British Stars In Blackface?

[Brief Encounter]

Far more common in American films of course - but some British films still featured actors 'blacking up'!



For starters:

George Formby in 'No Limit'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VdezI-D6Oo



Harry Scott (Toby) in 'The Man in Grey'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25857038@N05/2792660829

(Not a well-known star, so nothing to compare this picture to - but it seems to be widely acknowledged that Harry has been 'blacked up'!)

[GRAEME]

Olivier's Othello - probably the absolute worst. Very shiny.



If we count impersonations of Asians, you can add Alec Guiness and Peter Sellers too, oh deary deary me...

[Brief Encounter]

Forgot that Stewart Granger did it as well in 'The Man in Grey'! This is the only photo I can find, but it seems to suggest tar manufacturers had a field day when production of this film began

http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenman2008/2793217781/

[Steve Crook]

The drummer with the twitch in Hitchcock's Young and Innocent (1937)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXvoWexGn0o



In fact the whole band, apart from the band-leader, is in black face





And let's not forget Papa Lazarou in The League of Gentlemen - the TV series (and film), not the 1960 film with Jack Hawkins



Steve

[CaptainWaggett]

name='Brief Encounter' date='18 June 2010 - 12:32 AM' timestamp='1276817567' post='441171']

Forgot that Stewart Granger did it as well in 'The Man in Grey'! This is the only photo I can find, but it seems to suggest tar manufacturers had a field day when production of this film began

http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenman2008/2793217781/

Actors who have played actors playing Othello probably deserve a thread of their own. As well as Stewart Granger, I can think of Raymond Lovell in Warn That Man and Hugh Sinclair in Don't Ever Leave Me, plus, of course Ronald Colman in A Double Life (a British star though in a Hollkywood film). Of course the real dishonourbale mention in The Man in Grey goes to the boy who played Toby, aged 10 for 15 years



Suprised Steve hasn't mentioned The Thief of Baghdad and Black Narcissus. There's also Dame Flora in Saratoga Trunk, again in Hollywood which certainly doesn't have the excuse of there being no available black actresses



Just occasionally, blackface isn't bad and wrong but right and heroic - The Captive Heart.

[penfold]

I think we have to distinguish between an actor blacking up to play an ethnic African/Indian/whatever character, and blacking up to play a white character playing a minstrel....

Incidentally, in the silent era, because of the vagaries of orthochromatic film, many black actors had to black up as their natural skin tones didn't register dark enough on screen. So if you see a blacked-up actor in the tens or early twenties, he isn't always white under the make-up.

[CaptainWaggett]

name='penfold' date='18 June 2010 - 09:29 AM' timestamp='1276849765' post='441242']



Incidentally, in the silent era, because of the vagaries of orthochromatic film, many black actors had to black up as their natural skin tones didn't register dark enough on screen. So if you see a blacked-up actor in the tens or early twenties, he isn't always white under the make-up.

This happened on stage too - some American minstrels were actually black people passing as white people pretending to be black



When was the last time a white actor blacked up for a non-white part in a British film? Warren Mitchell did it in 1986 for Foreign Body something which IIRC caused a certain amount of controversy at the time among those unlucky enough to actually see the film.

[penfold]

name='CaptainWaggett' date='18 June 2010 - 09:39 AM' timestamp='1276850397' post='441245']

This happened on stage too - some American minstrels were actually black people passing as white people pretending to be black

Including, much to his now embarrassment, Lenny Henry in the stage version of a certain BBCTV show....

name='CaptainWaggett' date='18 June 2010 - 09:39 AM' timestamp='1276850397' post='441245']



When was the last time a white actor blacked up for a non-white part in a British film? Warren Mitchell did it in 1986 for Foreign Body something which IIRC caused a certain amount of controversy at the time among those unlucky enough to actually see the film.

Beating Alec Guinness as Godbole in A Passage to India by a year or so....and that was controversial enough, even with Guinness; Lean,er, leant on him heavily to take the role by calling in all the favours over forty years.

I suppose Omid Djalili playing a Jewish character in a recent comedy doesn't quite count here....

[DB7]

This is from St Martins Lane with Vivien Leigh.

[Gerald Lovell]

Tom Baker in THE MILLIONAIRESS (1972):

[CaptainWaggett]

Talking of Tom Baker - The Talons of Weng Chiang. Somewhat bafflingly, nobody involved in the commentary for the BBC dvd mentions the large amoung of yellowface on display

[Gerald Lovell]

name='CaptainWaggett' date='18 June 2010 - 11:50 AM' timestamp='1276858231' post='441305']

Talking of Tom Baker - The Talons of Weng Chiang. Somewhat bafflingly, nobody involved in the commentary for the BBC dvd mentions the large amoung of yellowface on display

Notwithstanding that, and a most unconvincing giant rat, "Talons" for me is the best Tom Baker story and DOCTOR WHO was never quite the same again afterwards IMHO.

[Steve Crook]

name='CaptainWaggett' date='18 June 2010 - 07:57 AM' timestamp='1276844253' post='441217']

Suprised Steve hasn't mentioned The Thief of Baghdad and Black Narcissus.

There's another one in Powell films, Tony Selby browned-up as a Lybian in The Queen's Guards (1961)



Steve

[Steve Crook]

name='CaptainWaggett' date='18 June 2010 - 07:57 AM' timestamp='1276844253' post='441217']

There's also Dame Flora in Saratoga Trunk, again in Hollywood which certainly doesn't have the excuse of there being no available black actresses

Dame Flora also played the Dowager Empress Tzu-Hsi in 55 Days at Peking (1963) where we also see Robert Helpmann as the Chinese Prince Tuan.



Quite a few British actors have played orientals.

Robert Morley as The Emperor of China in Genghis Khan (1965) which also had James Mason as the Chinese ambassador Kam Ling



Steve

[Brief Encounter]

name='DB7' date='18 June 2010 - 09:52 AM' timestamp='1276851126' post='441251']

This is from St Martins Lane with Vivien Leigh.

Who's he?

[charliekane]

name='Steve Crook' date='18 June 2010 - 01:17 AM' timestamp='1276820237' post='441179']

The drummer with the twitch in Hitchcock's Young and Innocent (1937)



Steve

George Curzon

[charliekane]

name='Gerald Lovell' date='18 June 2010 - 11:59 AM' timestamp='1276858765' post='441311']

Notwithstanding that, and a most unconvincing giant rat, "Talons" for me is the best Tom Baker story and DOCTOR WHO was never quite the same again afterwards IMHO.

Isn't this John Bennett ? Always remember him as 'Billy Bush' in (I think) a short lived soap called Honey Lane ? Definitely saw him though at the London Palladium in The King and I in late 1979w with Yul Brynner and Virginia McKenna.

[Gerald Lovell]

name='charliekane' date='19 June 2010 - 12:43 AM' timestamp='1276904607' post='441587']

Isn't this John Bennett ? Always remember him as 'Billy Bush' in (I think) a short lived soap called Honey Lane ? Definitely saw him though at the London Palladium in The King and I in late 1979w with Yul Brynner and Virginia McKenna.

Yes, it is indeed John Bennett, a very talented actor sadly no longer with us.

[CaptainWaggett]

name='Gerald Lovell' date='19 June 2010 - 10:27 AM' timestamp='1276939630' post='441668']

Yes, it is indeed John Bennett, a very talented actor sadly no longer with us.

I think his last stage performance must have been in Ralph Fiennes' double bill of Richard II and Coriolanus at the old Gainsborough Studios. He was very good. Obviously. He was in the production of On Your Toes that ran for ages at the Palace Theatre

in the mid-1980s too (partnering Honor Blackman IIRC)

[GRAEME]

name='penfold' date='18 June 2010 - 09:51 AM' timestamp='1276851110' post='441250'] I suppose Omid Djalili playing a Jewish character in a recent comedy doesn't quite count here....

How could it?! Does he "black up" to do it at all? He is Iranian. There are Iranian Jews, you know!



In the film he is meant to have been raised Islamic and then finds out his real parents were Jews. In real life, Omid is actually neither - he is Bahá'Ã*.