Hannah Weinstein

Hannah Weinstein ( Dorner; June 23, 1911 – March 9, 1984) was an American-British journalist, publicist and left-wing political activist who moved to Britain and became a television producer. She is best remembered for having produced The Adventures of Robin Hood television series in the mid-to-late 1950s.

Early life Members of the Independent Voters Committee of the Arts and Sciences for Roosevelt visit FDR at the White House (October 1944). From left: Van Wyck Brooks, Hannah Weinstein, Jo Davidson, Jan Kiepura, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Gish, Dr. Harlow Shapley Born to a Jewish family in New York City, after graduating with a degree in journalism from New York University, Weinstein worked for the New York Herald Tribune from 1927. In 1937, she left the newspaper to join Fiorello H. La Guardia's mayoral campaign in New York City. She was also involved in the presidential campaigns of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Henry Wallace. With Ring Lardner Jr., she wrote speeches for Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles during this period.

Exile In 1950, Weinstein began her film career in Paris

In 1952, after settling in London, she established her own production company, Sapphire Films, financially aided by the American Communist Party. The company eventually made series for the British commercial ITV network via an arrangement with ITC's Lew Grade. Weinstein created and executive produced The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955–59), starring Richard Greene. The first two series were syndicated by Official Films to American television stations; they also dwell on the theme of betrayal.

Sapphire Films ceased to function in late 1961 owing to financial problems. Weinstein returned to America in 1962. She organized a rally in Madison Square Garden to raise funds for the election of United States senators opposed to the Vietnam War. In 1984, she was named for the Liberty Hill Foundation Upton Sinclair Award in honor of her artistic and political accomplishments.

Personal life In 1938, she married Pete Weinstein, a reporter for The Brooklyn Eagle; the couple divorced in 1955.