149: White Allies and the Blacklist: Maurice Rapf (Six Degrees of Song of the South, Episode 4)

Concerned that his movie about a former slave devoting his life to a white child’s emotional needs might be perceived as racist, Walt Disney hired known Communist Maurice Rapf to rewrite Song of the South. Rapf, the son of an MGM exec, was radicalized as a college student, and shortly after Song of the South was released, he was blacklisted. Today we’ll discuss Rapf’s life and career, and talk about how white leftists in Hollywood tried to subvert the industry’s racial status quo -- and how their mission to “make movies less bad” led to their own persecution.

 

 

This episode is sponsored by Parcast - Mythology (www.parcast.com/MYTHOLOGY).