Laurence A. Johnson
Encyclopedia
Laurence A. Johnson was an owner of four supermarkets in Syracuse, New York
. Johnson was an elderly man who was very gracious that loved to talk about patriotism. He helped his daughter Eleanor Johnson with mimeographing, mailing, and contacts. In 1951, He and his daughter had a talk with the members of the American Legion Post in Syracuse. With the help of the post Johnson and his daughter soon became a force felt throughout radio and television. He embarked on a one-man "Syracuse Crusade" in the 1950s to force television advertisers to cancel sponsorship of programs in which "suspect" actors appeared. Johnson's pressure tactics were a manifestation of McCarthyism
and the Hollywood Blacklist
.
. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE3DB1339F930A25752C0A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=3
The Book "Cold War, Cool Medium: Television, McCarthyism, and American Culture" By Thomas Patrick Doherty is available online:
The book "A History of Broadcasting in the United States" by Erik Barnouw
The book "Deadly Farce: Harvey Matusow and the Informer System in the McCarthy Era" by Robert M. Lichtman and Ronald D. Cohen
The Book "Programming for TV, Radio, and Cable" by Edwin T. Vane and Lynne S. Gross
The paper "How the Film and Television Blacklists Worked" by Richard A. Schwartz
The newspaper column "Standing Tall Against McCarthy" By Molly Ivins, Texas Observer. Posted November 29, 2005. http://www.alternet.org/movies/28826/
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. Johnson was an elderly man who was very gracious that loved to talk about patriotism. He helped his daughter Eleanor Johnson with mimeographing, mailing, and contacts. In 1951, He and his daughter had a talk with the members of the American Legion Post in Syracuse. With the help of the post Johnson and his daughter soon became a force felt throughout radio and television. He embarked on a one-man "Syracuse Crusade" in the 1950s to force television advertisers to cancel sponsorship of programs in which "suspect" actors appeared. Johnson's pressure tactics were a manifestation of McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
and the Hollywood Blacklist
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
.
External links
See the January 13, 1991 New York Times article 'If I Stood Up Earlier...' by television producer Mark GoodmanMark Goodman
Mark Goodman is a radio DJ, TV personality, and actor. He is best known as one of the original five VJs on MTV, from 1981-1987. He was supposed to be the first of the five to be broadcast at MTV's premier on August 1, 1981...
. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE3DB1339F930A25752C0A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=3
The Book "Cold War, Cool Medium: Television, McCarthyism, and American Culture" By Thomas Patrick Doherty is available online:
- http://books.google.com/books?id=eGLl1O9SbsYC&pg=PA27&lpg=PA27&dq=syracuse+mccarthyism&source=web&ots=GjA6V2VNrq&sig=3t5VJuHVMfPB2683h40bJG_J8J0&hl=en
The book "A History of Broadcasting in the United States" by Erik Barnouw
- http://books.google.com/books?id=UzVDHPsJ6AoC&pg=PA273&lpg=PA273&dq=laurence+a+johnson+syracuse&source=web&ots=UDZRi5xL_7&sig=6ogxKbj8wDgg5FWRSJkQbPqPHVg&hl=en#PPA274,M1
The book "Deadly Farce: Harvey Matusow and the Informer System in the McCarthy Era" by Robert M. Lichtman and Ronald D. Cohen
- http://books.google.com/books?id=wnG6UkdyaYEC&pg=PA63&lpg=PA63&dq=laurence+a+johnson+syracuse&source=web&ots=xhwgJUzsaq&sig=2G0sSRLnT5qFNIIMnn5xge0f9Ng&hl=en#PPA63,M1
The Book "Programming for TV, Radio, and Cable" by Edwin T. Vane and Lynne S. Gross
- http://books.google.com/books?id=QNBlwUNuyh8C&pg=PA239&lpg=PA239&dq=laurence+a+johnson+syracuse&source=web&ots=5E0O6LV
The paper "How the Film and Television Blacklists Worked" by Richard A. Schwartz
- http://comptalk.fiu.edu/blacklist.htm
The newspaper column "Standing Tall Against McCarthy" By Molly Ivins, Texas Observer. Posted November 29, 2005. http://www.alternet.org/movies/28826/