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Joseph McCarthy
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===In popular culture=== From the start of his notoriety, McCarthy served as a favorite subject for political cartoonists. He was traditionally depicted in a negative light, normally pertaining to McCarthyism and his accusations. [[Herblock]]'s cartoon that coined the term ''McCarthyism'' appeared less than two months after the senator's now famous February 1950 speech in [[Wheeling, West Virginia]]. In 1951, [[Ray Bradbury]] published "The Fireman", an allegory on suppression of ideas. This served as the basis for ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]'' published in 1953.<ref>{{cite web|author=A Bruin Birthday Tribute To Ray Bradbury Tweet|url=http://www.spotlight.ucla.edu/ray-bradbury/|title=First Spark: Ray Bradbury Turns 90; The Universe and UCLA Academy Celebrate|publisher=Spotlight.ucla.edu|date=August 22, 2010|access-date=September 30, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005161805/http://www.spotlight.ucla.edu/ray-bradbury/|archive-date=October 5, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first1=Issac |last1=Asimov |first2=Ray |last2=Bradbury |first3=John W. |last3=Campbell |others=Narrated by Norman Rose |title=Ticket to the Moon (tribute to SciFi) |date=December 4, 1956 |work=Biography in Sound |publisher=NBC Radio News |url=https://oldradioprograms.us/My%20Old%20Radio%20Shows/B/Biographies%20In%20Sound/Biographies%20In%20Sound%20(NBC)-1956-12-04-Ticket%20To%20The%20Moon%20-%20Tribute%20To%20Scifi.mp3 |format=mp3 |access-date=February 2, 2017 |at=27:10β27:30 |quote=I wrote this book at a time when I was worried about the way things were going in this country four years ago. Too many people were afraid of their shadows; there was a threat of book burning. Many of the books were being taken off the shelves at that time. |archive-date=February 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209110704/https://oldradioprograms.us/My%20Old%20Radio%20Shows/B/Biographies%20In%20Sound/Biographies%20In%20Sound%20(NBC)-1956-12-04-Ticket%20To%20The%20Moon%20-%20Tribute%20To%20Scifi.mp3 |url-status=live }}</ref> Bradbury said that he wrote ''Fahrenheit 451'' because of his concerns at the time (during the [[McCarthyism|McCarthy era]]) about the threat of book burning in the United States.<ref name=LAweekly>{{cite web|title=Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451 Misinterpreted|last=Johnston|first=Amy E. Boyle|date=May 30, 2007|work=LA Weekly website|url=http://www.laweekly.com/2007-05-31/news/ray-bradbury-fahrenheit-451-misinterpreted/full|access-date=August 3, 2013|archive-date=September 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130902154602/http://www.laweekly.com/2007-05-31/news/ray-bradbury-fahrenheit-451-misinterpreted/full/|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Bob Hope]] was one of the first comedians to make jokes about McCarthy. During his 1952 Christmas show, Hope made a joke about [[Santa Claus]] writing to let Joe McCarthy know he was going to wear his red suit despite the Red Scare. Hope continued to offer McCarthy jokes as they were well received by most people, although he did receive some hate mail. In 1953, the popular daily comic strip ''[[Pogo (comics)|Pogo]]'' introduced the character [[Pogo (comics)#Simple J. Malarkey|Simple J. Malarkey]], a pugnacious and conniving [[wildcat]] with an unmistakable physical resemblance to McCarthy. After a worried [[Rhode Island]] newspaper editor protested to the syndicate that provided the strip, creator [[Walt Kelly]] began depicting the Malarkey character with a bag over his head, concealing his features. The explanation was that Malarkey was hiding from a [[Rhode Island Red]] hen, a clear reference to the controversy over the Malarkey character.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/possums/ga_pogo.htm |title=Georgia State 'Possum |date=September 18, 2014 |website=Netstate.com |access-date=December 22, 2014 |archive-date=April 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403164640/http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/possums/ga_pogo.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1953, playwright [[Arthur Miller]] published ''[[The Crucible]]'', suggesting the [[Salem witch trials]] were analogous to McCarthyism.<ref name=blakesleym>Blakesley (1992, xv).</ref> As his fame grew, McCarthy increasingly became the target of ridicule and parody. He was impersonated by nightclub and radio [[Impressionist (entertainment)|impressionists]] and was satirized in ''[[Mad (magazine)|Mad]]'' magazine, on ''[[The Red Skelton Show]]'', and elsewhere. Several comedy songs lampooning the senator were released in 1954, including "Point of Order" by [[Stan Freberg]] and [[Daws Butler]], "Senator McCarthy Blues" by [[Hal Block]], and unionist folk singer [[Joe Glazer]]'s "Joe McCarthy's Band", sung to the tune of "[[McNamara's Band]]". Also in 1954, the radio comedy team [[Bob and Ray]] parodied McCarthy with the character "Commissioner Carstairs" in their soap opera spoof "Mary Backstayge, Noble Wife". That same year, the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] radio network broadcast a satire, ''[[The Investigator]]'', whose title character was a clear imitation of McCarthy. A recording of the show became popular in the United States, and was reportedly played by President Eisenhower at cabinet meetings.<ref>{{cite book| first = Thomas| last = Doherty| title= Cold War, Cool Medium: Television, McCarthyism, and American Culture| url = https://archive.org/details/coldwarcoolmediu00dohe| url-access = registration| publisher= Columbia University Press| page = [https://archive.org/details/coldwarcoolmediu00dohe/page/213 213]| year= 2005| isbn= 978-0-231-12953-4}}</ref> The 1953 short story ''Mr. Costello, Hero'' by [[Theodore Sturgeon]] was described by journalist [[Paul Williams (Crawdaddy)|Paul Williams]] as "the all-time great story about Senator Joseph McCarthy, who he was and how he did what he did."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theodoresturgeontrust.com/williams.html|title=Theodore Sturgeon, Storyteller|last=Williams|first=Paul|date=1976|access-date=February 28, 2016|archive-date=March 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313073810/http://www.theodoresturgeontrust.com/williams.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ====Post-censure reaction==== ''Mr. Costello, Hero'' was adapted by [[X Minus One]] into a radio teleplay and broadcast on July 3, 1956.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mr Costello Hero {{!}} X Minus One |url=https://archive.org/download/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusOne56-07-03058MrCostelloHero.mp3|language=en|access-date=May 25, 2020}}</ref> While the radio adaptation retains much of the story, it completely remakes the narrator and in fact gives him a line spoken in the original by Mr. Costello himself, thus changing the tone of the story considerably. In a 1977 interview, Sturgeon commented that it was his concerns about the ongoing McCarthy hearings that prompted him to write the story.<ref>{{cite book|title=A Saucer of Loneliness|editor=Paul Williams|publisher=North Atlantic Books|location=Berkeley|date=2000|volume=VII: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon|pages=384β385|isbn=1-55643-424-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=amWBa48lb6AC&q=%22a+saucer+of+loneliness%22|access-date=February 28, 2016}}</ref> A more serious fictional portrayal of McCarthy played a central role in the 1959 novel ''[[The Manchurian Candidate]]'' by [[Richard Condon]].<ref>{{cite book |last1= Welsh|first1=James Michael |last2= Lev |first2=Peter |date=2007 |title=The Literature/film Reader: Issues of Adaptation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1alUlyaDUbcC&q=%22the+manchurian+candidate%22+novel+mccarthy+iselin&pg=PA205 |location=Plymouth, UK|publisher=Scarecrow Press |page=205 |isbn=978-0-8108-5949-4}}</ref> The character of Senator John Iselin, a [[demagogy|demagogic]] anti-communist, is closely modeled on McCarthy, even to the varying numbers of Communists he asserts are employed by the federal government.<ref>{{cite book |last1= Sachleben |first1=Mark |last2= Yenerall |first2=Kevan M. |date=2008 |title=Seeing the Bigger Picture: Understanding Politics Through Film & Television |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qR5ov7nKF_sC&q=%22the+manchurian+candidate%22+mccarthy+iselin+varying+numbers+communists&pg=PA64 |location=New York |publisher=Peter Lang Publishing |page=64 |isbn=978-0-8204-7144-0}}</ref> He remains a major character in the [[The Manchurian Candidate (1962 film)|1962 film version]].<ref>{{cite book |last= DiMare |first=Philip C. |date=2011 |title=Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=miascUWIa0UC&q=%22the+manchurian+candidate%22+mccarthy+iselin+james+gregory&pg=PA325 |location=Santa Barbara |publisher=ABC-CLIO, Inc. |page=325 |isbn=978-1-59884-296-8}}</ref> The 1959 novel ''[[Advise and Consent]]'' by [[Allen Drury]] features an overzealous demagogue, Senator Fred Van Ackerman, based on McCarthy. Although the fictional senator is an ultraliberal who proposes surrender to the Soviet Union, his portrayal strongly resembles the popular perception of McCarthy's character and methods. McCarthy was portrayed by [[Peter Boyle]] in the 1977 Emmy-winning television movie ''[[Tail Gunner Joe]]'', a dramatization of McCarthy's life.<ref>{{cite news |first=Stephen |last=Miller |title=Peter Boyle, 71, Character Actor Played Psychotics and Monsters |work=New York Sun |date=December 14, 2006 |url=http://www.nysun.com/obituaries/peter-boyle-71-character-actor-played-psychotics/45138/ |access-date=December 22, 2014 |archive-date=January 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128212536/http://www.nysun.com/obituaries/peter-boyle-71-character-actor-played-psychotics/45138/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was portrayed by [[Joe Don Baker]] in the 1992 HBO film ''[[Citizen Cohn]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title='Citizen' Woods: James Woods Rips Roy Cohn, the Press and His Own Image |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 16, 1992 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-16-tv-6474-story.html |access-date=February 18, 2020 |archive-date=January 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108204947/http://articles.latimes.com/1992-08-16/news/tv-6474_1_citizen-cohn |url-status=live }}</ref> Archival footage of McCarthy himself was used in the 2005 film ''[[Good Night, and Good Luck]]'' about Edward R. Murrow and the ''See It Now'' episode that challenged McCarthy.<ref>{{cite news |first=Mick |last=LaSalle |title=Newsman Challenges a Powerful Politician |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=October 7, 2005 |url=http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Newsman-challenges-a-powerful-politician-2565905.php |access-date=December 22, 2014 |archive-date=January 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128222704/http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Newsman-challenges-a-powerful-politician-2565905.php |url-status=live }}</ref> <!--Please don't add mention of the unsubstantiated (though widely reported) rumor that test audiences felt that the "performer" who "played" McCarthy was overacting in the absence of a well-documented and/or first-hand account of where and when such a reaction actually occurred.--> In the German-French docu-drama ''The Real American β Joe McCarthy'' (2012), directed by [[Lutz Hachmeister]], McCarthy is portrayed by the British actor and comedian [[John Sessions]].<ref>Dorothy Rabinowitz. "A Name That Lives in Infamy", ''Wall Street Journal'', 23. November 2012</ref> In [[Lee Daniels]]' 2020 film, ''[[The United States vs. Billie Holiday]]'', McCarthy is portrayed by actor [[Randy Davison]]. <!--Please don't add a note about Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" here. It's relevant to McCarthyism rather than Joseph McCarthy, and it is already mentioned in the McCarthyism article. --> [[R.E.M.]]'s song "Exhuming McCarthy", from their 1987 album ''[[Document (album)|Document]]'', deals largely with McCarthy and contains sound clips from the [[Army-McCarthy Hearings]]. 'Joe' McCarthy is also mentioned in [[Billy Joel]]'s 1989 song "[[We Didn't Start the Fire]]". McCarthyism is one of the subjects of [[Barbara Kingsolver]]'s novel ''[[The Lacuna]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-lacuna-by-barbara-kingsolver-1819457.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220617/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-lacuna-by-barbara-kingsolver-1819457.html |archive-date=June 17, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The Lacuna, By Barbara Kingsolver|date=November 13, 2009|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=February 13, 2017|language=en-GB}}</ref> McCarthy is a secondary character in the Showtime television drama ''[[Fellow Travelers (miniseries)|Fellow Travelers]]''.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/11/06/fellow-travelers-tv-review-showtime|title="Fellow Travelers" Shows Another Side of Gay History|first=Inkoo|last=Kang|magazine=The New Yorker |date=October 27, 2023|via=www.newyorker.com|access-date=November 5, 2023|archive-date=November 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104193626/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/11/06/fellow-travelers-tv-review-showtime|url-status=live}}</ref>
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