The 1952 film High Noon is a Hollywood classic about a man standing up for what he believes, even as his community abandons him. For the man who wrote the screenplay, it's a political parable about his personal struggles during the Red Scare.
The film High Noon was a hit when it debuted in 1952, and it remains a revered Hollywood classic. But the tale of a sheriff awaiting a showdown held deeper meaning for screenwriter Carl Foreman. For him, it was a political parable. Communist fear gripped the nation, and Foreman was called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities to answer for his past. Journalist Glenn Frankel has written a book about the making of High Noon and its high-stakes allegory. He joins us Thursday to talk about it. (Rebroadcast)
Glenn Frankel was a staff writer at the Washington Post for 27 years, during which time he won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting. He's the author of several books including The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend. His latest is called High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic [Independent bookstores|Amazon|Audible]
Mark Your Calendar
On Saturday, February 17, 7:00 p.m. at Abravanel Hall, the Utah Symphony presents High Noon as part of its Films in Concert series. They'll perform Dmitri Tiomkin's score with the film as the backdrop. It's presented in partnership with the Utah Museum of Fine Arts special exhibit Go West! Art of the American Frontier from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. The exhibit runs through March 11.
