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"Trumbo"-lots of NY stage actors, big mistake about Edward G. Robinson
Posted by: PlayWiz 02:38 pm EST 12/21/15
The film is wonderful with great work by among other Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren, Roger Bart, John Goodman and Michael Stuhlgarg (as Edward G. Robinson). However, the film makes big historical error in having (SPOILER ALERT): Robinson "name names" before the House Un-American Committee. He apparently was called in front of them and gave the names of organizations, but did not name specific people. This is a rather egregious error; I had never heard of Robinson talked about in the manner of Elia Kazan and Jerome Robbins: i.e. people who did 'name names". From a dramatic sense, this serves the film, but it does not serve the memory of Mr. Robinson.
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re: "Trumbo"-lots of NY stage actors, big mistake about Edward G. Robinson
Posted by: BruceinIthaca 12:41 am EST 12/23/15
In reply to: "Trumbo"-lots of NY stage actors, big mistake about Edward G. Robinson - PlayWiz 02:38 pm EST 12/21/15
I'm glad someone raised it, because my understanding was the Robinson did not name names, and paid for it a bit. If he did give the names of organizations, that seems to me the act of a man trying to protect individuals and reaching for a compromise. It was an imperfect decision, but one that retains the kind of moral struggle I always heard he had.
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re: "Trumbo"-lots of NY stage actors, big mistake about Edward G. Robinson
Posted by: Richard Connema 07:03 pm EST 12/22/15
In reply to: "Trumbo"-lots of NY stage actors, big mistake about Edward G. Robinson - PlayWiz 02:38 pm EST 12/21/15
I was in Hollywood during those perilous times and Edward G. Robinson would visit the Burbank studios occasionally since he was a contract player for many years with Warner Brothers. I met him several times he never named names but only organizations which everyone knew already. Edward could not find a job for several years in films because of the "red" scare.
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re: "Trumbo"-lots of NY stage actors, big mistake about Edward G. Robinson
Posted by: Kimmelhisway 02:02 pm EST 12/22/15
In reply to: "Trumbo"-lots of NY stage actors, big mistake about Edward G. Robinson - PlayWiz 02:38 pm EST 12/21/15
I kind of felt that the entire film was made hash of by them feeling the need to rewrite history and sully the name of a fine actor and, from everything I've been told, a wonderful man. The writers, just to create some drama for their film, show their true colors. There's enough horror in the blacklist that they don't have to make things up. I wanted to love the film, but that alone precluded it.
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Edward G. Robinson and the Blacklist
Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 01:01 pm EST 12/22/15
In reply to: "Trumbo"-lots of NY stage actors, big mistake about Edward G. Robinson - PlayWiz 02:38 pm EST 12/21/15
It's my understanding that Robinson was actually a victim of the blacklist during the early to mid-50's because he refused to name names. He was only able to get work in a handful of B-movies from 1950 until 1954 when DeMille cast him in The Ten Commandments. However, he did make a very successful return to Broadway in 1956 starring in Chayefsky's Middle of the Night, which had an extended run and eventually his film career recovered.
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sorry, "Stuhlbarg" that is. nm
Posted by: PlayWiz 02:43 pm EST 12/21/15
In reply to: "Trumbo"-lots of NY stage actors, big mistake about Edward G. Robinson - PlayWiz 02:38 pm EST 12/21/15
nm
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re: sorry, "Stuhlbarg" that is. nm
Posted by: origamiboy 08:29 am EST 12/22/15
In reply to: sorry, "Stuhlbarg" that is. nm - PlayWiz 02:43 pm EST 12/21/15
He didn't name names, but he DID turn against the party and even went as far as publishing an article in American Legion Magazine. Something about how he was "suckered by the Reds", if I recall the title correctly.

By doing this, he turned his back on Trumbo and the rest of their friends, who were currently waging a war against the committee for their rights.
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re: sorry, "Stuhlbarg" that is. nm
Posted by: PlayWiz 02:23 pm EST 12/22/15
In reply to: re: sorry, "Stuhlbarg" that is. nm - origamiboy 08:29 am EST 12/22/15
It is one thing to change one's mind about one's political affiliation and probably be pressured to write against it, and quite another to actually speak individual names to the House Un-American Committee looking to squash such individuals. This latter action, which did not happen in reality, is what is portrayed in the film.
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re: sorry, "Stuhlbarg" that is. nm
Posted by: origamiboy 10:26 pm EST 12/22/15
In reply to: re: sorry, "Stuhlbarg" that is. nm - PlayWiz 02:23 pm EST 12/22/15
I think there's more to it than his just changing his mind. He vowed to help Trumbo and the others, and then turned his back entirely on the party. And I think a lot of those still affiliated felt he didn't so much change his mind as crack under pressure.

I was just offering this as an alternate view. It's been a few week's since I've seen the film, so I can't quite recall the parameters of their falling out in it.
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