Editing Arthur Laurents (section)

=== Blacklist ===
Because of a casual remark made by [[Russel Crouse]], Laurents was called to Washington, D.C., to account for his political views.<ref>Laurents, p. 29.</ref> He explained himself to the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]], and his appearance had no obvious impact on his career, which at the time was primarily in the theatre. When the [[McCarran Internal Security Act]], which prohibited individuals suspected of engaging in subversive activities from obtaining a passport, was passed in 1950, Laurents and Granger immediately applied for and received passports and departed for Paris with [[Harold Clurman]] and his wife [[Stella Adler]]. Laurents and Granger remained abroad, traveling throughout Europe and northern Africa, for about 18 months.<ref>Laurents, pp. 165–190.</ref>

Years earlier, Laurents and [[Jerome Robbins]] had developed ''Look Ma, I'm Dancin'!'' (1948), a stage musical about the world of ballet that ran for 188 performances on Broadway, and starred [[Nancy Walker]] and [[Harold Lang (dancer)|Harold Lang]]. Laurents left the project, however, and the musical was ultimately produced with a book by [[Jerome Lawrence]] and [[Robert Edwin Lee|Robert E. Lee]].<ref>Vaill, Amanda (2006). ''Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins'', Random House, Inc. p. 135. {{ISBN|0-7679-0420-6}}.</ref><ref>[http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=1648 "'Look Ma, I'm Dancin' listing"]. [[Internet Broadway Database]].</ref> When Robbins approached [[Paramount Pictures]] about directing a screen version, the studio agreed as long as Laurents was not part of the package.

It was only then that Laurents learned he officially had been [[Hollywood blacklist|blacklisted]], primarily because a review of ''Home of the Brave'' had been published in the ''[[Daily Worker]]''. He decided to return to Paris, but the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] refused to renew his passport. Laurents spent three months trying to clear his name, and after submitting a lengthy letter explaining his political beliefs in detail, it was determined they were so idiosyncratic he could not have been a member of any subversive groups. Within a week his passport was renewed, and the following day he sailed for Europe on the ''[[SS Ile de France|Ile de France]]''. While on board, he received a cable from [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] offering him a screenwriting assignment. The blacklisting had ended.<ref>Laurents, pp. 286–289.</ref>