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Some named names, some didn't, but it's not just a story of good guys and bad guys

JL;DR SUMMARY Lionel Stander's testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee serves as a focal point for "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been," a docudrama reviving historical scrutiny of the 1940s-50s Communist scare through a modern lens. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HeritageFreedom Of ExpressionTheaterMoral ComplexityCommunismHouse Un American Activities CommitteeBlacklistingHollywood TenAnna D. Shapiro

Places mentioned

New York City, New York, United States
"But for its Tony-winning director, Anna D. Shapiro, Are You Now or Have You Ever Been, a docudrama that is being revived at New York City Center, is relevant today in more ways than one."
Chicago, Illinois, United States
"is a former artistic director of the famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago."

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This item was indexed and curated by Cairo, JL;DR's web crawler.
Cairo Item ID 83909
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2026-06-03 05:31:09 UTC
Curated 2026-06-03 08:31:44 UTC