“TOILING NEGROES:” JAMES WHALE’S SHOWBOAT (1936)

Following its 1936 film debut, Showboat garnered much critical acclaim for both

its high production values and faithful adherence to both Edith Ferber’s 1926 novel and

the hit Kearn-Hammerstein musical of the same name. One critic from the New Yorker

rapturously declared that he had “never…seen a musical show so satisfactorily and

intelligently adapted,” while The New York Times described it as “one of the finest

musical films we have seen.” 1 The film was so popular that Variety even credited it with

spurring a revival of the long dormant showboat industry.2 As both a commercial and critical success Showboat drew praise in large part due to strength of its “gilt-edge cast,”

which included Irene Dunne (Magnolia Hawks), Charles Winniger (Captain Andy

Hawks), Sammy White (Frank Schulz) , and Helen Morgan (Julie).3 This cast list

reflected director James Whale’s effort to replicate the success of the stage musical by

employing as many actors from the original Broadway production as he could find.4

In keeping with its source material, Showboat is notable for its progressive racial commentary— embedded in the rousing ‘Ole Man River’— and its sympathetic depiction of Julie, a tragic mulatto archetype who passes for white with the help of Steve, her protective white husband. Furthermore, the film does not shy away from portraying the racial difficulties faced by blacks in general. In fact, it was so effective that Poland actually banned Showboat because the “class labor struggles” so realistically portrayed in

‘Ole Man River’ “were apt to call up the indignation of the local public,” an “odd”

1 “Mr. Whale’s Showboat.” The New Yorker. 16 May 1936, 87; Frank S. Nugent, “A Bravo For Universal’s Splendid Film Edition of ‘Showboat,’ at Radio City Musical Hall.” New York Times. 15 May 1936, 26. 2 “1936 Versions of Showboats.” Variety. 20 May 1936, 1. 3 “The New Pictures.” Time, 18 May 1936, 61. 4 Miles Kreuger. Showboat: The Story of a Classic American Musical. (New York: Oxford University Press ,1977), 114.

1 development later alluded to in a New York Times article critical of government censorship. 5

Obvious stereotypes notwithstanding, the prominent presence of blacks in the film cannot be overstated. While the majority of blacks in the film are relegated to largely menial roles without dialogue, Paul Robeson and Hattie McDaniel both elevate blacks in

Showboat from anonymous toilers to developed characters in their own right. As Joe and

Queenie, Robeson and McDaniel imbue their characters with wit and humor, with little reliance on stereotypical slapstick comedy (oddly enough, Helen Westley, in the role of

Magnolia’s mother, was criticized by The Nation for being “too much of a stereotype”).6

Despite these triumphs, Robeson and McDaniel received little praise in the white dominated mainstream press. It was left to black newspapers around the country to answer this silence with critical praise of their own. Hattie McDaniel, who, three years later would become the first African American to win an Oscar for her famous turn as

Mammy in Gone With the Wind (1939), hardly merits a mention in movie reviews from

either the black or mainstream press. For well-established black newspapers like the New

York Amsterdam News and The Chicago Defender , it is Paul Robeson who emerges as

Showboat ’s shining star.

The Chicago Defender points out that Paul Robeson’s portrayal is proof that

“anyone in Hollywood doubting the pulling power of a film that features Race stars will find trouble peddling their doubts” to packed Showboat screenings. 7 While he admittedly

“wasn’t given much opportunity to display his acting talents,” The New York Amsterdam

5 Lucius C. Harper. “Dustin’ Off The News.” The Chicago Defender, 12 June 1937, 19.; Frank S. Nugent. “New Censorial Swords.” 9 May 1937. New York Times, 18. 6 ‘Showboat.” The Nation. 10 June 1936, 754. 7 ‘Showboat’s’ Tops Records On Metropolitan Screen.” The Chicago Defender. 5 Sept. 1936, 18.

2 News assured its readers that Robeson was “amply seen in the production.”8 Even if the success of Showboat did not change opportunities for black actors in Hollywood films overnight, reviews of black newspapers around the country still reflected a certain pride that “each sequence accorded to Race artists in the film has been one of advantage.” 9

At the time of Showboat ’s release, Paul Robeson was an internationally respected star in his own right. The role of Joe in the 1927 Broadway production had in fact been specifically written for him, although Robeson was unable to play it at the time. His anticipated international musical tour had been well-covered in the press, including the

New York Times. However, when it came time for this newspaper to advertise the film in a half-page ad, photographic portraits of Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Charles Winninger and Helen Morgan were all prominently displayed around the text, while a fuzzy sketch of a jolly, seated Paul Robeson literally crouched on the edge of the ad, almost off the page. 10 Robeson is literally pushed aside in favor of his white co-stars. Despite this, it was still a pleasant surprise to the Defender that “[Robeson’s] name and photo are carried along with that of Irene Dunne,” a white woman. 11

When Robeson’s name does appear in a mainstream review, however, it is inevitably tied to his powerhouse rendition of ‘Ole Man River’ and little else . “We cannot recall how often we have heard Paul Robeson sing Ol’ Man River ” the Times admits,

“but we do know that we haven’t heard it enough.” 12 Time exemplifies this attitude when it says that Paul Robeson plays “honest, lazy handyman,” who “does little but sing Ol’

8 “Big Hand Is Given To Film ‘Showboat.’” New York Amsterdam News. 20 June 1936, 19. 9 Tommy Berry. “Paul Robeson Makes ‘Showboat’ Film One of Finest.” The Chicago Defender. 8 August 1936, 18. 10 “Display Ad No. 29.” New York Times. 14 May 1936, 29. 11 The Chicago Defender. 5 Sept. 1936. 12 New York Times. 15 May 1936.

3 Man River while the camera travels from his calm black face to toiling Negroes.” 13 In

one example of barely mustered praise, The Nation declared that “Paul Robeson sings

‘Ol’ Man River’ even a little better than he ever sang it before.” 14 Interestingly, Variety notes that “some may be captious a bit over the camera angles illustrating ‘totin’ the bales’ and ‘landing in jail.’”15 In other words, viewers might object to too realistic a depiction of laboring blacks—the same reason why the film was ultimately banned in

Poland.

The racist overtones of these reviews are clear. Rarely is Robeson mentioned without the adjective “Negro” close behind. As “race actors,” both Robeson and

McDaniel experience the same burden of racial labeling; when Hattie McDaniel is mentioned in a review, she is simply described as “an amiable and enormous Negro who helps Robeson with a rollicking song called ‘Ah Still Suits Me .’”16 Variety is content to refer to her as an “ample Negress,” albeit a “cast standout.” 17 In another example of

praise colored with a heavy does of condescension, Newsweek acknowledged that

Robeson puts his “warm voice” to good use in his rendition of Ol’ Man River and “one other [unnamed] song,” but quickly adds that “the Negro actor has been badly photographed, almost beyond recognition.” 18

By contemporary standards, one of the most disturbing elements of the 1936

Showboat is Irene Dunne’s blackface number, ‘Gallavatin’ Around’. Surprisingly, this

“native Negro strut” was not a musical original; it had been scripted particularly for the

13 Time, 18 May 1936. 14 ‘The Nation. 10 June 1936, 754. 15 “Showboat.” Variety. 20 May 1936, 12. 16 Time, 18 May 1936. (emphasis added) 17 Variety. 20 May 1936, 12. 18 “’Show Boats’ Second Trip A Pleasant 2-Hour Joint.” Newsweek 16 May 1936, 41.

4 film. 19 Mention of this performance is neglected in both the Defender and the

Amsterdam News, but it is all recalled fondly in the mainstream press.20 Alongside the

Showboat’s somewhat progressive politics, this is a jarring example of racial prejudice.

Interestingly, during the scene, the camera pulls back to show Irene’s performance from the perspective of the black audience members segregated to the upper balconies. Perhaps this was a subversive attempt to place Irene’s exaggerated performance alongside a depiction of actual black people. Regardless of the film’s intent, “the giddy coon song” was apparently such a hit with audiences that it established Irene Dunne as a comic talent and secured her a role in the first of many comedies throughout her career.21

In an exclusive 1936 interview, Paul Robeson, himself a graduate of Rutgers

University and Columbia Law School, expressed hope that “modern Negro life will

eventually be shown on the screen in all of its sophisticated and cultured strata as well as

the unsophisticated or low comedy phrases.” 22 While American cinema has obviously

come along way since Showboat , one wonders whether the industry has actually met

Robeson’s articulate optimism.

19 Variety. 20 May 1936; Kreuger, 131. 20 Time, 18 May 1936; New York Times. 15 May 1936. 21 Kreuger, 131. 22 Harry Levette. “Defender Scribe Interviews, Learns His Plan.” The Chicago Defender . 25 May 1936, 9.

5 Works Cited

“1936 Versions of Showboats.” Variety. 20 May 1936, 1, 51.

Berry, Tommy. “Paul Robeson Makes ‘Showboat’ Film One of Finest.” The Chicago Defender. 8 August 1936, 18.

“Big Hand Is Given To Film ‘Showboat.’” New York Amsterdam News. 20 June 1936. Display Ad No. 29.” New York Times. 14 May 1936, 29.

Harper, Lucius C.. “Dustin’ Off The News.” The Chicago Defender, 12 June 1937, 19.

Kreuger, Miles. Showboat: The Story of a Classic American Musical. New York: Oxford University Press, 1977.

Levette, Harry. “Defender Scribe Interviews, Learns His Plan.” The Chicago Defender . 25 May 1936, 9.

“Mr. Whale’s Showboat.” The New Yorker, 16 May 1936, 87-88.

Nugent, Frank S. “New Censorial Swords.” New York Times, 9 May 1937, 16-19. ___. “A Bravo For Universal’s Splendid Film Edition of ‘Showboat,’ at Radio City Musical Hall.” New York Times, 15 May 1936, 26.

‘“Show Boat’s’ Second Trip A Pleasant 2-Hour Joint.” Newsweek 16 May 1936, 41-42.

“Showboat.” The Nation. 10 June 1936, 754.

“Showboat.” Variety. 20 May 1936, 12.

“Showboat’ Tops Records On Metropolitan Screen.” The Chicago Defender, 5 Sept. 1936, 18.

“The New Pictures.” Time, 18 May 1936, 61-62.

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