in the 1950s during the height of the Red Scare Hollywood Studios blacklisted writers actors and directors suspected of having communist ties effectively ending their careers Kirk Douglas took a bold stand against this practice when he hired blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo to write the 1960 epic Spartacus despite industry pressure Douglas insisted that Trumbo receive full credit for the screenplay becoming one of the first major stars to publicly Break The Blacklist his courageous move helped dismantle The Black List restoring careers and changing Hollywood's oppressive political climate