Will Geer

Will Geer (9 Maret 1902 – 22 April 1978) adalah seorang aktor dan aktivis sosial Amerika. Nama aslinya adalah William Aughe Ghere. Dia dikenang karena perannya sebagai Kakek Zebulon Tyler Walton dalam serial TV tahun 1970-an, The Waltons.   Geer membuat debut Broadwaynya sebagai Pistol dalam produksi Much Ado About Nothing tahun 1928, menciptakan peran Mr. Mister dalam The Cradle Will Rock karya Marc Blitzstein, memerankan Candy dalam adaptasi teatrikal John Steinbeck dari novelnya Of Mice and Men, dan muncul dalam berbagai drama dan pertunjukan musik sepanjang tahun 1940-an. Dari tahun 1948 hingga 1951, ia muncul di lebih dari selusin film, termasuk Winchester '73 (sebagai Wyatt Earp), Broken Arrow, Comanche Territory (semuanya tahun 1950) dan Bright Victory (1951). Geer menjadi anggota Partai Komunis Amerika Serikat pada tahun 1934. Geer juga berpengaruh dalam memperkenalkan Harry Hay pada pengorganisasian di Partai Komunis. Pada tahun 1934, Geer dan Hay memberikan dukungan terhadap pemogokan buruh di pelabuhan San Francisco; pemogokan tepi laut Pantai Barat tahun 1934 yang berlangsung selama 83 hari. Meskipun diwarnai dengan kekerasan, hal ini merupakan kemenangan pengorganisasian, yang menjadi model pemogokan serikat pekerja di masa depan. Geer menjadi pembaca surat kabar Komunis di Pantai Barat, People's World. Geer menjadi aktivis yang berdedikasi, mengunjungi kamp kerja pemerintah pada tahun 1930-an dengan penyanyi folk seperti Burl Ives dan Woody Guthrie (yang ia perkenalkan kepada People's World dan Daily Worker; Guthrie kemudian menulis kolom untuk makalah terakhir). Pada tahun 1956, duo ini merilis album bersama di Folkways Records, berjudul Bound for Glory: Songs and Stories of Woody Guthrie. Dalam biografinya, rekan penyelenggara dan pelopor hak-hak homoseksual Harry Hay menggambarkan aktivisme Geer dan menguraikan aktivitas mereka saat mengorganisir pemogokan. Geer dikreditkan dengan memperkenalkan Guthrie kepada Pete Seeger di acara amal 'Grapes of Wrath' yang diselenggarakan Geer pada tahun 1940 untuk pekerja pertanian migran. Geer berakting dengan Group Theater (New York) belajar di bawah bimbingan Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford dan Lee Strasberg. Geer juga berakting di radio, tampil sebagai Mephistopheles (Iblis) dalam produksi The Plot to Overthrow Christmas karya Norman Corwin tahun 1938 dan 1944. Ia juga berakting di sinetron radio Cakrawala Cerah. Geer masuk daftar hitam pada awal 1950-an karena menolak bersaksi di hadapan Komite Kegiatan Un-Amerika DPR. Akibatnya, Geer hanya muncul di sedikit film selama dekade berikutnya. Diantaranya adalah Salt of the Earth (1954) yang diproduksi, disutradarai, ditulis, dan dibintangi oleh personel Hollywood yang masuk daftar hitam dan menceritakan kisah pemogokan penambang di New Mexico dari sudut pandang pro-serikat pekerja. Film ini dikecam sebagai "subversif" dan sebagai konsekuensinya menghadapi kesulitan dalam produksi dan distribusi.

Will Geer (March 9, 1902 – April 22, 1978) was an American actor and social activist. His original name was William Aughe Ghere. He is remembered for his portrayal of Grandpa Zebulon Tyler Walton in the 1970s TV series, The Waltons.   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 (as Wyatt Earp), Broken Arrow, Comanche Territory (all 1950) and Bright Victory (1951). Geer became a member of the Communist Party of the United States in 1934. Geer was also influential in introducing Harry Hay to organizing in the Communist Party. In 1934, Geer and Hay gave support to a labor strike of the port of San Francisco; the 1934 West Coast waterfront strike which lasted 83 days. Though marred by violence, it was an organizing triumph, one that became a model for future union strikes Geer became a reader of the West Coast Communist newspaper People's World. Geer became a dedicated activist, touring government work camps in the 1930s with folk singers like Burl Ives and Woody Guthrie (whom he introduced to the People's World and the Daily Worker; 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 homosexual rights pioneer Harry Hay described Geer's activism and outlined their activities while organizing for the strike. Geer is credited with introducing Guthrie to Pete Seeger at the 'Grapes of Wrath' benefit Geer organized in 1940 for migrant farm workers. Geer acted with the Group Theatre (New York) studying under Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford and Lee Strasberg. Geer also acted in radio, appearing as Mephistopheles (the Devil) in the 1938 and 1944 productions of Norman Corwin's The Plot to Overthrow Christmas. He also acted in the radio soap opera Bright Horizon. Geer was blacklisted in the early 1950s for refusing to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. As a result, Geer appeared in very few films over the next decade. Among them was Salt of the Earth (1954) 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. The film was denounced as "subversive" and faced difficulties in its production and distribution as a consequence.