Would Classic Movies Be More Potent Without Blackface?
Classic movies become classics because they maintain popularity in ways that defy time. For this reason, classic movies always manage to find their place on television screens even as modern flicks come along to claim their spots. This is why in addition to Turner Classic Movies (TCM) airing flicks from as far back as the black and white pieces of the early 1900s; other "off channel" broadcasters have gotten into the act and are showing classic movies too. Also, old time classic television shows continue to persist as well. Still, one can only wonder if classic movies would be better flicks had they not included actors in blackface makeup. Without the inclusion of blackface makeup, movies depicting characters, also called minstrels, in this fashion would be more politically correct for today's audiences.
As a lover of classic movies, I began watching these flicks as a young girl. Whether in color or black and white, the characters, styles of acting, writing, directing, scenery, and everything else about old classics amazed me then and continues to fascinate me today. The attention given to every aspect of character, stage presence, costume, scenery, music and so forth needed to be pristine more so then than today because today's technology had yet to be made available to pick up the slack of shotty work.
With so many classic movies to watch from around the world, however, it is a tad difficult to see and to remember every one of them even through years of watching. This is probably why my jaw "literally" dropped toward the floor when I saw Joan Crawford, in a movie called "Torch Song", all decked out in blackface. The movie aired a few weeks prior to this posting but fortunately, despite being in shock as I watched the television screen, I managed to dictate notes to my iPhone as Crawford's act progressed...
With so many classic movies to watch from around the world, however, it is a tad difficult to see and to remember every one of them even through years of watching. This is probably why my jaw "literally" dropped toward the floor when I saw Joan Crawford, in a movie called "Torch Song", all decked out in blackface. The movie aired a few weeks prior to this posting but fortunately, despite being in shock as I watched the television screen, I managed to dictate notes to my iPhone as Crawford's act progressed...
How the Situation Unfolded
Relaxing on the sofa, I was enjoying another musical number in the movie Torch Song when a tune called "Two-Faced Woman" began... While the music enlightened my ears, my pupils roamed the screen taking in the scenery. The artwork was interesting to say the least consisting of dark skinned musicians drawn in the style you often see black artists depict African American dancers and musicians... their bodies swirling like smoke escaping lit cigarettes... emotionless faces void of facial features... brass instruments twisting as if dancing while being played...
Rather than the bright colored scenery Hollywood normally showed off during song and dance routines of that time, the background consisted mostly of shades of gray contrasted by a creamy colored backdrop... In the midst of the backdrop was a staircase… and no sooner than I began to wonder about the stairs did Joan's character appear in the stairwell painted doorway as the double doors slid apart... Although pretty sure I'd seen this movie before during my younger days, I did not remember most of it and had no recollection of this scene. I truly did not realize a singer, not to mention Crawford's character, was going to appear in the doorway… and not as the beautiful character she had been through the length of the movie up to and until this point... but... as a singer in blackface!
Now here's the kicker...
At first, I didn't realize what was going on... I failed to get it! I didn't realize Crawford's character was the singer in blackface... that she was the one who came bursting through the curtain... and thus... I continued on... enjoying someone's [her] performance... until... suddenly... I thought my eyes must be defying me as finally... I realized what was happening... that... Crawford's character... No!... For ME!... Joan Crawford was in blackface... My chin literally dropped as I gasped in disbelief...
Next thing I knew my seat was a few feet behind me and I was standing directly in front of the television set. It was like the first time I saw Michael Jackson on stage... I ran into a neighbor's house and stood in front of their television as if I owned it! I had lost myself... and now... it seemed I was loosing myself again... but even if my mind was intact, I apparently had a need to stand with my face buried in the TV screen in order to take in a better view of the blackface Joan! Oh... I'm fairly certain... that at least for a brief moment... I must've been in shock…!! After all, Joan Crawford is one of my favorite actresses [as she is for many classic film lovers]... but being an African American woman, I don't exactly relish actors portraying minstrel typed characters...
In my mind... I was like... Seriously! How could Joan Crawford's character be belting out Two-Faced Woman in BLACKFACE???!!!
OMG!!
Okay... Calm down...... calm down......... I told myself...............
Rather than the bright colored scenery Hollywood normally showed off during song and dance routines of that time, the background consisted mostly of shades of gray contrasted by a creamy colored backdrop... In the midst of the backdrop was a staircase… and no sooner than I began to wonder about the stairs did Joan's character appear in the stairwell painted doorway as the double doors slid apart... Although pretty sure I'd seen this movie before during my younger days, I did not remember most of it and had no recollection of this scene. I truly did not realize a singer, not to mention Crawford's character, was going to appear in the doorway… and not as the beautiful character she had been through the length of the movie up to and until this point... but... as a singer in blackface!
Now here's the kicker...
At first, I didn't realize what was going on... I failed to get it! I didn't realize Crawford's character was the singer in blackface... that she was the one who came bursting through the curtain... and thus... I continued on... enjoying someone's [her] performance... until... suddenly... I thought my eyes must be defying me as finally... I realized what was happening... that... Crawford's character... No!... For ME!... Joan Crawford was in blackface... My chin literally dropped as I gasped in disbelief...
Next thing I knew my seat was a few feet behind me and I was standing directly in front of the television set. It was like the first time I saw Michael Jackson on stage... I ran into a neighbor's house and stood in front of their television as if I owned it! I had lost myself... and now... it seemed I was loosing myself again... but even if my mind was intact, I apparently had a need to stand with my face buried in the TV screen in order to take in a better view of the blackface Joan! Oh... I'm fairly certain... that at least for a brief moment... I must've been in shock…!! After all, Joan Crawford is one of my favorite actresses [as she is for many classic film lovers]... but being an African American woman, I don't exactly relish actors portraying minstrel typed characters...
In my mind... I was like... Seriously! How could Joan Crawford's character be belting out Two-Faced Woman in BLACKFACE???!!!
OMG!!
Okay... Calm down...... calm down......... I told myself...............
Okay... So...
Where did blackface characterizations come from anyway?
Where did blackface characterizations come from anyway?
Although blackface characterizations may have rooted prior to the early 1800s, it was in 1830 that black face painting moved into white audience-based theater thereby promoting the style of performances that accompanied darkened skin presentations. In a PBS.Org report, Dale Cockrell states that Thomas Dartmouth Rice, AKA Daddy Rice, brought blackface to stage while in an acting career slump. According to other sources, Rice apparently, "stole" the entertainment style from watching blacks perform on the streets in a similar fashion to Elvis Presley lifting his style after watching black musicians from a cellar window. These types of talent hocking were extremely easy to get away with in those days considering the facts that Blacks had virtually no opportunity to bring their own artistry to national audiences. The irony here is that in a short few decades later, Black performers would eventually capitalize on their own talents by actually performing in blackface paints themselves....
Not Only Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford's character was not the only one sporting blackface as she sang Two-Faced Woman. Her backup dancers were "colored" as well. They tiptoed around the dance floor mildly titillating the audience wearing tight fighting dresses, large hoop earrings, and "Black-style" hair turbans. The men wore plain clothing with neckties for belts and gangster style hats one might expect to see Black guys sporting in those days.
Why Joan Crawford And Not A Black Actress?
Many may ask why Joan Crawford was playing this role if the blackface routine was so important. Why didn't they just put a Black actress in the movie? Why was it necessary for that routine to be done in blackface? Couldn't or wouldn't it have been just as good had all the dancers appeared in their natural tone skin?
The odd thing was that in spite of it taking me by surprise to see Crawford dancing and singing in darkened skin, I thought it to be ironic that this particular performance appealed to me as the best number she performed during the entire movie! Since this was a provocative number and thus Crawford and her backup dancers dressed to provoke, as I watched, it reminded me of another problem with Hollywood....
Although I'll admit that show business in general has gotten a tad better over the years... Hollywood STILL has a problem trying to figure out how and when to portray black women in provocative scenes. For example, Hollywood seems unable to figure out just how much audiences can handle viewing nude black women appearing on movie screens. They don't seem to have a handle on:
A Little More About Torch Song Itself
Torch Song's cast included actors Michael Wilding and Gig Young. According to the Turner Classic Movie synopsis, it told a tale of a hardened Broadway comedy star who found herself attracted to a blind pianist. The movie carries a G rating and was afforded 2-1/2 TCM stars.
Overall… I thought the storyline was intriguing, and although I wasn't thrilled with Joan Crawford's singing in her first number, her voice managed to improve as the movie progressed. By time she got to Two-Faced Woman, in my opinion, her singing reached its peak for this particular flick… [Later... I discovered she had been lip-syncing to a India Adams' version of the song!]
As indicated above, there is a reasonable chance that I had seen this movie when I was a child but simply did not recall it during its recent airing… After all, there are so many great classic movies to be seen which is why I am glad TCM is around to refresh movie lover memories and to gain new viewers.
When it is all said and done, I guess some stars had to be in the movies with blackface characters since that was one of the ways in which movies were made in those days. All the same… I couldn't help being taken aback to see Joan Crawford was one of those stars…
Other Races Depicted in Blackface/Darkened Skin
We don't usually hear much about other races of people being depicted in film or on stage by actors coloring their faces but blacks are not the only ones who are portrayed in this way. For example, another well known actor, Yul Brynner, a man of Russian decent, played the role of King Mongkut of Siam with his skin colored over and his face made to look Asian. Even classic star Mickey Rooney did not skip through his career without darkening his face to play the Japanese, Mr. Yunioshi, in "Breakfast at Tiffany's".
What About WhiteFace Character Portrayal
No doubt... Even nonwhite actors find themselves coloring their faces in lighter shades in order to play caucasian characters as demonstrated in recent times by the Wayans brothers, Shawn and Marlon. In their film "White Chicks" the Wayans brothers not only painted their faces to appear white, they also changed their gender and became females.......
In the end, I am of the mind that actors/actresses should portray colors of their own race. With that said, however, I am open to entertainers portraying characters of races not their own when such portrayals are done with taste rather than to poke fun at, belittle, or otherwise disrespect another people's bodies, lifestyles, cultures, or attitudes about life in any manner whatsoever. Thus, I will get over Joan Crawford's portrayal in blackface... and hopefully, if I see the film again... I will remember the scene and be prepared to envision it in a perspective akin to that of audiences of those times... And I must add that at least Joan Crawford did not insult Blacks by enlarging her lips or exaggerating her features in any manner while trying to "look like" or "poke fun of" colored personage. Perhaps she would not commit herself to such a role today..... and... besides... I did forgive her for the wire hangers....
View Joan's Two-Faced Woman performance on YouTube...
Why Joan Crawford And Not A Black Actress?
Many may ask why Joan Crawford was playing this role if the blackface routine was so important. Why didn't they just put a Black actress in the movie? Why was it necessary for that routine to be done in blackface? Couldn't or wouldn't it have been just as good had all the dancers appeared in their natural tone skin?
The odd thing was that in spite of it taking me by surprise to see Crawford dancing and singing in darkened skin, I thought it to be ironic that this particular performance appealed to me as the best number she performed during the entire movie! Since this was a provocative number and thus Crawford and her backup dancers dressed to provoke, as I watched, it reminded me of another problem with Hollywood....
Although I'll admit that show business in general has gotten a tad better over the years... Hollywood STILL has a problem trying to figure out how and when to portray black women in provocative scenes. For example, Hollywood seems unable to figure out just how much audiences can handle viewing nude black women appearing on movie screens. They don't seem to have a handle on:
- How much of a Black woman's breast to reveal
- How much lip-locking to zoom in on when black women are being kissed
- Whether or not Black women are sexy enough for Hollywood's money
- Whether or not Hollywood relishes promoting black sexiness in general
- And they simply seem to struggle with audience acceptance of Black love and affection on the screen
A Little More About Torch Song Itself
Torch Song's cast included actors Michael Wilding and Gig Young. According to the Turner Classic Movie synopsis, it told a tale of a hardened Broadway comedy star who found herself attracted to a blind pianist. The movie carries a G rating and was afforded 2-1/2 TCM stars.
Overall… I thought the storyline was intriguing, and although I wasn't thrilled with Joan Crawford's singing in her first number, her voice managed to improve as the movie progressed. By time she got to Two-Faced Woman, in my opinion, her singing reached its peak for this particular flick… [Later... I discovered she had been lip-syncing to a India Adams' version of the song!]
As indicated above, there is a reasonable chance that I had seen this movie when I was a child but simply did not recall it during its recent airing… After all, there are so many great classic movies to be seen which is why I am glad TCM is around to refresh movie lover memories and to gain new viewers.
When it is all said and done, I guess some stars had to be in the movies with blackface characters since that was one of the ways in which movies were made in those days. All the same… I couldn't help being taken aback to see Joan Crawford was one of those stars…
Other Races Depicted in Blackface/Darkened Skin
We don't usually hear much about other races of people being depicted in film or on stage by actors coloring their faces but blacks are not the only ones who are portrayed in this way. For example, another well known actor, Yul Brynner, a man of Russian decent, played the role of King Mongkut of Siam with his skin colored over and his face made to look Asian. Even classic star Mickey Rooney did not skip through his career without darkening his face to play the Japanese, Mr. Yunioshi, in "Breakfast at Tiffany's".
What About WhiteFace Character Portrayal
No doubt... Even nonwhite actors find themselves coloring their faces in lighter shades in order to play caucasian characters as demonstrated in recent times by the Wayans brothers, Shawn and Marlon. In their film "White Chicks" the Wayans brothers not only painted their faces to appear white, they also changed their gender and became females.......
In the end, I am of the mind that actors/actresses should portray colors of their own race. With that said, however, I am open to entertainers portraying characters of races not their own when such portrayals are done with taste rather than to poke fun at, belittle, or otherwise disrespect another people's bodies, lifestyles, cultures, or attitudes about life in any manner whatsoever. Thus, I will get over Joan Crawford's portrayal in blackface... and hopefully, if I see the film again... I will remember the scene and be prepared to envision it in a perspective akin to that of audiences of those times... And I must add that at least Joan Crawford did not insult Blacks by enlarging her lips or exaggerating her features in any manner while trying to "look like" or "poke fun of" colored personage. Perhaps she would not commit herself to such a role today..... and... besides... I did forgive her for the wire hangers....
View Joan's Two-Faced Woman performance on YouTube...
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