Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 13, 1990 TAG: 9004130894
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Faulk died this week at age 76. Even though he was a popular satirist at the beginning and end of his career, he will be best remembered for his fight against blacklisting, one of the more vicious aspects of McCarthyism that destroyed careers quietly.
Faulk was an established radio star and he had done some work in the new medium of television when he publicly opposed an anti-communist group called AWARE. In 1956, the group charged him with having incorrect political ideas. After all, he had been seen at a United Nations banquet attended by such "known communists" as the Soviet ambassador.
CBS canceled his radio show. Faulk couldn't find work anywhere in broadcasting because his name was on the blacklist of writers, directors and performers who might or might not have leftish leanings. While others worked under aliases or left the business altogether, Faulk fought back. With the help of Edward R. Murrow, he sued AWARE and the people directly responsible for the nebulous allegations against him. In 1962, he won.
After the appeal, Faulk didn't receive much money for the suit, and he never gained the level of popularity he might have had. Instead, he went on to show up regularly in such diverse places as the syndicated TV show "Hee-Haw" and National Public Radio's "All Things Considered." He often spoke about the fears and excesses of McCarthyism to student groups.
Like writer Lillian Hellman, who also spoke out publicly against McCarthy and the blacklist, Faulk refused to cut his conscience to suit the fashion of any year. But perhaps more importantly, he never lost his sense of humor. If his victory in the courts was less than complete, he managed to keep the absurdity of the era in perspective.
by CNB