"It's not about the movies"
House
Un-American Activities Committee
Jessica
Atwater Testimony
Transcript, December 2, 1952
CHAIRMAN:
Raise your right hand, please, Miss Atwater. Do you solemnly swear the testimony
you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,
so help you God?
JESSICA
ATWATER: Natch’, toots.
CHAIRMAN:
I’ll take that as a “yes”. Please
sit down.
SENATOR
JOSEPH McCARTHY: Miss Atwater, will you state your name, please, for the record?
ATWATER:
Jessica Atwater, or “Sugar”, whichever you prefer
CHIEF
COUNSEL, ROY COHEN: That’s spelled S-u-g-a-r?
ATWATER:
That’s right. R-i-g-h-t.
McCARTHY:
Where were you born, Miss Atwater?
ATWATER:
Moscow, Russia. No.
I’m just kidding I was born in good old New York City, NYC.
COHEN:
That’s spelled N-Y-C?
ATWATER:
Yeah. Boy! You guys sure are sticklers for spelling.
McCARTHY:
It says here that you are a “Movie Reviewer” for the Hearst
syndicate. Would you describe what
it is you do, please.
ATWATER:
Jeez, honey, ya' got me. All I know
is that I’m paid a pretty penny for it.
McCARTHY:
Would you describe a typical workday for the council?
ATWATER:
Well, let’s see. I usually get up around noon, brew a cup of joe…
COHEN:
Excuse me, that’s j-o-e?
McCARTHY:
Knock it off, Roy. Please continue, Miss Atwater.
ATWATER:
Well, after I kick-start my heart, I take a shower and head down to the corner
newsstand for the paper.
McCARTHY:
You know perfectly well, Miss Atwater, that is not what I meant.
I want to know exactly what it is you do for the Hearst syndicate.
ATWATER:
(turns to the crowd) Well, perhaps “hizzoner” needs to be more
“exacting” in how he phrases his questions.
(laughter
and general chatter from crowd)
McCARTHY:
(to crowd) Settle down, settle down. (to Atwater)
Miss Atwater, I will ask you to refrain from addressing your comments to
the audience. Now to repeat my
question, what is the nature of your job?
ATWATER:
Technically, that wasn’t a repetition, that was a rephrase of your
question, (tittering from crowd, McCarthy glares at audience who immediately
quiets down) but I’ll answer it anyway. Basically,
Mr. McCarthy, I see movies and then I write about my impressions of them.
McCARTHY:
Is it safe to say that these “impressions” represent your opinions of
the films and the actors in them?
ATWATER:
Honey, you can never be “safe” around me, but to answer your question
with a question, if I am writing the columns then who the heck else’s opinions
am I writing about?
(murmuring
from audience)
McCARTHY:
(Ignoring crowd) If that is the case, then let me quote your words from
one of your recent reviews, “Bedtime for Bonzo”. (refers to note pad)
“ ‘Bedtime for Bonzo’ unfortunately wastes the considerable talents of its star in a script fraught with repetition and contrived cuteness. The monkey deserves a better co-star.”
(to
Atwater). Miss Atwater, are you
attempting to malign the acting ability of one of our great country’s greatest
living actors, one, who I might add, has given much useful testimony to this
august committee?
ATWATER:
Who are you talking about?
McCARTHY:
Ronald Reagan, of course.
ATWATER:
I’m sorry. The use of the
term “actor” in reference to Ronald Reagan is what threw me.
(laughter)
McCARTHY:
(to crowd) Don’t make me warn you again. (to Atwater).
The same goes for you, Miss Atwater.
ATWATER:
(indecipherable)
McCARTHY:
Please speak into the microphone, Miss Atwater.
ATWATER:
Sorry. I said, don’t get
your shorts all in a bunch. (loud laughter, general commotion in audience)
Happy now?
McCARTHY:
(rapping gavel, to crowd) Silence! If
there is another outburst, I will be forced to clear the room.
ATWATER:
A bit cliché, wasn’t that, Mr. Senator?
ROY
COHEN: c-l-i-c-h-e?
McCARTHY:
Roy! I am not going to tell
you again! (to Atwater)…and I
warn you Miss Atwater, any further evidence of disrespect and I will have you
immediately put into custody. (clearing
throat, attempting to regain his composure) Miss Atwater, I want you to consider
the answer to this next question very seriously.
Are you now, or have you ever been a member of the Comm…
COHEN:
Excuse me Senator, but I, for one, think that spelling is very important.
McCARTHY:
I don’t care about the spelling, Mr. Cohen, and I would appreciate it
if you kept your opinions to yourself. (to
Atwater), I repeat, Miss Atwater, are you now or have you ever been a member of
the Comm…
COHEN:
I think it is important, Senator.
These hearings are meant to be factual in every detail, right down to the
spelling.
McCARTHY:
I don’t care about the facts, Roy!
Put a sock in it! ….now, where was I? I
can’t remember (shuffles through papers).
(to Atwater) We’ll come back to that line of questioning later.
I want to change the subject. I
have in my hand (holding it up for audience to see) a flyer advertising a
special benefit production for the Retired Actors’ Home, a well-known front
for Communist Party activities in
Hollywood. This benefit is scheduled for next Saturday night.
Miss Atwater, it says here that you will be the Mistress of Ceremonies.
Is that true?
ATWATER:
Well, first of all, toots, I ain’t nobody’s “mistress”, but yes,
I am hosting the event.
McCARTHY:
Who will be the performers? (he drops his pen and it rolls under the
table. He crawls under after it.
There is a loud bump and the table shakes knocking over several glasses
of water. This is followed by the sound of cursing)
ATWATER:
Well, let me see… Charlie Hoo, the world famous star of Japanese stage and
screen will be performing first, Jackie Watt, the comedian, fresh from a sold
out performance at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas is second on the program and I
believe the third act on the bill is Bucky Idanoh and his trained dogs, recently
seen on The Ed Sullivan Show.
ROY
COHEN: (writing furiously) could
you repeat those names again, Miss Atwater?
ATWATER:
Certainly, Charlie Hoo, the world famous star of Jap…
McCARTHY:
(emerging from under the table rubbing the top of his head).
Spare us the superlatives. I
just want to know the order of the performers.
ATWATER:
Well, Hoo is on first, Watt is on second and Indanoh is on third.
McCARTHY:
That’s what I want to find out.
ATWATER:
I said, Hoo’s on first, Watt’s on second and Idanoh is on third.
McCARTHY:
Do you know the fellow’s names?
ATWATER:
Certainly!
McCARTHY:
Well then, who’s on first?
ATWATER:
Yes!
McCARTHY:
I mean the fellow’s name!
ATWATER:
Hoo!
McCARTHY:
The guy on first!
ATWATER:
Hoo is on first!
McCARTHY:
What are you asking me for?
(subdued
laughter from audience)
McCARTHY:
Miss Atwater, all I am trying to find out is what’s the guy’s name on
first?
ATWATER:
Wait a minute, don’t switch them around.
Watt is on second.
McCARTHY:
I’m not asking you who’s on second.
ATWATER:
Hoo is on first.
McCARTHY:
I don’t know.
ATWATER:
He’s on third. We’re not talking about him.
(laughter
becoming louder)
McCARTHY:
(clearly frustrated) I am not kidding.
I will clear this room! Miss
Atwater, I order you to cooperate here. You will not make a mockery of these
hearings.
ATWATER:
(to audience) you don’t seem to need any help with that.
(loud
laughter and clapping)
McCARTHY:
(banging gavel) I ask you to confine your remarks to the business at
hand. You have agreed to name names
at this hearing, Miss Atwater, and I remind you, you are under oath.
ATWATER:
I’m doing my best here. You
aren’t giving me much to work with, ya' know?
McCARTHY:
Now, for the final time, who’s the guy on first?
ATWATER:
Naturally.
McCARTHY:
Naturally?
ATWATER:
Naturally.
McCARTHY:
Ok. Now we’re getting
somewhere. Naturally is on first.
ATWATER:
No. No. No.
McCARTHY:
Ok. What’s the guy’s
name who’s on first?
ATWATER:
Hoo is on first.
McCARTHY:
I DON’T KNOW!
ATWATER
(and audience): THIRD BASE!
(hall
erupts in cheers, catcalls and laughter, McCarthy bangs his gavel, and general
pandemonium erupts in the hall)