![]() The same minstrel show that reportedly died out in the 1910s, yet apparently still had fans decades later, including Irving Berlin. Yes, “that” minstrel show in which performers wore blackface and portrayed black caricatures. Sounds wholesome enough, right? Then the movie stops dead for a jaw-droppingly racist production number in tribute to minstrel shows. The lead foursome are all quite charming and the film features wonderful Irving Berlin songs, including Sisters, The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing, and the title song. In White Christmas, two Broadway stars (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye), team up with a sister act (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) to put on a show and save a friend’s Vermont inn. Problematic Holiday Faves: White Christmas (1954) and Holiday Inn (1942) However, the black mother-daughter relationship receives a more nuanced treatment in the later film and near equal screen time to the white counterpart. The 1959 remake of Imitation of Life excises the pancake business and the white character becomes a successful actress, with the black character purely offering support as her housekeeper, rather than having a stake in the financial reward. However, the film falls back on unflattering stereotypes too often to sit entirely comfortably with a modern audience. Imitation of Life was a rare film that gave any attention to problems faced by the black characters and also treated them with a modicum of dignity and it is significant for that reason. ![]() While Beavers’ cooking skills and image are what sell the pancakes, she smilingly dismisses any interest in the financial benefits.Ĭontent to be of help to her white friend, Beavers stays on as Colbert’s cook, living in the basement of Colbert’s mansion, until her own death. At the start of the film both women are struggling however, Colbert soon builds a successful business on the strength of Beavers’ pancake recipe. The 1934 melodrama Imitation of Life concerns two single mothers, one white (Claudette Colbert) and one black (Beavers), and their conflicts with their daughters. It’s an unfortunate racist button to an, until then, amusing film.īut this wasn’t the first time Beavers naively inspired her white employer. For most of the movie Gussie has few appearances and little dialogue, however, the film ends with Gussie inadvertently giving Blandings the idea for his Wham ad when she says, “If you ain’t eatin Wham, you ain’t eatin ham!” Cut to a cringe-inducing ad featuring a grinning Gussie holding a platter of ham. Black actress Louise Beavers plays Gussie, the Blandings’ live-in housekeeper. And as the construction costs climb, Blandings’ is also under pressure at work, struggling to create an ad campaign for Wham brand hams. Blandings Builds His Dream House, a New York City ad man decides to move his family into a new house in the Connecticut countryside, encountering every possible mishap along the way. ![]() Blandings Builds his Dream House (1948) and Imitation of Life (1934) (Make no mistake, they were racist at the time, too, just more broadly accepted then.) Here are a few examples of classic movies that could also benefit from a “racist content disclaimer.” Louise Beavers helps white people: Mr. Watch enough films from classic Hollywood and you’re bound to encounter moments that seem shockingly racist to audiences now. But what about other films of the classic era, most of which don’t take place during the Civil War? Sometimes an innocuous movie can contain unexpectedly jarring moments, such as the blackface musical number in the otherwise delightful Astaire-Rogers musical Swing Time. Considering recent outcry about that film’s content, HBO Max seems to have settled on a decent solution. HBO Max recently announced plans to make Gone with the Wind available to stream with an accompanying advisory about the film’s historical context. ![]()
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