The Conservative Cave
Current Events => General Discussion => Topic started by: thundley4 on February 19, 2009, 11:38:53 AM
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The producers of a new musical about the Broadway star Al Jolson have been criticised for deciding that the actor who plays him will not wear his trademark "black face" during the show.
The American singer and actor, who became the star of the first "talking picture" was famous for performing in black make-up in the 1920s - a style later copied in the Black and White Minstrel Show.
But the producers of Jolson & Co, which opens in Edinburgh next week ahead of a UK tour, have dropped the scene in which the lead traditionally sings My Mammy while wearing make up in order to avoid "causing offence".
Michael Harrison, the producer, said blacking up was "historically correct" but added: "In this day and age we are not out to offend anyone. There is reference to blacking up in the script but we didn't feel it was necessary to include it in the show."
The decision was taken despite the fact that Equity, the actors' union, said that a Jolson show was one of the very few occasions on which it "might not actively object because it was about a white artist who blacked up".
Laura Midgley of the Campaign Against Political Correctness said the decision made "absolutely no sense" and was a clumsy case of "political correctness taking the place of authenticity".
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01299/Al-Jolson_1299042c.jpg)
Al Jolson and Mae Clarke: the producers of Jolson & Co have dropped the scene in which the lead traditionally sings My Mammy while wearing make up Photo: ALLSTAR
:banghead:
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Hi Thundley,
Interesting post. I want to pass along something you might find interesting.
My paternal grandfather played in the first jazz band that migrated from New Orleans, to Chicago and New York in 1919. His piano player was Jimmy Durante for what that is worth.
In any event, about five years ago my daughter found a music store who actually had recordings they made in 1920's in New York. Along with the CD's was the history of the band, which was several very interesting pages. Here are some excperpts. Their band was called "Ladd's Black Aces".
....In the same manner, the racial origins of recording artists were regularly masked - in an industry not known for its racial tolerance until relatively recently, many white performers passed themselves off as plack performers. Singers such as Len Spencer and Arthur Collins regularly performed material in a style impersonating black performers, the majority of their listening audience blistfully unaware that they were white, whilst the Real McCoy were seldom given the chance to record. This deception carried on into the Jazz Age, with band names such as the Six Black Diamonds and Pete Massey's All Black Band cloaking the identities of white musicians.
Probably the best-known of these "white-pretending-to-be-black" bands was Ladd's Black Aces, whose output was a feature of the Gennett Records catalogue for three years from 1921-1924. Such was the depth of the deception that Gennett even went so far as to show a photograph of a black jazz band to advertise the Ladd's Black Aces records in their catalogue!"....
Thundley, the booklet is several pages and my grandfather and uncle are regularly mentioned.
To not put a black face on Al Jolson is nothing more than revisionist history. When I was a kid, we used to go to the Chicago Theatre and see a double feature, with live entertainment playing between the two movies. I actually saw Al Jolson and Sophie Tucker perform there. Indeed Al Jolson was in black face and my aunt had to explain it to me why he did that.
What surprises me is the blacks should be raising hell. What a compliment to the blacks when white people had to pretend to be black to sell their records.....
Enough for today's history lesson,
5412
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A quick search showed some of their music available online , free, but I don't have RealPlayer installed. I just think that political correctness has outlived any usefulness it may have had when it causes revisions to the historical record.
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People really need to get over themselves. There is no race or no single person that is that self-important. It's just like the Hollywood actress that is getting sued by the Asians because she was screwing around, making her eyes "slanted". People make fun of Texans, Nerds, Geeks, Rednecks, all of the time. Does it bother me?? hardly. I guess folks just don't have one whit of humor any more.......
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People really need to get over themselves. There is no race or no single person that is that self-important. It's just like the Hollywood actress that is getting sued by the Asians because she was screwing around, making her eyes "slanted". People make fun of Texans, Nerds, Geeks, Rednecks, all of the time. Does it bother me?? hardly. I guess folks just don't have one whit of humor any more.......
What happens if you're a geek AND a Texan?
:fuelfire: :-)
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What happens if you're a geek AND a Texan?
:fuelfire: :-)
I'll let you know this time next year...
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It's a damn wonder Al Jolson and his music aren't DUmmie icons.....I can hear'em singing now.
"Obama, Obama, my dear Obama....How I love you....How I love you....My dear Obama......"