Oliver Crawford was an American screenwriter and author who overcame the Hollywood blacklist during the McCarthy Era of the 1950s to become one of the entertainment industry's most successful television writers.
13 Facts About Oliver Crawford
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Oliver Crawford began working in the television industry as a writer in the early 1950s.
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Shortly after he signed his contract to work with Lancaster, Oliver Crawford was summoned in 1953 to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee, which was investigating suspected Communist sympathizers in Hollywood.
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Oliver Crawford refused to name suspected Communists sympathizers within the entertainment industry.
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Oliver Crawford moved to New York City with his family after being blacklisted where he was forced to take several jobs to make ends meet, including designing window displays.
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Oliver Crawford was finally able to return to television in 1957 when a friend, actor Sam Levene, got him a job as a writer for Playhouse 90.
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Oliver Crawford's career took off during the 1960s, when he wrote for many shows including Gilligan's Island, The Fugitive, The Outer Limits, The Rifleman, The Big Valley, Rawhide, Ben Casey, Lawman, and I Spy.
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Sam Levene 8.
Oliver Crawford authored a 1978 novel, The Execution, which explored survivors of a Nazi concentration camp.
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Oliver Crawford served on the board of directors of the Writers Guild of America for 26 years following the restoration of his screenwriting career.
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Oliver Crawford worked to successfully remove an anti-Communist loyalty oath from Writers Guild's membership application, which was a holdover from the Hollywood blacklist era.
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Oliver Crawford lectured as an associate professor of filmmaking at Loyola Marymount University.
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On September 24,2008, Oliver Crawford died from complications from pneumonia in Los Angeles at the age of 91.
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Oliver Crawford was survived by two daughters, Jo Kaufman and Vicki Crawford, one brother, and one sister.