Samuel Badisch Ornitz was an American screenwriter and novelist from New York City; he was one of the "Hollywood Ten" who were blacklisted from the 1950s on by movie studio bosses after his appearance before the House Un-American Activities Committee when he was held in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify about his alleged membership in the Communist Party.
13 Facts About Samuel Ornitz
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Samuel Ornitz's father became a successful dry goods merchant who wanted his sons to go into business with him.
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From an early age, Ornitz became interested in socialism, giving street talks at the age of 12, and writing.
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Unlike his brothers, Samuel Ornitz was not interested in following their father into business.
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Samuel Ornitz next worked for the Brooklyn Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
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Samuel Ornitz started writing plays, and had The Sock performed in 1918.
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Samuel Ornitz's Deficit was produced by the People's Playhouse in New York City in 1919.
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Theodore Dreiser 8.
In 1928, Samuel Ornitz moved to California to work in motion pictures, which was a booming industry as "talkies" were being introduced.
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In 1931, Samuel Ornitz collaborated with Theodore Dreiser, John Dos Passos and other left-leaning writers on the report of the Dreiser Committee, an investigation of the Harlan County War, a miners' strike in Harlan County, Kentucky that was violently suppressed by private police hired by mine owners.
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In 1947, Samuel Ornitz was blacklisted from Hollywood and later sent to prison for refusal to testify before Congress in regard to membership in the communist party.
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Evidence presented in the hearing showed that Samuel Ornitz had been a member of the American Communist Party since at least 1944.
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Shortly after his release from prison, in 1951, Samuel Ornitz published Bride of the Sabbath, a novel.
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Samuel Ornitz died of cancer in 1957 in Woodland Hills, California, aged 66.