Martin Luther King Jr, childhood photo
The venerable quiz show, Jeopardy, is filmed months in advance but on Monday the final clue seemed almost eerily appropriate for the moment we're in as societies everywhere are grappling with racial injustice. In the category of 20th Century History it was:
10-year-old Martin Luther King, Jr. sang with his church’s choir at the celebrated premiere of this film.
The correct response was Gone With the Wind and I guessed it, pleased to say. I commented to Ruth, my long-suffering, Jeopardy-indifferent wife that this was a startling factoid given the underlying tone of racism in the film. Slaves are portrayed as reasonably content in benign households, a gross misrepresentation of reality.
The premiere took place in segregated Atlanta rather than Hollywood, a controversial choice. A crowd of 100,000 showed up, some in Confederate uniforms. While actor Hattie McDaniel went on to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy she wasn't in attendance, nor were any of the other Black actors, because of the colour of their skin.
Vivien Leigh and Hattie McDaniel
The film was considered a gamble to make and cost a bundle, but it also made a fortune and won 10 Academy Awards. What an irony that MLK, Christian minister and giant of the Civil Rights Movement was at the premier, allowed to be present as part of quaint window-dressing for a racist event.
I read this morning that HBO Max will no longer have Gone With the Wind on its roster of films because of the implicit and explicit racism. Will this be the beginning of the end for what has been considered a classic, if a rather kitschy one? Frankly, my dear...
I'm saddened by the death of a humpback whale, improbably swimming near Montreal.these past two weeks. Today's Groundling blog
https://groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-death-of-urban-whale.html
Gone With the Wind premiere and a very white crowd
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