Many people would say that the actors were never treated with dignity and that many of the jokes in the film were made at the actors' expense (Crouse 213). The film is completely politically incorrect, but that's what made it ironically interesting and so popular. When the amateur cast took the job they knew what the film would be. Actors took their jobs seriously and many actors went on to play roles in other films (Simpson 208). Billy Curtis, however, generally avoided roles that undermined the dwarves. He was shocked to see movie posters advertising "Half pints in 10-gallon hats!" Later in his life Billy worked as an advocate for equal rights for children. He worked against the Screen Actors Guild to allow little ones full membership and full voting privileges