CORRESPONDENCErnLetter FromrnLos Angelesrnby Jonathan EllisrnOn the Celebrity WaterfrontrnBv the time I arrived at the DorothyrnChandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, the selectionrnwas over. About 200 people hadrnwon coveted bleacher seats to the red-carpetrnentrance of the 71st AcademyrnAwards. Among celebrit)’-worshipers, sittingrnin the Academy Award bleachers isrnlike taking commnnion from the pope.rnReaching this pinnacle requires a fanaticalrndedication that separates the avid starworshiperrnfrom the armchair variety.rnOne must possess the physical fortitudernand iron will to camp out in the streetsrndas before the ceremony and, once chosen,rnto spend up to 12 hours planted on arnbleacher seat in the hot sun. For thosernwho can endure these hardships, the payoffrnis immense. As HoUvwood nabobsrndisembark from their limousines andrnglide over the red carpet to their rendezvousrnwith glory, the chosen in thernbleachers roar them on with shouts of encouragementrnand screams of adulation.rnThis bleacher audience —big enough tornwhoop thunderously but small enough tornbe managed by a cadre of securityrnguards — plays an essential role in creatingrnthe Oscar “buzz.”rnMeanwhile, the unchosen have no optionrnbut to go home or to find a spot onrnthe street that might offer a promisingrniew of arriving movie stars. Dozens ofrnbleacher-seat rejects flocked to the pavilion’srnback entrance where, rumor had it,rnperformers in the evening’s celebrationrnwould arrive sometime in the afternoon.rnThe spectacle was made more preposterousrnby a transvestite dressed as MarilynrnMonroe, stubbled with a five-o’clockrnshadow, and a midget parading aroundrnin a white suit. Both cradled fake Oscarsrnand smiled for amused fans who clickedrnaway on cameras. Women squealed andrnmen chuckled when “Marilyn” hoistedrnhis white dress to reveal thick dark legrnhair and white bikini imderwear.rnI went to the Academv Awards not tornstar-gaze—nor to be amused by the farcicalrnbehavior of those who did —but to getrna stiff dose of political agitation. Demonstratorsrnrepresenting old-guard communismrnand radical individualism vowed tornsquare off in the streets around the pavilion.rnThe prospect for a confrontationrnsounded invigorating—especially after arnyear in which America’s fiercest politicalrndebate was over the definition of “sexualrnrelations,”rnThe demonstrations on that day werernborne of a decision made almost 50 yearsrnearlier by Hollywood director EliarnKazan. In 1952, Kazan, then a communistrnapostate, volunteered to the HousernUn-American Activities Committee thernnames of several communists with whomrnhe had worked in the mid-1930’s.rnKazan’s ovn activit)’ as a communist wasrnbrief, lasting less than two years. As arnvoung idealist faced with the grim realitiesrnof the Depression and fascism, Kazanrninitially believed communism had somethingrngood to offer. But as J. EdgarrnHoover writes in Masters of Deceit,rnKazan’s liberal sensitivities clashed withrnthe Communist Party’s “regimentationrnand thought control.” Kazan had thernsense and honest objectivity to rejectrncommunism at a time when many of hisrncomrades were willing to ignore or overlookrnStalin’s ruthless solidification ofrnpower in the Soviet Union.rnCommunists regarded Kazan’s 1952rntestimony as perfidy of the highest order.rnWhen studio executives blacklistedrnknown and suspected communists,rnKazan became the bete noire of leftistsrnwhose humble aim was to overthrowrnbourgeois America and establish a Sovietrnsatellite state. Hoover notes that CommunistrnParty apostates were “vilified,rnblackened, and made to appear the scumrnof the earth,” and retaliation againstrnKazan was swift. One week after Kazan’srntestimony, Samuel Sillen of the communistrnDaily Worker wrote, “We have seen arnlot of belly-crawling in this time of therntoad, but nothing has quite equaled lastrnweek’s command-performance by Hollywoodrndirector Elia Kazan. . . . Kazan isrnnot content with being a toad. He mustrnbe a philosopher of toadism.”rnDespite having directed classics likernOn the Waterfront, A Streetcar NamedrnDesire, and East of Eden, Kazan becamerna pariah. Only after the final chapter ofrnthe Cold War had been recorded inrnAmerica’s dumbed-down history booksrncould Kazan’s work be considered for thernhonor it deserved, hi January, the MotionrnPicture Academy’s board of governorsrnvoted to award him an Oscar for lifetimernachievement.rnhi some quarters of Hollywood, the decisionrnto honor the 89-year-old directorrnwas met with outrage. To Tinseltown’srnunapologetic Stalinists and virulent leftists,rnawarding Kazan an Oscar was asrnpalatable as admitting that tens of millionsrnhad been murdered in the name ofrntheir philosophy. In response to thernacademy, the peculiarly named CommitteernAgainst Silence asked the Oscarrnaudience to remain silent when Kazanrnreceived his award. It also planned a littlernfest of self-righteous indignation outsidernof the ceremony.rnBy noon, the only demonstrators Irncould find at the pavilion were Kazan’srnsupporters from the Ad Hoc Committeernfor Naming Facts. Formed February 24rnby the Ayn Rand Institute, the Ad HocrnCommittee sought to honor Kazan as arnhero for, in the words of Chairman PeterrnSchwartz, standing up against “an ideologyrnwhich called for the enslavement ofrnthe individual to the collective state.”rnTheir demonstration area at the intersecfionrnof Hope and First Street, about arnblock from the red-carpet entrance, wasrnwell stocked with piles of showy pressrnpackets, cases of bottled water, and stacksrnof professionally manufactured signsrnwith slogans like “Hollywood CommunistsrnSupported Stalin,” “Thank YournKazan For Not Being Silent,” and “Kazan:rnDefender of Free Speech.” Many dressedrnin coat and tie —not the sort of clothingrnassociated with demonstrations or warmrnSouthern California afternoons. As somernfielded press questions and posed forrnphotos, others handed out leaflets to curiousrnspectators.rnA couple of hours dragged by with nornsign of the Committee Against Silence.rnBy 2:00, the pro-Kazan demonstrationrnhad swollen considerably and included arncontingent of about 20 toughs from thernCalifornia chapter of Young Americansrnfor Freedom. They weren’t like the twiggy’rnRepublican geeks I had known in college.rnA couple were outright bruisers,rnand the band had the menacing air ofrndrimken Vikings making way for thernEnglish coast.rnLegions of crazed fans crowded thern36/CHRONICLESrnrnrn