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).
Women of the 80’s (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 8)
Terms of Endearment (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 7)
Pretty Baby and a Playmate Murder (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 6)
A Star is Born (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 5)
Orson Welles, What’s Up Doc, Paper Moon (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 4)
Last Picture Show Love Triangle (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 3)
Peter Bogdanovich and the Woman Behind the Auteur (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 2)
“It wasn’t sexism, then” (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 1)
Sneak Peek: Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 1
Season Trailer: Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman
159: Vanessa Williams, Whitney Houston and Hollywood’s Misogynoir Problem (Make Me Over, Episode 8)
158: The Hemingway Curse? Mariel and Margaux (Make Me Over, Episode 7)
157: Cass Elliot, Carnie Wilson and Fat-Shaming in Rock and Pop (Make Me Over, Episode 6)
156: Esther Williams and the Birth of Waterproof Makeup (Make Me Over, Episode 5)
155: Passing for White: Merle Oberon (Make Me Over, Episode 4)
154: Marie Dressler, the First Female Star to Conquer Hollywood’s Ageism (Make Me Over, Episode 3)
153: Hollywood’s First Weight Loss Guru: Madame Sylvia (Make Me Over, Episode 2)
152: Hollywood’s First Weight Loss Surgery: Molly O’Day (Make Me Over, Episode 1)
Sneak Peek: Make Me Over
151: Splash Mountain (Six Degrees of Song of the South, Episode 6)
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