Tyne was blacklisted from the movies in 1951 and from television in 1952, after his name was publicized in congressional committee hearings into alleged Communist infiltration of the entertainment industry.

[5] In August 1955, the House Un-American Activities Committee held hearings in New York City to probe alleged Communist infiltration of Broadway, radio and television.

Six cited their right to avoid self-incrimination under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but Tyne, Pete Seeger and Elliott Sullivan simply refused to answer, which resulted in their receiving contempt of Congress citations.

[5][4] In his testimony, Tyne called actor Lee J. Cobb a "stool pigeon" for naming him as part of a "Communist group" in Hollywood in 1943.

The other six included stage actress Sarah Cunningham, her husband John Randolph, and actors Lou Polan and Stanley Prager.

[6] In March 1957, Tyne, Seger and Sullivan were indicted by a federal grand jury in New York for refusing to answer HUAC questions during its August 1955 hearings.