Editing Zero Mostel (section)

=== Blacklist years and HUAC testimony ===
Mostel had been a leftist since college and his nightclub routine included political jabs at right-wingers. His MGM contract was terminated, and his role in ''Du Barry Was a Lady'' was truncated, because studio executives were upset that he participated in protests against another MGM film, ''[[Tennessee Johnson]]'', which protesters believed had downplayed the racism of former US President [[Andrew Johnson]].<ref>Brown, pp. 35–36</ref> According to biographer Arthur Sainer, "MGM blacklisted Zero Mostel way before the days of the blacklist".<ref name= Sainer>Sainer, Arthur. ''Zero Dances: a Biography of Zero Mostel'', Hal Leonard Corp. (1998)</ref>{{rp|186}} During his Army service he was under investigation for alleged Communist Party membership. The Military Intelligence Division of the [[United States Department of War|U.S. War Department]] said it was "reliably reported" that he was a Communist Party member.<ref>Brown, pp. 41–44</ref> The Post Intelligence Officer at the Army's Camp Croft, where Mostel served, believed that Mostel was "definitely a Communist." As a result of that, his application to be an entertainment director with the US Army Special Services unit was denied. Mostel had lobbied hard to transfer to [[Special Services (entertainment)|Special Services]], at one point traveling to Washington to request a transfer.<ref>Brown, p. 38</ref>

It was not until 1950 that Mostel again acted in movies, for a role in the Oscar-winning film ''[[Panic in the Streets (film)|Panic in the Streets]]'', at the request of its director, [[Elia Kazan]]. Kazan describes his attitude and feelings during that period, where
:Each director has a favorite in his cast... my favorite this time was Zero Mostel—but not to bully. I thought him an extraordinary artist and a delightful companion, one of the funniest and most original men I'd ever met... I constantly sought his company... He was one of the three people whom I rescued from the "industry's" blacklist... For a long time, Zero had not been able to get work in films, but I got him in my film."<ref>Kazan, Elia. ''Elia Kazan: A Life'', Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. (1988) p. 383</ref>

Mostel played supporting roles in five movies for [[20th Century Fox|Twentieth Century Fox]] in 1950, all in films released in 1951. Fox then abruptly cancelled his contract. Mostel learned this after he was lent out to [[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]] for a film role but not permitted on the set. The studio may have received word that he was about to be named as a Communist in Congressional testimony.<ref>Brown, pp.98–99</ref>

On January 29, 1952, [[Martin Berkeley]] identified Mostel to the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] (HUAC) as having been a member of the [[Communist]] Party. After the testimony he was effectively blacklisted. He was subpoenaed to appear before HUAC on August 14, 1955. Mostel declined to name names and jousted with the members of Congress, invoked the Fifth Amendment, while standing up for his right to the privacy of his personal political beliefs.<ref>Brown, pp.&nbsp;127–131</ref> His testimony won him admiration in the blacklisted community, and in addition to not naming names he also confronted the committee on ideological matters, something that was rarely done. Among other things, he referred to Twentieth Century Fox as "18th Century Fox" (due to its collaboration with the committee), and manipulated the committee members to make them appear foolish.<ref name="wark">{{cite book |last1=Wark |first1=Colin |last2=Galliher |first2=John F. |date=April 23, 2015 |title=Progressive Lawyers under Siege: Moral Panic during the McCarthy Years |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q5zlCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA16 |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=[[Lexington Books]] |page=16 |isbn=978-0-7391-9560-4 }}</ref> Mostel later commented: "What did they think I was going to do – sell acting secrets to the Russians?"{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

{{Quote box
 |title = Segment of Zero Mostel's testimony before HUAC
 |quote = [[Donald L. Jackson|MR. JACKSON]]: [[Francis E. Walter|Mr. Chairman]], may I say that I can think of no greater way to parade one's political beliefs than to appear under the auspices of Mainstream, a Communist publication...

MR. MOSTEL: I appreciate your opinion very much, but I do want to say that – I don't know, you know – I still stand on pay grounds, and maybe it is unwise and unpolitic of me to say this. If I appeared there, what if I did an imitation of a butterfly at rest? There is no crime in making anybody laugh ... I don't care if you laugh at me.

MR. JACKSON: If your interpretation of a butterfly at rest brought any money into the coffers of the Communist Party, you contributed directly to the propaganda effort of the Communist Party.

MR. MOSTEL: Suppose I had the urge to do the butterfly at rest somewhere.

[[Clyde Doyle|MR. DOYLE]]: Yes, but please, when you have the urge, don't have such an urge to put the butterfly at rest by putting money in the Communist Party coffers as a result of that urge to put the butterfly at rest.
 |source = HUAC Hearing, Oct. 14, 1955.
 |align = right
 |width = 500px
}}

The admiration he received for his testimony did nothing to take him off the blacklist and the family had to struggle throughout the 1950s with little income. Mostel used this time to work in his studio. Later he said that he cherished those years for the time it had afforded him to do what he loved most. Mostel's appearance before the HUAC (as well as others) was incorporated into [[Eric Bentley]]'s 1972 play ''Are You Now or Have You Ever Been...?'' During this period he also appeared in many regional productions of shows like ''Peter Pan'' (as Captain Hook) and ''Kismet'' (as the Wazir), with his name seen prominently in the advertising.