Sound opened new possibilities for bringing previously unheard voices and languages to Hollywood. The precursor was definitely radio, which was broadcasting regional songs (for example, mountain and western music on shows like The Grand Ole Opnl) and ethnic humor (in exaggerated Jewish, Mexican, Italian, and Irish accents) to widely scattered homes where such entertainment had never before been heard. The transition to sound in film coincided with a wave of enthusiasm among white audiences for entertainment performed by African Americans. Many listeners liked traditional spirituals and minstrel acts, but the jazz Age took its name from the most popular music of all. The motives for this admiration, the subject of considerable speculation, are far from clear. Was this interest driven by curiosity and respect for black culture-as in Rouben Mamoulian's successful Broadway staging of Porgy' Or was it an effort to contain or exclude minorities by erecting boundaries of representation? In his description of the melting-pot ethos of the 19205 as a "racial cross-dressing," Michael Rogin argues that it was an effort to construct a myth of American origins.1 Whatever the stimulus, motion pictures were unarguably part of the process.
The industry commentator Arthur W. Eddy observed in 1929, "Negro sketches, which were almost an unknown quantity before this talking picture business, are now finding more and more spots on Eastern programs."2 It is not surprising that all-talking, all-singing films would exploit these extremely popular artists, capitalize on the interest in African-American music, and perpetuate racist stereotypes and black caricatures.
This page contains 201 words.
Outside the Mainstream article
Read the rest of this article.
This article contains 8,135 words
(approx. 27 pages at 300 words per page).
Order our History of film Article
