Black Hollywood: From Butlers to Superheroes, the Changing Role of African American Men in the Movies: From Butlers to Superheroes, the Changing Role of African American Men in the Movies

by Kimberly Fain

Overview

Moving through cinematic history decade by decade since 1910, this important volume explores the appropriation, exploitation, and agency of black performers in Hollywood by looking at the black actors, directors, and producers who have shaped the image of African American males in film. To determine how these archetypes differentiate African American males in the public's subconscious, the book asks probing questions—for example, whether these images are a reflection of society's fears or realistic depictions of a pluralistic America.

Even as the work acknowledges the controversial history of black representation in film, it also celebrates the success stories of blacks in the industry. It shows how blacks in Hollywood manipulate degrading stereotypes, gain control, advance their careers, and earn money while making social statements or bringing about changes in culture. It discusses how social activist performers—such as Paul Robeson, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, and Spike Lee—reflect political and social movements in their movies, and it reviews the interactions between black actors and their white counterparts to analyze how black males express their heritage, individual identity, and social issues through film.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440831911
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	06/30/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	251
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Kimberly Fain, JD, MA, is a licensed attorney who has taught literature at Texas Southern University and Houston Community College.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: Appropriation, Exploitation, and Agency of Black Performers in Hollywood xiii

Section 1 Black Images from the Jim Crow Era to the McCarthy Era of Blacklisting 1

1 1910s: Whites in Blackface and the Sexually Depraved Black Mandingo-The Birth of a Nation 3

2 1920s: Oscar Micheaux's Response to Blackface and D. W. Griffith 15

3 1930s: The Hays Moral Code and Jim Crow-The Emperor Jones and Gone with the Wind 29

4 1940s: Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Lincoln "Stepin Fetchir" Perry: Black Servants in Musicals and Comedies 49

5 1950s: McCarthyism and Blacklisting: Canada Lee and Paul Robeson 65

Section 2 Black Images from the Apex of the Civil Rights Era to the Age of Barack Obama 83

6 1960s: Token Black Actors in the Civil Rights Age: Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte 85

7 1970s: Blaxploitation: Preachers, Pimps, Pushers, and Players 97

8 1980s: Black Comedians Rule: In the Age of Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor 115

9 1990s: Gangsta Rappers Transcend Music: Ice Cube, Ice-T, DMX, Nas, and 2Pac 129

10 2000s: Black Icons: Control, Agency, and Self-Appropriation: Spike Lee, Tyler Perry, and Will Smith 149

11 2010s: Black Power Hollywood: In the Age of Obama's Hope and Change 169

Conclusion 187

Notes 195

Bibliography 231

Index 239

About the Author 253

What People are Saying About This

Dr. Michael D. Sollars

"Black Hollywood is a must read for those seeking current impressions of how African Americans are portrayed on the silver screen. The book is a real treasure for insights into black actors and actresses, from the Jim Crow era to the era of Barack Obama. The writing is crisp and detailed, chronicling many well-known and overlooked names in film history. This is a one-of-a kind jewel for both reading enjoyment and research opportunities."

Charles D. Ellison

"As much a very necessary and crucial read as it is thoroughly enjoyable. Fain painstakingly offers us the most authoritative and approachable volume to date on the hardened history of the Black man's image in film. She's created a primer for an important conversation. In Black Hollywood, however, it is about more than just image. We are reminded that film, particularly when it is unfairly textualized by race and racism, is at the epicenter of a much larger struggle to command our cultural, social, political, economic, and spiritual agency. It is a rough and very complicated business that Fain captures with a firm, but refreshingly balanced pen."