Here’s a little Oscar trivia now that the 86th Academy Awards are behind us. In 1940, actress, comedian, and singer-songwriter Hattie McDaniel (1895 – 1952) became the first African American to not only be nominated for an Oscar, but actually win it. She received the award in the Best Actress in a Supporting Role category for her portrayal of the slave Mammy in 1939’s “Gone with the Wind.”
What’s even more notable about her win is that, in 1940, the Academy Awards was still a segregated affair. McDaniel and her guest were forced to sit in the very back of the auditorium, requiring her to walk past the tables of white actors and filmmakers to accept her award.
No other black woman would win in the’same category?until 1990 — fifty years later — when Whoopi Goldberg received the Oscar for playing?Oda Mae Brown in “Ghost.”
Speaking in reference to her playing a slave in “Gone with the Wind,” Hattie McDaniel once commented: “Why should I complain about making $700 a week playing a maid? If I didn’t, I’d be making $7 a week being one.” She frequently played maids and slaves, as this was nearly the only type of role a woman of color could get at the time.
Even though African-American actresses have come a long way in terms of diversity of roles, they are still more likely to be recognized by the Academy when they portray maids, slaves, or women who embody the stereotypical “black experience.” Last year, Octavia Spencer won for her performance as the maid Minny Jackson in “The Help.” The year before, Mo’Nique received the Oscar for playing an abusive, unemployed inner-city mother who encourages her daughter, Precious, to drop out of school and get on welfare.
Yesterday, Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in “12 Years a Slave,” in which she plays, well, a slave — the same type of role Hattie McDaniel was nominated for three quarters of a century ago.
McDaniel’s acceptance speech, which was reportedly written by the studio, is not only historic but also eloquent and moving. “I sincerely hope,” she says through her tears, “I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry.”
Ms. McDaniel, your hope has more than been realized, and tonight we honor your memory.
______________________________________________________________________
Joseph Guyer?lives in Texas. An ad man by trade, he firmly agrees?with Bill Clinton that there is nothing wrong with America that can’t be cured by what is right with America. You can read more of his work at?Liberals Unite?and?DemoNews?and follow him on Twitter?@joerobguy.
edited by Kyla Davis
