THE MYTEES of the AMERICAN DREAM: INTERRACIAL and INTER-ETHNIC Relationshlcps in HOLLYWOOD FILMS
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THE MYTEES OF THE AMERICAN DREAM: INTERRACIAL AND INTER-ETHNIC RELATIONSHlCPS IN HOLLYWOOD FILMS Erica Gwen Fyvie A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in partial fi&bent of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Graduate Programme in Film and Video York University North York, Ontario September 1999 National Library Bibliothèque nationale I*I of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellingîon Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada your iUe votre fëfërrmr, Our nle Norm ret6rmce The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loaq distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/nlm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantid extracts fiom it Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. The Myths of the American Dream: Interracial and Inter-Ethnic Relationships in Hollywood Films Erica Gwen Fyvie a thesis submitted to the Fâculty of Graduate Studies of York University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Permission has been granted to the LIBRARY OF YORK UNlVERSiTY to lend or self copies of this thesis, to the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CANADA to microfilm this thesis and to lend or seIl copies of the film, and to UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS to publish an abstract of this thesis. The author reserves other publication rights, and neither the thesis nor extensive extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's written permission. ABSTRACT: This thesis studies interracial and inter-ethnic 'love7' relationships in HoUywood hs.The analysis argues that the representation of two pairings (black men/ white women and Jewish rnedgentile wornen) result in the white women being envisioned by the other men as the ferninine ideai which consequently excludes the black and Jewish women in the narratives on very specific and problernatic racial and ethnic gromds. The "cacquisition"of the ferninine ideal is equated with a larger and all-encompassing desire for the Amencan Dream. Myths about race, ethnicity, and sexuaiïty are identified to illustrate the pervasive and often insidious nature of the stereotyping that contributes to certain Hollywood products. These relationships serve as a site for examining the racist, anti-Sernitic, and sexist ideologies present in American culture. Inchded in the introduction is a literature review included to establish and clac a Iist of theoretical tems used throughout this thesis. Chapter One examines the historicd connection between Jews and blacks and outlines the image of the Amencan Dream. The use of blackface is also explored in accordance with the two fïims analyzed: Birth of a Nion(1 9 15) and I;be Jazz Singer (1927). Chapter Two examines Gness Who's Corning to Dmner? (1967) and The Hearrbreak Kid (1972) to determine how the changing social status of black and Jewish men in American society in the 1960s and 1970s alters their relationships with white v women. A focus of this chapter also includes an analysis of the role of black and Jewish women both in the films and in the Civil and Women's Rights Movements. Chapter Three evaluates Spike Lee's Jzrngle Fever (1991) and two films by Woody Allen to show that while more sophisticated characterizations are available in contemporq films, the same myths goveniing the ccpopular"definitions of race and ethnicity in the earliest narratives continue to surface. The primary goal of this thesis is to raise awareness of the problematic and manipulative nature of certain Hollywood representations, specificdy those employed to keep white Americans at the height of power while simultaneously underrnining the presence and influence of those traditionaliy considered the orher. vi ACKNOwLEDGmNTS: 1am indebted to several patient people for their support of this thesis- First and foremost are my advisor, Scott Forsyth, and my reader, Brenda LongfeUow, both of whom provided invaluable guidance fiom the proposai to the finished project. I feel incredibly fortunate to have benefitted fiom their wisdom and ongoing assistance. 1would also like to thank the following individuals for their personal and greatiy appreciated contributions to my work: Peter and Loretta Fyvie, Nicole Fyvie and Karin Gerneùihardt, Theha Haas, Barbara Evans, Anthony Banks, Enta Berman, and maxine b ailey. Very special thanks to Jen VanderBurgh and Brian Hot son for their incomparable ûiendship . Finaliy, 1 congratulate Jay LiUey for contùiuing to love me in the face of formathg trouble and for being the best fiiend a person could ever imagine- TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title Page Copyright Page Certificate Page Abstract Acknowledgments Table of Contents Introduction Page 1 Chapter One Page 24 Chapter Two Page 54 Chapter Three Page 86 Conclusion Page 117 Works Consulted Filmography INTRODUCTION: The dzflczilty in wnring thïs essay has been for me a persistent and troubling sense of the Iimifationsof my own knowledge. On a certain level, th& feareà Zuck of knowledge is linked tu a deficient 'masîery ' of the field - the feeling that the more one reads the more one discovers hmmuch one hm not read.. Whar cma white woman knmv about racial dzflerence or oppression when her social remgrmeis constitzited as denial or evaamtion of racial idemïty, when whiteness aspires fo signzfi fhat if is color-less, absence, no race at all? Mary Am ~oane' These are the same questions 1 have asked myself: the same issues I have wrestled with during each stage of rny research and writing. As a white woman, 1ask myself why am 1 drawn to the love relationships between black medwhite women and Jewish medgentile women in Hollywood fis? Conside~gthe substantid scope of thÏs topic, 1 am reminded ofien of the ccLmitationsof my own knowledge." Choosing these specific relationship groupings has allowed me to incorporate the issues of race, gender, and ethnicity within a more narrow Eame. The relationships are used as a tool to explore how the issues intersect, for instance, how the interplay between race, identity, and desire manifests itselfarnong the disparate narratives. The focus of study is on the cornparison between the men of the cccIassicminorïties" and what their relationships with white and gentile wornen illustrate about the desire for the Amencan Drearn. However, it is important to avoid monoiithic thurkuig with this topic. It is an 'Mary Am Doane. Femme Fatales: Feminism Film Theory Psvchoanalysis. New York: Routledge, 1991, p. 246. inviting possibility to read race as one set definition and ethnicity as another, simply to establish a set of clear binaries that wdl make a nice ''fit" with my andysis- Sociologists have argued against this type of reasoning: 'To conceptualize ethnic studies exclusively as the study of people of color is inconsistent with how sociologists dehe ethnicity...( thk] promotes a kind ofwe-they attitude among white students and teachers. Many students think that ethnic studies is the study of them, whereas Arnerican studies is the study of us [original itaiics] .'" A complex puzzle emerges Eorn the conclusions which have been constructed through research into this area. The "color-less" status of white women in these films assigns thern a cunous position in the narrative. In one respect, they are the chosen ones, the syrnbols of beauty and prosperity to men considered the der."Acquiring" the white woman is often the emblem for these black and Jewish male characters for achieving acculturation and/or assimilation into a higher appointment of Amencan Society. However, these women are still not in positions of power because they fùnction as other to the male. Unfortunately, this complicated juxtaposition shows that the two meanings for white women do not result in more profound characterizations. However, forrning such generalizations proves that when analyzing issues of inter- ethnic and interracial love, nothing is as simple as a black and white reading. The male and fernale characters in these films have a multitude of rneanings and the goal is to %mes A- Banks. Teachinp Ethnic Studies. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1991. pp. 11-12. 3 deiineate those which shed the most light on the acquisition of the American Dream. The Arnerican Dream itself is an ideological construction created and perpetuated by the studio executives and writers who deftly acknowledged that the tone es following a disadvantaged character attaïning success generated profitable gains. The same society that dictates the hierarchy also preserves the notion that everyone is given the same opportunity to attaïn the same dream. Jewish men, having essentially created the studio system as we know it today, experienced both sides of this drearn. Their relationship with the Amencan dream was a cyclicd one: they conceived of the narratives which exploited the dream, in essence creating a vision that excluded their own culture. The tension between the power that these Jewish men wielded behind the scenes, in cornparison with the characterizations of Jewish men on screen, will be exptored Wher in Section One within the discussion about their relationships with gentile wornen. Section One: The Birth of BlackTace? The first section will examine two fbsthat have high stature on the list of influentid American films. D.W- Griffith's Birrh of a Ndon (1915) and the Alan Crosland/Al Jolson production of The Jazz Singer (1 927) are both considered cinematic milestones.