Faulk, John Henry

Folklorist, humorist, lecturer, and civil rights activist John Henry Faulk (1913-1990) was born to parents Henry and Martha (Miner) in Austin, Texas. A protégé of J. Frank Dobie, Walter Prescott Webb, and Roy Bedichek, Faulk graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where he later taught English. For his master's thesis, he analyzed ten African American sermons, and his research greatly impacted his thinking on civil liberties. Aided by his friend and fellow folklorist Alan Lomax, Faulk entered the entertainment industry in 1946, hosting various radio shows for WCBS in New York City. In 1957, the right-wing organization AWARE, Inc., blacklisted Faulk for alleged communist associations and sympathies. Subsequently, he filed and won a libel suit against the company and anti-communist activists Vincent Hartnett and Laurence A. Johnson. In 1963, Faulk published a memoir of his blacklisting experience entitled Fear on Trial, which in 1975 CBS dramatized, starring William Devane as Faulk and George C. Scott as his attorney Louis Nizer. Despite being vindicated by the jury, Faulk was unable to gain meaningful employment in the entertainment industry until 1975, when he joined the cast of Hee-Haw . He wrote and produced two one-man plays, Deep in the Heart (1986) and Pear Orchard, Texas (1988), to highlight humanity's best and worst traits.

Beginning in the 1970s, Faulk lectured extensively about civil liberties on college and university campuses. Campaigning on his passion for the U.S. Constitution, the environment, and the common man, he unsuccessfully ran against Phil Gramm for a U.S. House of Representatives in Texas in 1983. Faulk married his former student Harriet Hally Wood in 1940. The couple had one daughter, Cynthia, before divorcing. In 1948, he married Lynne Smith, with whom he had three children: Evelyn, Johanna, and Frank Dobie. After divorcing Lynne, Faulk married Elizabeth Liz Peake in 1965 and they had one child, John Henry Johan III. He was close friends with Austin television and radio broadcaster, Richard Cactus Pryor, and was a mentor to journalist and activist, Molly Ivins. Faulk died of cancer in 1990.

Source:

Foshee, Page S. Faulk, John Henry. Handbook of Texas Online, accessed January 20, 2012. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffa36 .

A native Texan and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, John Henry Faulk began a successful career in the entertainment industry as a folklorist and humorist in 1946, when he joined WCBS in New York City. In 1956, Faulk, an outspoken supporter of civil liberties, was elected as Second Vice President of the New York chapter of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). A central plank of Faulk's platform condemned AWARE, Inc., a right-wing organization that specialized in blacklisting entertainment personalities for alleged pro-communist views and associations. His staunch opposition drew the wrath of AWARE, which accused Faulk of consorting with “subversives” and engaging “un-American activities.” Faulk denied the allegations and sued for libel against AWARE; it's co-founder and author of the entertainment publication Red Channels, Vincent W. Hartnett; and anti-communist activist, Laurence A. Johnson. CBS did not renew Faulk's contract in 1957 from which time until the trial ended in 1962, Faulk could not gain employment in the entertainment industry.

Legal action began in the Supreme Court of the State and County of New York in late 1956. Justice Saul Streit rendered a decision upholding the validity of Faulk's charges. AWARE appealed this ruling, but the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court unanimously sustained Judge Streit's decision declaring the AWARE's accusations libelous.

After a long delay, the trial finally opened on April 23, 1962, in the New York State Supreme Court, presided over by Justice Abraham Geller. Witnesses for Faulk included entertainment and news personalities Tony Randall, Myrna Loy, Kim Hunter, David Susskind, Charles Collingwood, and Gerry Moore. During the trial, Faulk’s attorney Louis Nizer proved the existence of the blacklist and its detrimental impact to Faulk's standard of living. The trial ended with Faulk's vindication by a jury award of $3.5 million, the largest libel award in U.S. legal history at that time. The defendants' appeals resulted in the reduction of the damages to $500,000. Citing the First Amendment protection of free speech, the appellants’ attorneys petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari, but both the petition and appeal for a rehearing were denied.

Co-defendant Laurence A. Johnson passed away the day the verdict was reached, forcing the court to appoint a temporary administrator. Faulk eventually settled out of court with Johnson's estate for $175,000. Co-defendant Vincent Hartnett became destitute during the trial and appeal proceedings, making it difficult for Faulk to collect damages. This led to the 1965 suit John Henry Faulk v. Paul Milton, et al. J, in which Faulk cited the fifteen former members of the board of directors of AWARE, including Hartnett, as liable for the libel against Faulk and therefore required to pay the remainder of the award. The Appellate Division determined the suit failed to demonstrate a cause of action and to meet the statute of limitations.

Faulk traces the story of the lawsuit in his book Fear on Trial, originally published in 1963. The University of Texas Press published a new edition in 1982. In an effort to atone for its complicity in blacklisting Faulk, CBS aired a dramatized version of Fear on Trial, starring William Devane and George C. Scott, in 1975. Ironically, Vincent Hartnett unsuccessfully sued CBS and Faulk for libel over the film's depiction of him.

A native Texan and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, John Henry Faulk began a successful career in the entertainment industry as a folklorist and humorist in 1946, when he joined WCBS in New York City.

In 1956, Faulk, an outspoken supporter of civil liberties, was elected as Second Vice President of the New York chapter of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). A central plank of Faulk's platform condemned AWARE, Inc., a right-wing organization that specialized in blacklisting entertainment personalities for alleged pro-communist views and associations. His staunch opposition drew the wrath of AWARE, which accused Faulk of consorting with "subversives" and engaging "un-American activities." Faulk denied the allegations and sued for libel against AWARE; it's co-founder and author of the entertainment publication Red Channels, Vincent W. Hartnett; and anti-communist activist, Laurence A. Johnson. CBS did not renew Faulk's contract in 1957 from which time until the trial ended in 1962, Faulk could not gain employment in the entertainment industry.

The trial opened April 23, 1962, in the New York State Supreme Court building, presided over by Justice Abraham Geller.

Witnesses for Faulk included entertainment and news personalities Tony Randall, Myrna Loy, Kim Hunter, David Suskind, Charles Collingwood, and Gerry Moore. During the trial Louis Nizer, Faulk's attorney, exposed the blacklist as a cynical scorn of basic decency disguised as patriotism. The trial ended with Faulk's vindication by a jury award of $3.5 million, the largest libel award in U.S. legal history at that time.

The defendants appealed to the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court, which affirmed the verdict but reduced the damages to $500,000. The New York Court of Appeals upheld the verdict.

Folklorist, entertainer, lecturer, and writer, born 1913 in Austin, Texas.

A University of Texas graduate and English instructor, Faulk collected black folklore and wrote his thesis on black sermons. His career in radio and television broadcasting (1946-1956), was disrupted when he was blacklisted for alleged Communist associations. Faulk sued for libel; the case was decided in his favor in 1962. Faulk has lectured and written extensively on civil liberties and his blacklisting experience and has also been active in civic and political affairs.