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Post by moviemouth on Sept 8, 2020 18:19:13 GMT
Very few movies seemed to focus at all on black characters in major roles and even the small roles often made them foolish characters.
I have noticed that horror movies sometimes cast black actors in more important roles. I am watching a movie right now called King of the Zombies, where a black character is essentially the main character and the only character with any sense.
Are there any more examples of this?
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Post by lowtacks86 on Sept 8, 2020 18:21:05 GMT
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Post by kolchak92 on Sept 8, 2020 18:28:16 GMT
Maybe not a major role, but Of Mice and Men (1939) has a black character play a pretty important role, as written in the novel.
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Post by moviemouth on Sept 8, 2020 18:31:19 GMT
Maybe not a major role, but Of Mice and Men (1939) has a black character play a pretty important role, as written in the novel. Small, but important role. Very good performance.
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Post by moviemouth on Sept 8, 2020 18:36:03 GMT
A few more that come to mind.
Gone with the Wind Pinky Invisible Ghost
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Post by BATouttaheck on Sept 8, 2020 18:36:15 GMT
one of the wisest and strongest characters in the film and earned Hattie McDaniel an Oscar ! 1939
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Post by BATouttaheck on Sept 8, 2020 18:48:25 GMT
Maybe not a major role, but Of Mice and Men (1939) has a black character play a pretty important role, as written in the novel. Leigh Whipper was an consummate actor who led an impressive life. Born in South Carolina in 1876, at the end of the Reconstruction Era in which his parents had participated, he was educated in Washington, D.C., attending Howard University, before turning permanently to a life in the theater. At a time when work for black actors was limited, Whipper became a successful actor, appearing in more than twenty plays and a greater number of films. He not only joined Actors Equity in 1913 and other organizations where African-Americans were few in number, but he also helped fellow African-American thespians by founding the Negro Actors Guild in 1937. His first great success was as The Crab Man in "Porgy" on the stage in 1927-1928 and 1929. His work also included radio and television. He appeared in his first movie in 1920, but his most prolific period of movie making was between the years 1939 and 1947 when he made twenty films, though sometimes he received no screen credit. His performance as Crooks in "Of Mice and Men" (1939), which reprised his Broadway role, is remarkably powerful and natural at a time when roles for African-Americans often required them to compromise their dignity by playing caricatures. In 1944, Whipper received a special honor from the Ethiopian government for his portrayal of Emperor Haile Selassie. He retired in 1972 and died three months before his 99th birthday in 1975. He also appeared in THE OX BOW INCIDENT
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Post by jcush on Sept 8, 2020 18:48:47 GMT
Is Dooley Wilson's role in Casablanca too small to count?
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Post by moviemouth on Sept 8, 2020 18:53:49 GMT
Maybe not a major role, but Of Mice and Men (1939) has a black character play a pretty important role, as written in the novel. Leigh Whipper was an consummate actor who led an impressive life. Born in South Carolina in 1876, at the end of the Reconstruction Era in which his parents had participated, he was educated in Washington, D.C., attending Howard University, before turning permanently to a life in the theater. At a time when work for black actors was limited, Whipper became a successful actor, appearing in more than twenty plays and a greater number of films. He not only joined Actors Equity in 1913 and other organizations where African-Americans were few in number, but he also helped fellow African-American thespians by founding the Negro Actors Guild in 1937. His first great success was as The Crab Man in "Porgy" on the stage in 1927-1928 and 1929. His work also included radio and television. He appeared in his first movie in 1920, but his most prolific period of movie making was between the years 1939 and 1947 when he made twenty films, though sometimes he received no screen credit. His performance as Crooks in "Of Mice and Men" (1939), which reprised his Broadway role, is remarkably powerful and natural at a time when roles for African-Americans often required them to compromise their dignity by playing caricatures. In 1944, Whipper received a special honor from the Ethiopian government for his portrayal of Emperor Haile Selassie. He retired in 1972 and died three months before his 99th birthday in 1975. I was shocked by the dignified way the character was portrayed in the movie. His performances is as naturalistic as any performance I have seen.
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Post by taylorfirst1 on Sept 8, 2020 18:57:10 GMT
Clarence Muse had many important roles prior to the 1950's.
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Post by moviemouth on Sept 8, 2020 18:59:55 GMT
Clarence Muse had many important roles prior to the 1950's. He is the actor in Invisible Ghost. I really like his performance in that movie.
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Post by marianne48 on Sept 8, 2020 19:33:28 GMT
Rex Ingram, Sahara
Canada Lee, Lifeboat
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Post by wmcclain on Sept 8, 2020 19:36:56 GMT
James Edwards was mostly a 1950s actor, but he had the lead in Home of the Brave (1949):
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Post by Prime etc. on Sept 8, 2020 21:06:50 GMT
Paul Robeson -- The Emperor Jones.
Noble Johnson portrayed just about every ethnicity (white, black, chinese...) and also had a production company.
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Post by marth on Sept 8, 2020 21:27:52 GMT
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939) Rex Ingram
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Post by politicidal on Sept 9, 2020 0:21:47 GMT
Sam (Dooley Smith) as Bogart’s best friend in Casablanca (1942).
The Walking Hills (1949) had real-life musician Josh White as one of Randolph Scott’s prospecting buddies.
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Post by rudeboy on Sept 9, 2020 0:29:04 GMT
Paul Robeson was a genuine star in the 30s. He and Hattie McDaniel completely steal the 1936 version of Show Boat, and he has a good role in the 1937 King Solomon’s Mines, too.
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Post by rudeboy on Sept 9, 2020 0:29:49 GMT
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939) Rex Ingram Ingram is also wonderful in The Thief of Bagdad and Sahara. Fine actor.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Sept 9, 2020 0:33:37 GMT
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Post by Prime etc. on Sept 9, 2020 0:34:23 GMT
Sam (Dooley Smith) as Bogart’s best friend in Casablanca (1942). Was he his best friend? Because he only called him "boss" despite knowing him longer than the others--who tended to call him Mr. Rick. The bar guy called him "boss" when he was demoralized.
When Ferrari wants to hire Sam, Rick doesn't let them talk in private-he gets Sam to come over and speak in front of him. And he seemed rather frightened to play the song-he's a grown man for Pete's sake-and when he does, he scoots out of there like a dog on fire when Rick arrives. Why? Look at his reaction-he looked scared of Rick.
And where was he in the last act? I have serious questions about that friendship.
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