These particular portrayals reflect a long-standing history in television and film of portraying African Americans in stereotypical roles.Ĭontemporary Stereotypes in Film and Televisionīy the mid- to late-20th century, film and television still drew upon such stereotypes.
The radio actors were actually White males imitating and making fun of African Americans-often deliberately using incorrect English such as the word unlax for relax. This role was instrumental in perpetuating the stereotype of the mammy figure, a servile and docile house slave whose sole existence is to keep her White master happy.Īn early 20 th-century popular radio and television show titled Amos ’n’ Andy (and later titled The Amos ’n’ Andy Show), which aired from 1925 to 1953, depicted the two main Black characters as lazy, stupid, uneducated imbeciles who unwarily find themselves in various mishaps due to their lack of intelligence, all to the delight of White audiences. McDaniel was the first African American to receive an Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actress, for her portrayal of Mammy. Hattie McDaniel played the character Mammy, a domestic servant, in the film Gone with the Wind (1939). The film Ethnic Notions (1987) highlights several popular stereotypes of Black men that have their roots in history, including the Tom, the Sambo, the coon, the brute, the pickaninny, the minstrel, the sexualized Jezebel and the stereotype for Black women as the mammy figure. Historic Stereotypes in Film and Television This entry reviews the history of African American characters in both film and television. From the inception of motion pictures and television, African Americans have often been depicted in unflattering ways this includes portraying African Americans as being deviant, violent, dim-witted, or as comic relief for the film. African American roles in film have not been completely rooted in reality, and some critics note that they say more about White pathologies and fears than the complex lived experiences and culture of the Black community. Because of the legacy of slavery in the United States and persistent discrimination against African Americans throughout history, popular culture and the entertainment industry has long presented Blacks in a disparaging way.
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