McCarthy led the accusations that swept through hollywood and gave rise to mass hysteria, fearing communist infiltration in films, tv shows, commercials, etc. This fear of communist infiltration was known as the Red Scare. Those accused included Arthur Miller (who wrote a play, The Crucible, as a commentary on what was happening at that time), Walt Disney, and Lucille Ball. McCarthy's accusations led to the accused having to go before the HUAC (House of Unamerican Activities Committee) and either confess and provide the names of other communists, or not confess and risk imprisonment, fines, blacklisting (meaning you could not be employed in any aspect of show business), etc. There was no way to deny an accusation and the only way to go free was to provide names, which many did including Walt Disney. Hundreds of actors, producers, directors, writers, etc., were accused, many of which lost their careers and/or suffered irreparable damage to their lives.
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