\"\" — A still from *The Great Rights* (1963)

Welcome! This is a new Thursday issue of the Animation Obsessive newsletter. And today’s story takes us to America, 1963.

Decades ago, the school-and-library circuit was a major one for films. People built careers there, and animation could flourish there. Work with a social or educational slant (like Hangman) reached many, many viewers — without worrying about the box office. It was this environment that supported The Great Rights.

The film isn’t well known. It’s a 13-minute-plus cartoon about American law — namely, the rights to speech, a fair trial and so on. The subject is dry, but the execution isn’t. “This is one of the best-looking ‘post-UPA’ cartoons produced in the 1960s,” wrote historian Jerry Beck. “It’s a bit heavy handed, but look at the talent involved.”1

He wasn’t kidding: the credits are unbelievable. The director, Bill Hurtz, had been a top artist at UPA. Many on staff were UPA alumni who’d moved to Jay Ward: Roy Morita, Shirley Silvey, Ted Parmelee (The Tell-Tale Heart) and more. There were people from Warner and Disney, people who did key work for the Hubleys and Peanuts.

And a large number of them leaned left.

It was conspicuous. So was the presence of Thomas Brandon, who put the project together. Years earlier, his company had distributed The Brotherhood of Man (1946). Brandon and the team were thrilled to do The Great Rights, as he explained:

The most exciting thing about making this movie was the enthusiasm with which some of the busiest and most skillful people in Hollywood pitched in and worked through the night and on weekends. Five animation directors worked in relay. What would have taken 18 weeks took only 10 weeks.2

On the surface, the result is a simple guide to the law, aimed mainly at young people. But the team behind it, and the way this material is handled, tells another story.

The Great Rights imagines a world in which the Bill of Rights vanishes. Shadowy government goons harass and arrest people without charge, force them to incriminate themselves, censor the papers and theaters. You might assume that it’s a Cold War message, a shot at the Soviet Union. Yet many on the team had experienced this would-be reality in America — during the blacklist era.

\n \n Read more\n \n

","contentEncoded","

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Welcome! This is a new Thursday issue of the Animation Obsessive newsletter. And today’s story takes us to America, 1963.

And a large number of them leaned left.

The most exciting thing about making this movie was the enthusiasm with which some of the busiest and most skillful people in Hollywood pitched in and worked through the night and on weekends. Five animation directors worked in relay. What would have taken 18 weeks took only 10 weeks.2

On the surface, the result is a simple guide to the law, aimed mainly at young people. But the team behind it, and the way this material is handled, tells another story.

$\"\"$

","freeContentEncoded","textContent","A still from The Great Rights (1963)Welcome! This is a new Thursday issue of the Animation Obsessive newsletter. And today’s story takes us to America, 1963.Decades ago, the school-and-library circuit was a major one for films. People built careers there, and animation could flourish there. Work with a social or educational slant (like Hangman) reached many, many viewers — without worrying about the box office. It was this environment that supported The Great Rights.The film isn’t well known. It’s a 13-minute-plus cartoon about American law — namely, the rights to speech, a fair trial and so on. The subject is dry, but the execution isn’t. “This is one of the best-looking ‘post-UPA’ cartoons produced in the 1960s,” wrote historian Jerry Beck. “It’s a bit heavy handed, but look at the talent involved.”1He wasn’t kidding: the credits are unbelievable. The director, Bill Hurtz, had been a top artist at UPA. Many on staff were UPA alumni who’d moved to Jay Ward: Roy Morita, Shirley Silvey, Ted Parmelee (The Tell-Tale Heart) and more. There were people from Warner and Disney, people who did key work for the Hubleys and Peanuts.And a large number of them leaned left.It was conspicuous. So was the presence of Thomas Brandon, who put the project together. Years earlier, his company had distributed The Brotherhood of Man (1946). Brandon and the team were thrilled to do The Great Rights, as he explained:The most exciting thing about making this movie was the enthusiasm with which some of the busiest and most skillful people in Hollywood pitched in and worked through the night and on weekends. Five animation directors worked in relay. What would have taken 18 weeks took only 10 weeks.2On the surface, the result is a simple guide to the law, aimed mainly at young people. But the team behind it, and the way this material is handled, tells another story. The Great Rights imagines a world in which the Bill of Rights vanishes. Shadowy government goons harass and arrest people without charge, force them to incriminate themselves, censor the papers and theaters. You might assume that it’s a Cold War message, a shot at the Soviet Union. Yet many on the team had experienced this would-be reality in America — during the blacklist era.Stills from The Great Rights Read more","published","strategy","content-ready","locked","deletedAt","isSyncedFromOwnBlog","original","duplicatesCount","duplicateVersion","originalArticleId","errorsCount","appearance","color","backgroundColor","shortSummary","summary","bullets","persons","places","words","sentiment","subject","meta",[],"eventId","3a9f16d372eeea34bf23acf738bdd290dd644686624e2136df3532c52457f9b2","nostrRootEvent","event",{"_19":223,"_227":228,"_229":230,"_76":231,"_243":26,"_191":244,"_245":246},"sig","6dca83543c5e09d03ec52d56350b1600bd64035514c4d83e1eae62a00bc76ea3eb1666dd9d6f90b3f7e148a5812a5649ce43a6830273f52e208c91948b972d48","kind",1,[232,233,234,238,241],[219,176],[36,184],[235,236,31,237],"a","30023:57c631a368693ce03a0ac91d84472de8568cfd41b965812d5700e59707529a8e:5cd4bd0f-2657-47e0-b1f3-4b513ff53db0","mention",[239,240],"client","Layer3.press",[242,26,31],"p","pubkey","This Is Not a Film About the Blacklist\nThe blacklisted in their own words.\n\n\nnostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzq47xxx3ks6fuuqaq4jgas3rjm6zk3n75rwt9syk4wq89jur49x5wqqjr2cmyx33xgvrx95ervdfh956rwefs943rze3n956xydf3xdnxvdfnv33rq80990y ","created_at",1758663002,"authorNPub","markdown","![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vv0G!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa223330e-6e59-4bf9-9f22-33dbb0463bcb_1436x800.png)\n\n****Welcome!**** This is a new Thursday issue of the __Animation Obsessive__ newsletter. And today’s story takes us to America, 1963.\n\nDecades ago, the school-and-library circuit was a major one for films. People built careers there, and animation could flourish there. Work with a social or educational slant (like [__Hangman__](https://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/the-silence-of-the-good-people \"Hangman\")) reached many, many viewers — without worrying about the box office. It was this environment that supported __The Great Rights__.\n\nThe film isn’t well known. It’s a 13-minute-plus cartoon about American law — namely, the rights to speech, a fair trial and so on. The subject is dry, but the execution isn’t. “This is one of the best-looking ‘post-UPA’ cartoons produced in the 1960s,” wrote historian Jerry Beck. “It’s a bit heavy handed, but __look__ at the talent involved.”[1](#footnote-1 \"1\")\n\nHe wasn’t kidding: the credits are unbelievable. The director, Bill Hurtz, had been a top artist at UPA. Many on staff were UPA alumni who’d moved to Jay Ward: [Roy Morita](https://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/how-roy-morita-shaped-rocky-and-bullwinkle \"Roy Morita\"), [Shirley Silvey](https://animationobsessive.substack.com/i/44131611/shirley-silvey-and-rocky-and-bullwinkle \"Shirley Silvey\"), Ted Parmelee (__The Tell-Tale Heart__) and more. There were people from Warner and Disney, people who did key work for the Hubleys and __Peanuts__.\n\nAnd a large number of them leaned left.\n\nIt was conspicuous. So was the presence of Thomas Brandon, who put the project together. Years earlier, his company had distributed [__The Brotherhood of Man__](https://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/the-left-orientation \"The Brotherhood of Man\") (1946). Brandon and the team were thrilled to do __The Great Rights__, as he explained:\n\n> __The most exciting thing about making this movie was the enthusiasm with which some of the busiest and most skillful people in Hollywood pitched in and worked through the night and on weekends. Five animation directors worked in relay. What would have taken 18 weeks took only 10 weeks.__[2](#footnote-2 \"2\")\n\nOn the surface, the result is a simple guide to the law, aimed mainly at young people. But the team behind it, and the way this material is handled, tells another story.\n\n__The Great Rights__ imagines a world in which the Bill of Rights vanishes. Shadowy government goons harass and arrest people without charge, force them to incriminate themselves, censor the papers and theaters. You might assume that it’s a Cold War message, a shot at the Soviet Union. Yet many on the team had experienced this would-be reality in America — during the blacklist era.\n\n![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rm9v!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa8704465-7666-4186-8464-52debd50962b_2000x2250.png)\n\n[Read more](https://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/this-is-not-a-film-about-the-blacklist \"Read more\")","freeMarkdown","kind1EventId","kind30023EventId","fb6d4cb74ab230653ea194001fc5b1ac7f25aee63e127f097db595e84ae73f77","kind30023",{"_19":253,"_227":256,"_229":257,"_76":258,"_243":26,"_191":272,"_245":273},"5fc3fb034fffa4aa7418d6aded351d946a04b1a4f7251a478b182e6c6e0241021da48553991087aeeee6d2dc0420ff5e677c4adfa7e6c311652db9c3f8b54569",30023,[259,262,263,266,267,269,270,271],[260,261],"r","https://connect-test.syndichain.com/articles/5cd4bd0f-2657-47e0-b1f3-4b513ff53db0",[32,176],[264,265],"published_at","1758253640",[36,184],[268,171],"d",[213,177],[239,240],[242,26,31],"This Is Not a Film About the Blacklist\n![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vv0G!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa223330e-6e59-4bf9-9f22-33dbb0463bcb_1436x800.png)\n\n****Welcome!**** This is a new Thursday issue of the __Animation Obsessive__ newsletter. And today’s story takes us to America, 1963.\n\nDecades ago, the school-and-library circuit was a major one for films. People built careers there, and animation could flourish there. Work with a social or educational slant (like [__Hangman__](https://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/the-silence-of-the-good-people \"Hangman\")) reached many, many viewers — without worrying about the box office. It was this environment that supported __The Great Rights__.\n\nThe film isn’t well known. It’s a 13-minute-plus cartoon about American law — namely, the rights to speech, a fair trial and so on. The subject is dry, but the execution isn’t. “This is one of the best-looking ‘post-UPA’ cartoons produced in the 1960s,” wrote historian Jerry Beck. “It’s a bit heavy handed, but __look__ at the talent involved.”[1](#footnote-1 \"1\")\n\nHe wasn’t kidding: the credits are unbelievable. The director, Bill Hurtz, had been a top artist at UPA. Many on staff were UPA alumni who’d moved to Jay Ward: [Roy Morita](https://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/how-roy-morita-shaped-rocky-and-bullwinkle \"Roy Morita\"), [Shirley Silvey](https://animationobsessive.substack.com/i/44131611/shirley-silvey-and-rocky-and-bullwinkle \"Shirley Silvey\"), Ted Parmelee (__The Tell-Tale Heart__) and more. There were people from Warner and Disney, people who did key work for the Hubleys and __Peanuts__.\n\nAnd a large number of them leaned left.\n\nIt was conspicuous. So was the presence of Thomas Brandon, who put the project together. Years earlier, his company had distributed [__The Brotherhood of Man__](https://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/the-left-orientation \"The Brotherhood of Man\") (1946). Brandon and the team were thrilled to do __The Great Rights__, as he explained:\n\n> __The most exciting thing about making this movie was the enthusiasm with which some of the busiest and most skillful people in Hollywood pitched in and worked through the night and on weekends. Five animation directors worked in relay. What would have taken 18 weeks took only 10 weeks.__[2](#footnote-2 \"2\")\n\nOn the surface, the result is a simple guide to the law, aimed mainly at young people. But the team behind it, and the way this material is handled, tells another story.\n\n__The Great Rights__ imagines a world in which the Bill of Rights vanishes. Shadowy government goons harass and arrest people without charge, force them to incriminate themselves, censor the papers and theaters. You might assume that it’s a Cold War message, a shot at the Soviet Union. Yet many on the team had experienced this would-be reality in America — during the blacklist era.\n\n![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rm9v!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa8704465-7666-4186-8464-52debd50962b_2000x2250.png)\n\n[Read more](https://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/this-is-not-a-film-about-the-blacklist \"Read more\")\n---\n**Read the full article**\nhttps://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/this-is-not-a-film-about-the-blacklist",1758253640,"publishedToNostr","htmlContentKind30023","

$\"\"$

Welcome! This is a new Thursday issue of the Animation Obsessive newsletter. And today’s story takes us to America, 1963.

Decades ago, the school-and-library circuit was a major one for films. People built careers there, and animation could flourish there. Work with a social or educational slant (like Hangman) reached many, many viewers — without worrying about the box office. It was this environment that supported The Great Rights.

He wasn’t kidding: the credits are unbelievable. The director, Bill Hurtz, had been a top artist at UPA. Many on staff were UPA alumni who’d moved to Jay Ward: Roy Morita, Shirley Silvey, Ted Parmelee (The Tell-Tale Heart) and more. There were people from Warner and Disney, people who did key work for the Hubleys and Peanuts.

And a large number of them leaned left.

It was conspicuous. So was the presence of Thomas Brandon, who put the project together. Years earlier, his company had distributed The Brotherhood of Man (1946). Brandon and the team were thrilled to do The Great Rights, as he explained:

\n
The most exciting thing about making this movie was the enthusiasm with which some of the busiest and most skillful people in Hollywood pitched in and worked through the night and on weekends. Five animation directors worked in relay. What would have taken 18 weeks took only 10 weeks.2
\n

On the surface, the result is a simple guide to the law, aimed mainly at young people. But the team behind it, and the way this material is handled, tells another story.

The Great Rights imagines a world in which the Bill of Rights vanishes. Shadowy government goons harass and arrest people without charge, force them to incriminate themselves, censor the papers and theaters. You might assume that it’s a Cold War message, a shot at the Soviet Union. Yet many on the team had experienced this would-be reality in America — during the blacklist era.

$\"\"$

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