Blacks contribution of Golden Era Hollywood

[msladysoul]

I've been doing some research.

I found some things that were interesting containing to Blacks and Golden Era of Hollywood.

 

There were many Blacks who were stand ins for the leading men and ladies.

Noble Johnson was one who played everything from Indian to Spanish on the screen but a black man.

There was a Cotton Club dancer named Amy Spencer who had red hair, she was asked to be a stand in for Rita Hayworth. Marion Egbert was a blue eye, blonde black lady who was ask to Hollywood for stand in, extra work.

Another guy by the name of Niles Wells was a stand in for Cesar Romero was doing allright until word got out he was Black, his contract was terminated.

 

Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Sinatra, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Al Jolson, Marilyn Miller, Tallulah Bankhead, Libby Holman, Mae West, Martha Raye and so many others said they were inspired in some of their song stylings and dances by Blacks

Ziegfield and Hollywood hired many blacks to teach their ladies and men dance steps and personality.

Ziegfield also wanted to hire Florence Mills, the first black sensation. Irving Berling said of her if he could find a white woman who could put over a song like Mills, he would be inspired to write a hit a week.. I wondered why couldn't he use a Florence Mills or someone else for his songs.

Orson Welles was one man who frequented Black speakeasies and clubs because he said was inspired by Black people and used some of his experiences in his work in some way.

A lot of Blacks voices like gorgeous Evelyn Preer were used in movies that the white ladies lip sync to but not credited.

 

When I watch classic movies, it seems its okay for whites whether its imitating or portraying Black culture in their attitudes, gestures, songs, dances, whatever but not okay to use a Black on the screen for that purpose or give them credit. It seemed okay to copy but not okay for Blacks to appear on the same level. They did bring Blacks in though to spice up a movie every now and then. In the pre-code era more Blacks were used and had more substantial roles but after that Blacks were seen but not heard and kept a distance from the white stars on screen.

 

I never forgot one pre-code movie Safe In Hell with Dorothy MacKaill and Nina Mae McKinney. That was one of the most touching movies I seen and rare to because of the embracing of a white lady and black woman.

 

Theresa Harris is another talented lady who proved time and time again she was a wonderful actress. She was in more films with stars then anyone, even though she had on a maid's costume, she stepped outside of that and showed her acting time, a few times she stole scenes and was the only entertaining one in the movies. Why isn't she ever talked about?

Many Blacks roles were important to many films, where would Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis be without their trusty servants to encourage and pep them up, speaking movie-wise. Mildred Washington was another beautiful, charming lady who played the maid roles in the pre code era who did more then just wear a maid's suit. Why isn't she ever talked about. It takes everyone to bring a movie together. Hattie McDaniels and Louise Beavers were extremely talented actresses and comedians, Hattie stole many movies from the white stars, most of the time she was the only entertaining one. She kept busy in the movies. Someone once said if Hattie wasn't in a movie, people didn't want to see it. But she's only looked at as being a uncle tom or a sell out, I say look beyond the maid's suit and look at the talent.

 

Nina Mae McKinney was another fine actress. She brought a lot to the screen which other ladies adopted for their own. She was considered the most beautiful, best acting discovery of her era. What doesn't TCM ever saying anything about her? Only in Black History Month, but why just that month. Why not all year around like the other stars. Now, the Black History Month movies are taken away because TCM do the Academy movies that month.

 

Fredi Washington, another great dramatic actress. I'm sure you all remember her as Peola in the first Imitation of Life with Claudette Colbert. She couldn't get anymore work because she wouldn't actually pass for white like her character. She was told she could become a movie star as her white contemporaries. She had a falling out with Hollywood because she didn't take that stuff lying down. She said Hollywood frowned upon pretty black women, especially fair skin Blacks, and they would rather have the frumpy, unattractive women playing the Black roles. She was the only real Black who played the so called mulatto part. Which caused an uproar. After that Hollywood used white women to play mulattos like Jeanne Crain and Ava Gardner because they looked the part but it was too real to get a real mulatto.

 

Many of the black ladies fit the beauty and talent standards more so then most.

 

When Hollywood did have a beautiful black leading lady it was one every era. It was almost like they couldn't deal with too many and the movies with Blacks were all so familiar the singing, dancing, religion, never a real drama and romance that made you look at the talent not the color, that's why I love to watch also these independently produced Black Cinema films which gave Blacks their own movie stars and positive portrayals, there were no partiality there. Beautiful women, handsome men, real stories, not everything was Black. Some movies was flawed but the talent shined through and made you look at the talent and not the color. The blacks then were looked at as being natural born actors, none ever took any acting classes but had exceptional acting talent. I just hate when Blacks are talked about, just their skin color or stereotype is talked about, never the talent.

 

I want to always pay credit to Stepin Fetchit, Mantan Moreland, they were talented comedian but because their blacks their looked as just playing dumb, ignorant, being stereotypical. I never could understand that. Harold Llyod, Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton played dumb and clumsy many times but their looked as comedic genius why not Stepin Fetchit, he created that "Slow Poke" image which made him the first black millionaire of Hollywood but he wasn't like that at all off the screen.

Is Hollywood history being partial? It seems they tell everyone's else's contribution to Golden Hollywood greatness but the Blacks.

Wouldn't it be fair to give them their recognition also?

 

Stereotypes are apart of movies and world, its unfair but that's life. Blondes were stereotyped as whores and dumb, Blacks were stereotyped, Hispanics and so on. People are entertained more by it. It doesn't mean the whole race or group is like that.

 

The people in the Business seem to have no problem with Blacks, but it was the outside world.

I also love Myrna Loy for what she said. Why does every black person in the movies have to play a servant? How about a black person walking up the steps of a court house carrying a briefcase?"

I felt that took a lot of guts for her to say that at her time era with her fame and fortune. It shows she wasn't self-contained and unknowledgeable in other's around them.

I guess if anyone understood about the racism and discrimination was Myrna because she played many ethnic roles that dealt with stereotyping and racism like in Thirteen Women.

 

Most others didn't give a care about other's, as long as they were stars. Clark Gable is another I admire for standing up for Hattie McDaniels who wasn't wanted at the premiere of Gone with the Wind.

I was reading Lillian Roth book, Beyond my Worth, and she said wonderful things like Blacks are the best performers around and such.

Hollywood certainly was a magical time then. I often find myself wondering what it would of been like to see Lena Horne and Clark Gable or Robert Taylor as a screen couple, impossible you say, well I'm sure it would sicken many to see but it shows how un partial I am. Two cultures bringing together their greatness, the movies would of been even more great if you ask me. I never could understand two races who been here the longest still can't get along.

 

I really hate the partiality of movie historians and movie fans. I would love to look in a movie book and see the white beauties and white beauties together. Half of the whites know nothing about the black classic stars, I think is ashame because I know about the black and white stars and favor them all.

 

Don't get me wrong, not trying to start some racial uproar, wanting to get everyone else's opinion. We talk about everything else here.

[msladysoul]

This website includes a lot of beauties of stage and screen, http://www.angelfire.com/jazz/ninamaemckinney/

[eddie71664]

I don't think that it's a secret that there was a huge

amount of talent in movies concerning non-whites. The

first movie that I ever saw that made me wonder what the

heck is going on here was the ever-popular "Gone With The

Wind" when the wonderful Hattie McDanial {gosh I hope that I spelled her name right} gave one of the best performances that I have ever seen in a supporting role.

Watching anglos portray native americans use to make

me wonder why there wasn't any N/A actors to portray themselves until I realized that it was just a "white"

thing.

I know that those days aren't completely gone yet, but when you see the likes of Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy,

and Halle Berry being nominated and winning oscars, you gotta believe that things are getting a lot better.

Eddie

[bggalaxy]

Welcome Back mslady!

Good stuff - thanks.

[brackenhe]

msladysoul--First, I want to say I am a middle age white person and I fully appreciate the contributions of African American performers. I wrote a piece on here about a year ago about how great I thought Hattie McDaniel was in just about every picture I saw her in. I have seen several Michaux movies and I watch every documentary that's on TV about Black performers since the turn of the century.

 

Please don't get the wrong idea here for what I'm about to say. But don't you think that Blacks, especially 30-40 years ago, thought that maybe some of these performers were "sell outs" and "Uncle Toms" (your words) and that maybe that might be some of the reason that those performers are as remembered as fondly as they might be. I distinctly remember a lot of militant figures condemning those who chose the only avenue available to them in the 30's & 40's to be in show business. Is it the fault of the movie goers of today? I don't know, but I know it's not the case with me. I'm extremely interested in all movie stuff, including actors & actresses that aren't the same color as I am. You could write these same words about Hispanics and Asians, who are even more underrepresented than Blacks. I think most people, at least over the age of 30, know who Hattie and Lena Horne and Paul Robeson are, if they are real movie fans. I'm not trying to get on your case, but I disagree with what you say. I think most people on this board are aware of the contributions of minority performers in films.

[shainablue1]

I just wanted to say that when I watch a movie that I love, no matter what part, I love and appreciate every performer. I am not gonna lie- blacks are usually porters, maids, butlers, etc... in my favorite movies but it never fails to impress me that the actor did a good job and probably would have been a star if given the chance that wasn't afforded to them then. What can I do? I still love the movie. Then there is Carmen , both Imitation of Life's, Tales of Manhattan, Nat King Cole Movies, Geuss Who's Coming To Dinner, all favorites with substantial black roles and actors, I love all the actor's and all the performances without thinking much of race unless its part of the story line. I love those movies too. What can I say? It's all about the story to me. I think you have an excellent topic, I found it very interesting to hear of the stand-ins, the star comments. It would make a great subject for a documentary. Turner should do one and have it ready for next Black History Month along with a tribute or something. That would be awesome. I'd watch!

[feaito]

Lena Horne, (was and still is) so beautiful, aristocratic and sophisticated, that she would have been a type of star like Hedy Lamarr or Gene Tierney, in fact I've read somewhere that she was dubbed the ebony or the sepia Hedy Lamarr, and above all, she had (and has a great voice). I can't get enough of her. Elegance and class, that's Lena.

 

And yes Mladysoul, Theresa Harris did made a great impression on me when she played Stanwyck's pal in "Baby Face", in fact I mentioned it in a capsule review of that movie I wrote at Amazon.

 

Mildred Washington, also impressed me in "Torch Singer" with Claudette Colbert, beautiful woman. I also saw her in "Blonde Venus" and "Bed of Roses".

 

And to speak of lovely, lovely Louise Beavers, not only she was great in "Imitation of Life" but her role in "No Time for Comedy" with Roz Russell and Jimmy Stewart, was just short of sensational. In "Bombshell" she was great too.

 

And Paul Robeson's powerful voice, talent and screen-presence in both "The Emperor Jones" and "King's Solomon Mines"!!!

 

One of the funniest roles of the decade (in the '30s) was Hattie McDaniel's (hilarious) in the 1935 "Alice Adams"; the dinner scene was completely stolen by her skill, I could not stop laughing!

 

Mae West was a performer that cast to very good advantage, black actresses in her films of the early 1930's; in spite of the fact that they were mostly featured as maids (Libby Taylor, Hattie, Gertrude Howard, Louise Beavers), the rapport between her and them was more that of pals than maids, the wisecracks were just great and made for some of the most funny scenes of films such as "Belle of The Nineties", "I'm No Angel" and "She Done Him Wrong"

 

And Freidi Washington was very beautiful and talented, she was very good in "Imitation of Life".

[feaito]

...And I'd love to see Nina Mae McKinney in "Hallelujah!" as well as Ethel Waters in "Cabin in the Sky"...Dorothy Dandridge, on the other hand, was a Goddess.

 

And speaking of beauties, in France the gorgeous and sexy Josephine Baker, a first-magnitude performer there, was featured as the star of movies like "Zou Zou" and "Princess Tam Tam" (both 1934), with white casts-she was top billed. I'd love to see her, she looks gorgeous in stills of those movies!

[bansi4]

I share your thoughts on this topic brackenhe as I also have enjoyed many of the black players of the past and still do. I have many favorites. I look forward to TCMs showing of the low budget films with an all black cast some of which were very talented.

I do recall a similar thread about a year ago which I believe was also posted by Msladysoul.

To add to my book collection of black entertainment I just ordered Donald Bogle's new book "Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood" a serious social history involving many players. The book got good reviews and promises to be a winner.

 

Mongo

 

 

 

[richardny4me]

"Theresa Harris is another talented lady who proved time and time again she was a wonderful actress."

 

I so agree. I recently saw the restored version of BABY FACE at the Film Forum in NY and when I got home I had to look up on IMDB who was that woman who played "Chico", Barbara Stanwyk's friend an eventual maid. It was Theresa Harris who was radiant on screen, and in the much edited opening sequence there is a long full-body close-up of her that was astonishing --you just did not see black women filmed in that way after the Hays Code was brought in (almost single-handedly due to this film, lol).

Anyway, I have the laser disc of the originally released film at home and I do think they slightly edited the close-up for the general release version, and they definitely edited one of her best scenes with Stanwyck and James Murray.

 

Incidentally I was surprised to see she played the maid - mostly uncredited - in dozens of Hollywood classics - MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, THE FRENCH LINE, THE WOMEN, NEPTUNE'S DAUGHTER, etc.

[moviejoe79]

I have to say, I've always enjoyed watching Black performers on screen. And some of my all time favorite singers are black, like Ella Fitzgerald, and Sammy Davis Jr.

 

It's a shame that they weren't given more substantial roles during Hollywood's Golden Age, but I don't think anyone underestimates the enormous contribution and importance that blacks had in classic film.

 

Feaito - I've seen "Hallelujah" and it's an awesome movie. It's a little primitive in the filming of it, since it's from 1929, but Nina Mae McKinney tears up the screen. Not only does she give a very strong performance, but she is so incredibly beautiful and has such a presence that you can't take your eyes off her.

 

And "Cabin in the Sky" has long been one of my all time favorite movies. Ethel Waters was awesome in it, and even though she didn't always have starring roles in Hollywood, she was a HUGE star in the theater, and in music. She was considered one of the top singers and entertainers of the 1930's. And Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Lena Horne, and even Louis Armstrong with his small role are great in "Sky." There isn't a single white person in the movie, and yet it was a first-class MGM production, directed BRILLIANTLY by Vincente Minnelli. In fact, I think it was the first film he directed.

 

And regarding Louis Armstrong - he was another performer who was respected as one of the best around during the 20's and 30's. Just last week I watched "Pennies From Heaven" from 1936 starring Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Madge Evans, and Edith Fellows. Armstrong has a big production number in the middle of the movie, and he practically steals the movie with it. He adds a little life to a "crooning" Crosby movie. And if I'm not mistaken, Crosby, Sinatra, as well as a few other Hollywood heavyweights had an INCREDIBLE amount of respect for Armstrong, and considered him one of the gods of Jazz.

[feaito]

Looking forward to seeing "Hallelujah!" MovieJoe...it has always been in my "want" list...

 

Talking 'bout, "Cabin in the Sky", did you know that the wonderful standard "Taking a Chance on Love", which was featured in this 1943 film directed by Minnelli, and sung by Ethel Waters, was also featured in that same year's musical comedy "I dood It" (a remake of Buster Keaton's "Spite Marriage"), which was also directed by Vincent(e) Minnelli, and played on piano by Hazel Scott. BTW, Lena Horne was also featured in the latter, singing "Jericho". The stars of this film were the great Eleanor Powell & Red Skelton.

[venerados]

IMO, Hallelujah was the best picture of that year, and while the sound recording was bad it was visually sophisticated, not at all primitive.

 

There was a beautiful, earnest little movie called "Blood of Jesus" I really liked even though it was very cheaply made. TCM showed it a while back.

[msladysoul]

I'm so glad to see some of you know Mildred Washington and Theresa Harris. Mildred was simply beautiful and had so much spunk and energy. I enjoyed watching her and Claudette Colbert, they had good chemistry together.

 

Brackenhe, well I don't look at them as uncle toms and sell outs, they were simply doing their job and acting. It shows how much talent it took to play whatever Hollywood through at them. Why do you say minorities? I don't look at myself as miniority. The Blacks in America are starting to outnumber whites.

 

I do feel there's partiality regarding film history. I think one of the most beautiful women on screen was Dorothy Van Engle and Francine Everett. Take a gander at them one day. I would love to see them in a film photography book one day with all the other lovely white ladies.

 

Nina Mae McKinney on one hand are in these books, I guess because she crossed over and gain some popularity with whites. I've been buying some of these movie magazines, in the early 30s, she was featured widely in them and some on the cover. Irving Thalberg said she was the greatest acting discovery and King Vidor, and Dorothy Killgalllen (I think I may have spelled that wrong) said she was one of the most beautiful of the era, rated her over Horne.

 

I see that a lot of whites like to say, oh if times would of been different, she could of been as big as Hedy Lamarr and whomever of the era. She became quite popular, maybe not to some standards but she was in her community as was whites in their community.

 

I enjoyed Blood of Jesus also with Cathryn Caviness, she was a beauty, a low budget film it was but they did good with the little they had in those black cinema films but their beauty and talent of being able to play human beings as fictional characters and stories like the whites came across. I just don't sit around looking for flaws. It seems Hollywood then and now only wanted to do pictures on the black race, instead of letting them play roles outside the blackness.

 

I like the fact that black men got a chance to show their talents as actors in these films, guys like Monte Hawley, Ralph Cooper, Laurence Criner, Jess Lee Brooks, Reginald Fenderson and others were exceptional actors, they acted in quite the same fashion as Humphrey Bogart, Cagney, Gable and such. Sure, with more money they could of done more but they did okay. Some white producers produced and directed some black films outside of Hollywood like Edgar Ulmer and his wonderful Moon over Harlem, he always said he could never do such a picture in Hollywood. I wonder why, a movie like that would of been great made in Hollywood but I guess it was out of place to them to let blacks behave like human beings.

 

[msladysoul]

Oh by the way, have any of you ever heard of Evelyn Preer?

In her time she was acclaimed as the best actress of the human race. Paul Robeson second that. She was stikingly beautiful. I haven't seen her work yet but I'm going to soon. Someone called her a Bette Davis before Bette Davis.

[brackenhe]

I think you misunderstood what I was saying, msladysoul. I was saying that while we on this message board know and love a lot of the black performers of yesteryear, the general population is unaware of some of these folks because blacks of 30 or 40 years ago were not as appreciative of the efforts of their forefathers & mothers contributions to entertainment. I don't think they were sellouts--they did the work available to them. And, if blacks outnumber whites now, then I take back my comment about being in the minority.

[bhryun]

It seems to be a huge secret to me. There isn't as much known about many of the black performers of golden yesteryear. Their stories haven't been told. Folks know about Ava Gardener, Katherine Hepburn, Barbara Stanwyck and other wonder white actresses of Golden Yesteryear and that is great. They had lots of talent. But women like Fredi Washington, Francine Everett, Nina Mae Mckinney, Dorothy Van Engle had similiar talents at the same level and had the potential to be movie star material same as the white actresses, but their story isn't heard and networks like TCM and AMC seem to be very reluctant to give them air time. I admired TCM for showcasing the unsung black golden yesteryear films. You have to look at the fact that there was a lot of RAW talent being showcased on such low budgets. The white films were done on much more plentiful budgets and the actors/actresses were even allowed more than one take. In a lot of the black productions the entertainers were only allowed one take. With just one take many of the black actresses and actors mastered the scenes they were doing and did quality jobs. That in itself should say something about the enormous amount of movie star talent that was ignored by white hollywood or rather brushed aside. TCM calls themselves Turner Classic Movies. They should call themselves Turner White American Classic Movies. The reason I say that is because nothing else is really showcased. Why is it that TCM SUDDENLY stopped the Black History Month Golden age showcase to showcase movies from white Entertainers who are given exposure YEAR ROUND?