The film Good Night, and Good Luck depicts the United States of the early 1950s, particularly the American reaction to the threat of Communism.  Edward R. Murrow, David Strathairn's character, is a reporter for CBS who, seeing Joseph McCarthy's rampant accusations against Americans within the government and in the entertainment industry in the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), decides to take a stand against McCarthyism.  Ultimately, Murrow's actions help to bring down McCarthy and end McCarthyism.  The film highlights the intensity of the paranoia that resulted from the Red Scare in the United States in the early 1950s.  Often, the impact of the Cold War at home is overshadowed by the Cold War abroad.  "Good Night, and Good Luck" is Murrow's characteristic sign-off at the end of his broadcasts.