One House of UnAmerican Activities

Intro

In this fiction period drama, 12 year old Karl Feinstein is squeezed between his parents hidden Communist Party activities and the social pressures of an all-American teen. He learns that sometimes manhood means doing what authority says is wrong.

Synopsis

Based on a true story. Set during the Anti-Communist hysteria of the 1950s, 12 year old paperboy Karl Feinstein starts 7th grade in a new Philadelphia school. His new black friend Donald, besieged by neighborhood racists, is beaten up by local toughs. Karl gets away unharmed, betraying Donald. Karl retreats in guilt and Donald shuns him. Later, though both boys try out, only Donald makes the basketball team; Karl is crushed.

At home, Karl’s Communist parents – Thomas and Esther – are increasingly remote and distraught. They hang out more and more in the basement – a popular, busy place – completely off limits to Karl and his sister Joan, 9. A crisis of conscience is fomented when the Communist Party admits to some of Stalin’s crimes against humanity. At the same time, Andy – Thomas’ CP mentor, and Karl’s Godfather-figure – is arrested, put on trial, and eventually imprisoned. Thomas assumes Andy’s CP duties, taking him away from home at a time when Karl needs him more. Karl succumbs to nightmares, sleepwalking, and irrational aggression.

At school, things get worse. When the papers reveal the truth about his parents Karl loses a short-lived girlfriend and his friends shun him. He gets beaten up on the playground, this time while Donald watches. His parents finally resolve to quit the Party, cutting their ties to all that has sustained them. Then Thomas is subpoenaed by the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities.

Appearing before HUAC, Thomas takes the 1st and 5th Amendments and doesn’t “name names.” Infuriated with his seeming duplicity, Karl attacks him afterward: “Traitor! Liar! I hate you!” Next day, when the story hits the front pages, Karl can’t bring himself to deliver the newspapers on his route and is fired from his job. Deserted by friends and neighbors, the family is now attacked by vandals and hecklers. Thomas is blacklisted and can’t find work so he and Esther switch caretaking roles – she goes back to working full-time and Thomas stays at home with the kids. Deserted by his wife, faced with an intolerable nine year prison term, Karl’s surrogate Dad Andy hangs himself in prison. Thomas takes the kids down to the basement for the very first time – revealing their once secret CP office. Together they mourn the loss of Andy, and what once was. Thomas applies to go back to college to get a Ph.D. and is offered a Teaching Assistant’s job. But to take it he’s forced to lie and sign a Loyalty Oath saying he’s never been a Communist. Karl takes a new job as a stock boy at the corner grocery. His boss accuses Donald of stealing candy one day after school. Karl steps up to protect him, accusing his boss of racism. The boss fires him and implicates Karl as the thief. He takes him to the police station but the police do nothing. Thomas picks up his son at the station and takes him home. Thomas tells Karl he’s going to fix up the basement to be his new bedroom. After school one day, Donald and some friends stop by to ask Karl to join them shooting hoops. Karl wants to, but chooses instead to care for his sister.