Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films, Fourth Edition

by Bogle, Donald

• ISBN13: 9780826412676
• ISBN10: 082641267X
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-10-24
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

Completely updated to include the entire twentieth century, this new fourth edition covers all the latest directors, stars, and films including Summer of Sam, Jackie Brown, The Best Man, and The Hurricane. From The Birth of a Nation--the groundbreaking work of independent filmmaker Oscar Micheaux--and Gone with the Wind to the latest work by Spike Lee, John Singleton, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry and Will Smith, Donald Bogle reveals the ways in which the depiction of blacks in American movies has changed--and the shocking ways in which it has remained the same.

Table of Contents

Illustrations	xi
Preface to the Fourth Edition	xv
Introduction	xix
Black Beginnings: from Uncle Tom's Cabin to The Birth of a Nation	3	(16)
The Tom	4	(3)
The Coon	7	(2)
The Tragic Mulatto	9	(1)
The Mammy	9	(1)
The Brutal Black Buck and The Birth of a Nation	10	(9)
Into the 1920s: the Jesters	19	(16)
The 1930s: the Servants	35	(66)
High-Steppin' Sir Stepin	38	(7)
Waiting on West and Serving Shirley	45	(2)
the Cool-Eyed Tom	47	(6)
Mr. Bojangles
The Inhibited, Humanized Tom Standing in a Corner by Himself	53	(4)
Clarence Muse
Imitation of Life: Mother Knows Best	57	(3)
Black Girl in Search of a Black Role	60	(2)
Iridescent Fredi
the Black Guardian Angel	62	(5)
Louise Beavers
The Green Pastures	67	(2)
First of the Freed Black Men	69	(2)
Rex Ingram
Stepin's Step-Chillun	71	(6)
Rochester: The Gentleman's Gentleman	77	(5)
Hi-Hat Hattie	82	(4)
Gone with the Wind: Black Realities and the End of a Tradition	86	(8)
the Black Colossus	94	(7)
Paul Robeson
The Interlude: Black-Market Cinema	101	(16)
Oscar Micheaux	109	(8)
The 1940s: the Entertainers, the New Negroes, and the Problem People	117	(42)
The Entertainers	118	(4)
Miss Proper Middle-Class Lady	122	(3)
Hazel Scott
Black Beauty in Residence	125	(3)
Lena Horne
Cabin in the Sky	128	(3)
Stormy Weather	131	(1)
Bits and Pieces of Black Action	132	(3)
Song of the South	135	(9)
The New Negroes: An Interim	136	(7)
The Problem People	143	(1)
Home of the Brave and the Postwar Good Sensitive Negro	144	(3)
Lost Boundaries' Tragic Mulattoes	147	(3)
Pinky's Tragic Mulatto and Its Strong Black Woman	150	(4)
Intruder in the Dust and the Defiantly Proud Black Man	154	(5)
The 1950s: Black Stars	159	(35)
Earth Mother for an Alienated Age	161	(5)
Ethel Waters
Apotheosis of the Mulatto	166	(9)
Dorothy Dandridge
Hero for an Integrationist Age	175	(8)
Sidney Poitier
Black Odds and Ends	183	(11)
The 1960s: Problem People into Militants	194	(37)
Steps Forward	196	(4)
Black Art Films	200	(4)
A Step Backward: Ossie Davis and Gone Are the Days	204	(2)
Along the Road, in Harlem, and on the Subway	206	(2)
Way Down in de New Ole South with Tom-Tom, Miss Bronze Barbie Doll, and Ms. Militant Mammy	208	(5)
A Man Called Adam and Sammy Davis, Jr.'s, Bid for Movie Stardom	213	(2)
Super Sidney of the 1960s	215	(5)
Black Buck Hero for a Separatist Age	220	(3)
Jim Brown
The New-Style Black Film	223	(8)
The 1970s: Bucks and a Black Movie Boom	231	(36)
Preludes	232	(2)
The Black Movie Director as Folk Hero	234	(4)
Melvin Van Peebles
Shaft: He's a Badd Mother-Shut Your Mouth	238	(1)
Super Fly: Mixed Messages	239	(2)
Buckmania	241	(2)
The Jock as Movie Star	243	(2)
Lady Sings the Blues: Black Stars, Black Romance	245	(1)
Sounder	246	(4)
Sidney Strikes Again	250	(1)
Superbadd, Supermama	251	(1)
Sisters in Distress	252	(4)
Other Films, Other Voices	256	(3)
The Crazy Nigger as Conquering Hero	259	(5)
Richard Pryor
The Wiz	264	(3)
The 1980s: Black Superstars and the Era of Tan	267	(57)
Holding Up the Fort	268	(2)
Dramatic Possibilities	270	(1)
Buddy Buddy	271	(5)
Superstar: The Ups and Downs	276	(5)
Richard Pryor
Trading Places: Eddie Murphy	281	(6)
A Soldier's Story	287	(1)
Say It with Music	288	(2)
Different Directions	290	(1)
Women: As Exotics and Non-racials	291	(1)
A Controversy about Color	292	(5)
Whipping Whoopi	297	(1)
Independents	298	(3)
Hollywood and the Race Theme	301	(1)
Burning History: The White Man's Burden	301	(3)
The Bird Doesn't Fly	304	(2)
Focusing on Apartheid	306	(3)
Bringing History to Light: Glory	309	(2)
Denzel Washington: On the Road to Stardom	311	(1)
Driving Miss Daisy: The Matter of Perspective	311	(4)
Morgan Freeman: The Long Journey to Get There	315	(2)
Other Films	317	(1)
Sidney Returns	318	(1)
Closing the Era on the Right Note	318	(6)
The 1990s: New Stars, New Filmmakers, and a New African American Cinema	324	(111)
The Good, the Bad, the Bonded, the Typed	327	(2)
Whoopi's Back	329	(7)
An Emerging New African American Cinema	336	(2)
Charles Burnett: A New Career Direction	338	(2)
A Breakthrough Year	340	(1)
New Jack Movies	341	(2)
A Black New Wave	343	(1)
John Singleton's South Central	343	(4)
Rising from the Dust	347	(2)
More by Spike	349	(13)
Other New Directors and Films	362	(5)
Film Noir from Another Point of View	367	(3)
Carl Franklin
Actresses in Search of Roles	370	(2)
Waiting to Exhale: Reaching the Black Female Audience	372	(5)
Still Holding Her Breath	377	(1)
Angela Bassett
Pop Goddess Turned Movie Star	378	(5)
Whitney Houston
Post-Exhale Women	383	(6)
Oprah's Opus: Beloved	389	(4)
Movies for the Smart Young Hip Crowd: love jones and Love and Basketball	393	(2)
New Actors	395	(7)
All Grown Up, Looking for a Place to Go	402	(3)
Eddie Murphy
From Child Actor to Leading Man	405	(2)
Laurence Fishburne
Action Hero	407	(6)
Wesley Snipes
Character Actors Turned Stars: Morgan Freeman and Samuel L. Jackson	413	(10)
Denzel Washington: Leading Man, Occasional Romantic Hero, Enduring Superstar	423	(6)
Throwbacks to the Past	429	(6)
Index	435