21st Century: Query 193 (Hattie McDaniel)
~ Hattie McDaniel was an American actress of stage and screen, professional singer-songwriter,
and comedian. She is best known for her role as “Mammy” in Gone with the Wind (1939), for
which she won the Academy Award for Best
Supporting Actress, the first Oscar
won by a black entertainer.
In addition to acting in many films,
McDaniel recorded 16 blues sides between 1926–1929 (10 were issued), was a
radio performer and television star; she was the first black woman to sing on
radio in the United States. She appeared in over 300 films, although she
received screen credits for only 83.
As an African-American actor of the 1930’s
and 1940’s McDaniel often experienced rampant racism and prejudice in both her
personal and professional life. She was typecast in domestic roles, such as her
well-known “Mammy” role.
In 2020, how
might an African-American entertainer experience some of the same prejudices
that faced McDaniel? How is life different for modern minority actors? The
same?