Paul Jarrico Biography

Paul Jarrico

One of the first in Hollywood to be subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), Paul Jarrico's early support of the Communist party led to his eventual ban from RKO studios; his Oscar-nominated 1941 comedy Tom, Dick, and Harry was later deemed leftist propaganda. Denied screenwriting credits until 1968, Jarrico courageously led the fight to have the credits of his similarly blacklisted colleagues restored. Jarrico produced the acclaimed docudrama The Salt of the Earth (1953) and spent nearly twenty years abroad as a writer. He occasionally wrote for television, including The Defenders, and scripted the Charles Bronson film Messenger of Death (1988).