In 1949 Elia Kazan, a director and member of the Communists Party was brought before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He saved himself by naming other communists he knew in Hollywood. While most are familiar with Arthur Miller’s The Crucible as an allegory of McCarthyism, Kazan also directed an allegory of McCarthyism called On the Waterfront, where the lead character played by Marlin Brando decided testifying against a mob boss is the right thing to do even though he made himself a rat and put his life in danger.
Historically Speaking 