Ch10 Raising Westlake Ep 6 John Henry Faulk on Americanism

Our Westlake

Emmett Shelton Sr. recorded this Americanism Assembly at Fulmore Jr. High in 1982. The speaker is South Austin native, and Fulmore graduate in 1920, John Henry Faulk. Most of the students knew him from his recurring appearances on the TV show "He-Haw" but they soon learned there was more to John Henry.
John Henry focused his talk on the Declaration of Independence and how it ensures freedoms to every American.
A bit of Background: While a soldier at Camp Swift, Faulk began writing his own radio scripts. He got an interview at WCBS in New York City. The network executives were sufficiently impressed to offer him his own radio show. Upon his 1946 discharge from the Army, Faulk began his Johnny's Front Porch radio show for WCBS.
In December 1955, Faulk was elected second vice president of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists(AFTRA). Faulk earned the ill will of the blacklisting organization when other members and he wrested control of their union, the AFTRA, from officers backed by AWARE. In reprisal, AWARE labeled Faulk a communist. Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy, offered a "clearance" service to major media advertisers and radio and television networks; for a fee to AWARE to investigate the backgrounds of entertainers for signs of Communist sympathy or affiliation. When he discovered that AWARE was actively keeping radio stations from offering him employment, Faulk fought them in court for compensation.
On June 28, 1962, the jury awarded him the largest libel judgment in history to that date — $3.5 million. An appeals court lowered the amount to $500,000. Legal fees and accumulated debts erased most of the balance of the award.
Faulk's book, Fear on Trial, published in 1963, tells the story of the experience.
Music by: Phil Ochs, Ballad of John Henry Faulk, Youtube
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Stories told by Emmett Shelton / compiled and submitted by Cynthia Shelton.