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Remember this, the podcast dedicated to exploring the secrets and or forgotten histories of Hollywood's first century,

part of the Panoply Network.

I'm your host, Karina Longworth.

And today we bring you yet another installment in our ongoing series about the lives of famous people during times of war.

Or Star Wars.

Allow us for a moment to briefly touch on an event that took place during Hollywood's second century.

As you may or may not remember, way, way back in January 2014,

Merrill Streep took the stage at the National Board of Review Awards dinner,

and as pray-lude to presenting an award to saving Mr. Banks, Star, Emma Thompson,

Streep delivered a speech in which she accused Walt Disney, depicted in saving Mr. Banks by Tom Hanks as a kindly if-tonacious patriarch,

of having been in real life, a quote-unquote, gender bigot, with some quote, racist perclivities,

which led him to form and support an quote, anti-Semitic industry lobby.

Streep went on to support the sexism portion of her argument by reading a letter sent to a female applicant to Disney's animation factory in 1938,

which confirmed institutional sexism.

Streep's comments, which were daring and certainly unexpected in the context of award season, made international headlines.

Without actually managing to really stir up controversy, the general consensus seemed to be, well, duh.

Merrill Streep seemed to just be saying out loud what everyone already thought they knew

that the creator of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, the pioneer of feature-length animated films,

the architect of the happiest place on Earth, was actually a pretty sinister character,

a power broker whose personal prejudices infected his incredibly popular, powerfully influential work.

...