Louis Earl "Lou" Hartman began his radio career in Chicago in the 1930s, writing comedy sketches for NBC Blue Network. Mr. Hartman was best known as the radio personality Jim Grady on "This Is San Francisco," which he hosted from 1950-57. As part of the show, Mr. Hartman would compose narratives and walk around San Francisco, interviewing people about their lives or drawing attention to hole-in-the-wall restaurants, unique parks or lesser-known lookout spots.
Active in the civil rights and labour movements, Mr. Hartman was subpoenaed and brought before the House Committee on Un-American Activities during its San Francisco hearings in June 1957.
He was accused of potentially endangering the public because
of his political beliefs and convicted of contempt of Congress when he refused
to comply with the committee's questioning, saying it violated his First
Amendment rights. As a result, Mr. Hartman was blacklisted by CBS and never
returned to radio. In June 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his
conviction, ruling that the committee did not have probable cause to subpoena
him.
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| Lou and his wife Blanche Hartman |
In the 1980s, Mr. Hartman was ordained a Zen priest, and he and his wife moved to the San Francisco Zen Center.
Mr. Hartman died at 95 in 2011.
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