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Paul Jarrico (1929-1996) was a Hollywood screenwriter working in the studio system in the 1930s and 1940s. A lifelong communist, he was subpoenaed before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1951. His refusal to comply with the Committee's questions saw him lose his job at RKO and placed on the so-called Hollywood "Blacklist." His films were marked by their marriage of art and politics, often commenting on the pressing issues of their time. Notably, his 1954 film Salt of the Earth, a collaboration between blacklisted filmmakers and the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, was regarded as a subversive critique of mid-century American capitalism.

William "Billy" Friedberg (1916-1965) is best remembered as a television comedy writer, although he also wrote plays, musicals, variety reviews, short stories, and radio programs. Among his best-known works are episodes of "Car 54, Where Are You?", "As Time Goes By", and "The Phil Silvers Show". Friedberg's work represented in this collection spans many genres, including comedy review sketches, TV dramas, short stories, plays, and musicals.