Joe Mantello’s Dick Samuels mentions Disney’s “Song of the South.”
(Netflix)
When LuPone’s Avis is debating what kind of movie to make, Mantello’s head of production, Dick Samuels, reminds her that people picketed Disney for releasing “Song of the South,” “a movie where slaves were so happy, they didn’t even want to leave the plantation.” Blending live-action and animation, the 1946 movie — which was the fulfillment of Walt Disney’s childhood dream to bring the Uncle Remus tales to the screen — earned an Oscar for its original song “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” plus an honorary award for James Baskett’s performance as Uncle Remus.
“The portrayal of happy-go-lucky blacks, well nurtured on Southern plantations by benevolent whites, was already outdated when the film was first released in 1946,” said Times writer James A. Snead in 1986, during yet another rerelease of the movie. He recalled the film’s New York premiere, where picketers chanted, “We fought for Uncle Sam, not Uncle Tom,” while the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Negro Congress called for boycotts.
The “racist piece of trash,” as described by Avis, has yet to be released in this country on home video. It is not included on Disney+, the recently launched streaming service that includes nearly every title the company has ever released. (Splash Mountain, the theme-park ride based on the film, remains.)
Advertisement
"story" - Google News
May 02, 2020 at 01:22AM
https://ift.tt/35kANaX
'Hollywood' on Netflix: 9 stories from the show that are real - Los Angeles Times
"story" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2YrOfIK
https://ift.tt/2xwebYA
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "'Hollywood' on Netflix: 9 stories from the show that are real - Los Angeles Times"
Post a Comment