#Gay #Communist and #UnionActivist! Grampa Walton — #WillGeer: a #Radical with Woody Guthrie, et al
"[Will Geer] began his acting career touring in tent shows and on river boats.
"Geer was also the lover of #GayActivist #HarryHay. In 1934, Hay met Geer at the Tony Pastor Theatre, where Geer worked as an actor. They became lovers, and Hay credited Geer as his political mentor. Hay and Geer participated in a milk strike in Los Angeles, where Hay was first exposed to #RadicalGay #Activism in the person of '#Clarabelle,' a #DragQueen who held court in the Bunker Hill neighborhood, who hid Hay from police.
"Geer made his Broadway debut as Pistol in a 1928 production of Much Ado About Nothing, created the role of Mr. Mister in Marc Blitzstein’s The Cradle Will Rock, played Candy in John Steinbeck’s theatrical adaptation of his novella Of Mice and Men, and appeared in numerous plays and revues throughout the 1940s. From 1948 to 1951, he appeared in more than a dozen movies, including Winchester ’73, Broken Arrow, Comanche Territory (1950) and Bright Victory.
"Geer became a member of the #CommunistParty of the United States in 1934. Geer was also influential in introducing Harry Hay to organizing in the Communist Party.
"Geer became a dedicated activist, touring government work camps in the 1930s with folk singers like #BurlIves and #WoodyGuthrie (whom he introduced to the People’s World and the #DailyWorker; Guthrie would go on to write a column for the latter paper). In 1956, the duo released an album together on Folkways Records, titled Bound for Glory: Songs and Stories of Woody Guthrie. In his biography, fellow organizer and gay rights pioneer Harry Hay described Geer’s activism and outlined their activities while organizing for the strike. Geer is credited with introducing Guthrie to #PeteSeeger at the ‘Grapes of Wrath’ benefit Geer organized in 1940 for #MigrantFarmWorkers.
"Geer did summer stock at the Pine Brook Country Club located in the countryside of Nichols, Connecticut with the Group Theatre (New York) studying under Lee Strasberg.
"Geer was blacklisted in the early 1950s for refusing to testify before the House Committee on #UnAmerican Activities. As a result, Geer appeared in very few films over the following decade. Notable among them was Salt of the Earth which was produced, directed, written, and starring blacklisted Hollywood personnel and told the story of a miners’ #strike in New Mexico from a pro-#union standpoint."
#TheWaltons #GrandpaWalton #GBLTQ #GBLTQActors #Activists #RedScare
![The image is a black and white photograph depicting an old, weathered vehicle that appears to be from the early 20th century. The car has visible damage such as missing panels on its front end and what seems like rust or dirt accumulation over time.
In the back of this vintage truck, there are two young children; one is standing up near a small wooden crate while holding onto it for support, possibly to keep their balance due to the uneven surface. The other child appears seated inside another section of the vehicle with an open gate that has bars across its top.
The setting seems like an urban area or town street during daylight hours as there are buildings in the background and a few parked cars visible on the side road. One building prominently displays signage reading "IT NEGLLEY & CO." while others have signs indicating commercial establishments such as a hotel with the word 'HOTEL' discernible.
The photo is marked with handwritten annotations at various positions: near the top right corner, there's some illegible text due to its size and angle. In addition, on the bottom left-hand side of the photograph, it reads "4-1908" which likely indicates a date or code associated with this image.
It seems like an archival photo possibly taken during Dorothea Lange’s work for her project 'Migrant Farm Workers' where she documented life in America. However, without explicit context about its specific circumstances and the [...]](https://files.mastodon.social/cache/media_attachments/files/113/399/622/670/344/644/original/5a0c152bbc5e0e9a.jpeg)
