year.  He continued as a faithful, dues paying CPUSA member until 1949. An original member of the "Hollywood Ten" - before testifying before HUAC in 1951. His former communist friends regarded this as a "betrayal" but Rossen was careful not to name anyone not already known as a Communist.  As a result, Robert Rossen was "Grey-listed" for several years in the 1950's and moved to Europe before returning to the USA Screen with Alexander the Great in 1956.

Although never explicity stated by Casty, its obvious Rossen was helped by his fellow Communists with jobs, awards,  and Studio promotions in the 1930's and 1940's. Rossen was given a chance to direct in 1946, despite no previous experience. Later, despite his lackluster first attempt, he was selected to direct Body and Soul by Communist producer Bob Roberts.. With these few director's credits, Harry Cohen and later, Universal Studios boss Arthur Krim, (both personal friends) gave Rossen producer/director jobs beginning with All the King's Men. Other points:

• Rossen preferred to "fight fascism" from the safety of Beverly Hills. During WW II he stayed home and only fought for Communist causes - like the Second Front. We had to save the USSR in 1942, and Rossen didn't care how many American lives it took.  He was tough!
• Although a fine screenwriter Rossen had little input into the script for Body and Soul - he mostly just directed. Polonsky was very proud of his script and allowed no changes. 
• Rossen was a big friend of John Garfield.  
• In 1948, Rossen submitted the script for All the Kings Men to several CPUSA party functionaries for their approval. After a contentious discussion, they labeled the script "unacceptable" but Rossen made the movie anyway. This was the first Rossen script that wasn't approved by CPUSA prior to filming. 
• Rossen forte was "grey" films related to gangsters/corruption/gritty working class. The Hustler is his best film, and he also worked on The Roaring 20s and The Sea Wolf.
• Despite having zero experience in Big action technicolor films he was given large budgets and a free hand (mostly) in They Came to Cordura and Alexander the Great, - thereby proving that he was a good small B&W film director. In both cases, his personal friendships with Krim and Cohen were responsible for the financing. 

So what's the moral of the book?  I suppose its that no good deed goes unpunished.  Rossen tried to get out of the party and please HUAC without injuring anyone, and was never forgiven by the Left - and  got grey-listed by the Right for 6 years. The other moral?  Well,  its nice to have friends in high places, and belong to a semi-secret political group - as long as it remains secret.