Hattie McDaniel in Gone With the Wind

Gone With the Wind (1939) is a classic Hollywood movie, ranking 4^th on AFI’s list of Top 100 American Films of All Time, and producing one of the most repeated movie quotes, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Also, important to discuss though is the representations of race and the South that occurs throughout the entire film. More specifically examining the character Mammy, played by Hattie McDaniel, who serves as a housemaid in the film. While there is a clear correlation between the character’s name and the myth of black women that she is meant to represent, there is also a significant point to explore the role of an African American actress in the highest ticket selling film of all time. McDaniel’s character exemplifies the ideals that were pervasive during the time when the film was made, but also that of the Civil War period portrayed in the film. As the film is sprinkled with nostalgia for the old South and a number of tragic family events that occur after the Confederacy is defeated by the Union.

What I find interesting is the issues it raises to have had McDaniel’s playing this stereotypical image, and for that becoming the first African American woman to win an Academy Award. This is almost reflective of the role that she portrays in the film; Mammy is the outspoken housemaid, who is not overtly punished for her race, but she is to remain in her oppressed position, which maintains the dominant structures that exist. Black actors (and Black America) have this similar struggle to face, where McDAniel’s can be the first African-American to win an Academy award, but she is to remain only playing roles like Mammy. Interestingly, due to Jim Crow laws McDaniel’s and other black actors, were not even able to attend the premiere of Gone With the Wind.

So this brings me to ask what does the image of black actors in the screen do for the audience (white and black audiences) during that time period? However, more specifically what does it mean for theblack actors to play these roles in that time period? And what legacy does that leave current audiences to embrace or reject? Does this problem persist now, and with representations of other races too?

Also, I would like to note that this isn’t to criticize McDaniel for her performance or her career choices, as she was clearly a talented and important person, but it is to bring up the significance her roles play in our discussions on race in pop culture and media. Below is her touching acceptance speech at the Academy Awards.