At first glance, ‘Roman Holiday‘ represents one of the finest movies Hollywood ever made. This fairytale film brought its star actress, Audrey Hepburn, to worldwide stardom. However, a dark truth of political persecution lies behind the scenes. The Hollywood Blacklist and the fear of McCarthyism provoked this tragic chapter in the history of American filmmaking.
In reality, this romantic fairy tale was conceived and scripted by Dalton Trumbo, one of the greatest screenwriters blacklisted during the era of the Hollywood Red Scare. Forced to sell the movie under his friend’s name, Trumbo received no public reward for his hard work. Even when ‘Roman Holiday’ won an Academy Award, his friend, who was only formally credited as the author of the movie, received the award, while Trumbo remained uncredited for his work.
A Political Nightmare Behind The Fairy Tale
When the movie was released in 1953, Hollywood was facing an era of anti-Communist panic and the rise of McCarthy hearings. The House Un-American Activities Committee actively investigated actors, directors, and screenwriters suspected of Communist sympathies.
One of Hollywood’s brightest talents—and one of the victims of this persecution—was Dalton Trumbo. As a screenwriter and member of the Hollywood Ten who defended his beliefs in front of HUAC, Trumbo was arrested and blacklisted by Hollywood. Nevertheless, he managed to write the story of ‘Roman Holiday’ during those difficult years.
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This romantic comedy tells the story of Princess Ann, a naive young princess who escapes her diplomatic duties and falls in love with a reporter, Joe Bradley, while traveling around Rome. Joe, meanwhile, must decide whether to sacrifice their sincere connection for a career-making scoop about the princess’s escape.
The saddest irony lies in the fact that one of Hollywood’s most romantic movies was created by a man officially forbidden from participating in the industry.
‘Roman Holiday’ And The Academy Award
Dalton Trumbo could not receive official credit because of Hollywood’s boycott of blacklisted artists. As a result, Ian McLellan Hunter acted as Trumbo’s front, receiving official credit for the story despite not being the original creator.
Then came the bitter irony. ‘Roman Holiday’ won the Academy Award for Motion Picture Story in 1954. However, the Oscar was presented to Ian McLellan Hunter rather than Dalton Trumbo because of the blacklist.
An Oscar-winning story had been written by a man forced to live and work in secrecy, while the film achieved worldwide acclaim.
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Although Hunter secretly passed the money to Trumbo, the tragedy of the situation still lingered. The public had no idea who had truly written the story behind this extraordinary movie.
The film itself is about the struggle between conscience and ambition. Gregory Peck’s character initially wants to exploit the princess’s situation to create a sensational story. However, after getting to know her, he changes his mind and chooses not to betray her trust. In this way, the film carries a surprisingly deep moral subtext.
Work Recognized After Death
While the characters in ‘Roman Holiday’ demonstrate moral decency, the same could not always be said about real Hollywood. During this dark period of American history, many actors, directors, and writers betrayed former colleagues simply to protect their own careers.
Trumbo died of a heart attack on September 10, 1976, at the age of 70, decades before he would finally receive full, official screen credit for his work on the film.
Nevertheless, the truth slowly began to emerge. In 1993, a posthumous Oscar was finally awarded to Dalton Trumbo’s widow in recognition of his contribution to Roman Holiday.
Later, his credit was partially restored in 2003, and finally, in 2011, the Writers Guild of America officially restored Trumbo’s full screen credit on all modern releases of the film.
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