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African American Entertainment

African American Entertainment. “Eat ‘yo eggs!”. Blackface. Theatrical makeup used to imitate the racist archetype of the “darky” or “coon” White performers used burnt cork, greasepaint or black shoe polish. Minstrel shows. Performers played lazy, cowardly, superstitious buffoons

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African American Entertainment

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  1. African American Entertainment • “Eat ‘yo eggs!”

  2. Blackface • Theatrical makeup used to imitate the racist archetype of the “darky” or “coon” • White performers used burnt cork, greasepaint or black shoe polish

  3. Minstrel shows • Performers played lazy, cowardly, superstitious buffoons • Plots mostly involved stealing and lying

  4. Role of African Americans • Law required that black people must wear blackface to appear on stage • Alternatives were few: manual labor or service to whites • Referred to as “corking”

  5. “Coon songs” • Over 600 songs written from 1890-1900 • “No Coons Allowed • “The Man in the Moon is a Coon” • “The Coons are on Parade”

  6. Minstrel show: 2000 • Spike Lee’s “Bamboozled” is about black performers who compromise their integrity for ticket sales • Ends with all clips of racially insensitive films

  7. Image becomes icon • Used to sell products from games to food • One restaurant chain called “Coon Chicken Inn”

  8. Racism sells

  9. Disney uses the image • 1933 • Mickey’s Mellerdrammer shows Mickey in blackface • Crows in Dumbo

  10. The Jazz Singer • First “talkie”- 1927 • Starred Al Jolson ( a Jewish immigrant) in blackface • Believed that he was helping the black cause by exposing black music to white audiences

  11. Mammy • Iconic figure from “Gone With the Wind” • Solid, earthy voice of wisdom • Large, unattractive appearance

  12. Amos and Andy • Starring two white performers who pretended to be black friends “Amos and Andy” • Dominated radio from 1929 to 1945 • Ran as a TV show until 1960

  13. Good Times: 1974 • Poor but hardworking family living in a Chicago housing project • Father refuses to take handouts • JJ becomes buffoonish --“Dynomite!”

  14. The Cosby Show • Aired in 1984 • Features a wealthy black doctor and his lawyer wife • Episodes are light and humorous • Showcased famous black singers, such as Stevie Wonder

  15. 2006: Crash • Film explored racism against many diverse groups • Characters are complicated- neither bad nor good but all flawed

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