While we\’re on the subject of Black performers/directors and Oscar nominations, I am taking this opportunity to comment on George Clooney\’s smug Oscar acceptance speech of 2006 (Best Supporting Actor, for “Syriana”), in which he said this:
…I would say that, you know, we are a little bit out of touch in Hollywood every once in a while, I think. It\’s probably a good thing. We\’re the ones who talked about AIDS when it was just being whispered, and we talked about civil rights when it wasn\’t really popular. And we, you know, we bring up subjects, we are the ones-this Academy, this group of people gave Hattie McDaniel an Oscar in 1939 when blacks were still sitting in the backs of theaters. I\’m proud to be a part of this Academy, proud to be part of this community, and proud to be out of touch.
That so, Mr. Clooney? Tell us: What was the name of Hattie McDaniels\’ Oscar winning role (for “Gone With The Wind”)?
Having trouble coming up with one?
That is because she played “Mammy” – which was a generic term for female house slaves who took care of the master\’s children. In other words, she didn\’t have a name at all.
In fact, through 95 movie and TV credits, Ms. McDaniels had a full name only 2 times: As Kitty Silvers in “Gentle Julia” (1936) and Minerva Clay in “In This Our Life” (1942).
The reason? Because, for many years, in supposedly-enlightened Hollywood, the only roles Black actors and actresses ever got were as slaves, domestics, Pullman porters, waiters, and various comic-relief buffoons.
I wonder if Mr. Clooney is aware that the next time a Black person won an Academy Award was 1963 – 24 years later. (Sidney Poitier, for “Lilies Of The Field”). In fact it took 10 more years (until 1949) before another Black person was even nominated for an Academy Award (the great Ethel Waters, who played Aunt Dicey in “Pinky”; one of the least known, and most underrated, racial justice movies of all time.).
It seems to me, that Hollywood was not “out of touch” at all. It was very much “in touch” with the way Black people were stereotyped, and, for many years, perfectly happy to keep things just the way they were.
Maybe Mr. Clooney – who, despite the content of this blog, I respect as an actor and as a humanitarian – would like to say a few more words on the subject.
