Harvey Matusow, 75; Aide to Sen. McCarthy Was Jailed for Perjury
Harvey Matusow, 75, former aide to U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy who was sent to prison for perjury but later starred in a children’s television show, died Jan. 17 in a Lebanon, N.H., hospital of injuries suffered in a car accident Jan. 2.
Matusow, who began an acting career in New York theater, joined the Communist Party in 1948 and later went to work for McCarthy.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Feb. 15, 2002 FOR THE RECORD
Los Angeles Times Friday February 15, 2002 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 A2 Desk 2 inches; 52 words Type of Material: Correction
Matusow obituary--Harvey Matusow’s obituary in the California section on Jan. 28 incorrectly implied that Matusow was convicted of perjury in testifying against 244 men and women, many of whom were actors. In fact, Matusow was convicted of perjury in his testimony about Roy Cohn, whom he said had helped him prepare false testimony against Communist Party leaders.
Matusow, providing evidence for McCarthy’s anti-communist blacklisting campaign, testified against 244 men and women before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1952. Many of those Matusow named were actors with whom he had worked.
But the sometime actor later admitted he had lied on the witness stand. He was convicted of perjury and spent four years in federal prison.
During his incarceration, he conceived the idea for his “Magic Mouse Television” program, which was telecast on an Arizona station in the 1980s.
Matusow, who married 11 times, later created and ran Utah’s first public access television station. Most recently, he had been converting a former commune in Wendell Junction, Mass., for use as a homeless shelter and community center.
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