Let's look at film and television history

[FUNdamental]

FOR Black History Month...


As we all know, in the first half of the 20th Century the Black race was oppressed, lynched, prohibited from entering "white only" restaurants or bathrooms, and certainly dissuaded from taking up a business, land or a white bride, around many parts of this country. In the American film business, the Black race was not allowed to work, except in roles wherein they were the most ludicrous of stereotypes (remember Gone With the Wind , circa 1933 ?) , Uncle Toms ( Stepin Fetchit in the Shirley Temple film, "The Littlest Rebel"; about those lovable southern slave owners), or Uncle Remus ( Disney and his "Song of the South," an older Black man wearing a hobo outfit working as a “Singin’, dancin, storytellin’ ’” day caretaker to a clean and preppie little white boy).

The new medium of television in the 1950's was not much better in offering Blacks opportunities. No Black Mouseketeers, no Blacks dancing on American Bandstand, and I can remember the only sighting of a Black person on the program “Leave it to Beaver” was a maid with no speaking role. Look at “I love Lucy” or “Father Knows Best” episodes and try to find a black character, or even a Black walk on. Unless they were maids to middle class American families, you didn’t see Blacks acting on television.


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[tasker109]

i used to watch amos and andy all the time...you never see those in reruns though...i wonder why?

[jskarp]

i used to watch amos and andy all the time...you never see those in reruns though...i wonder why?

I don't think anyone really has to ask why.......