New Directions Volume 14 | Issue 2 Article 7 4-1-1987 Race Relations The rC ossover Phenomenon Russell L. Adams Follow this and additional works at: http://dh.howard.edu/newdirections Recommended Citation Adams, Russell L. (1987) "Race Relations The rC ossover Phenomenon," New Directions: Vol. 14: Iss. 2, Article 7. Available at: http://dh.howard.edu/newdirections/vol14/iss2/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Howard @ Howard University. It has been accepted for inclusion in New Directions by an authorized administrator of Digital Howard @ Howard University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. From left to right - Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby and Patti LaBelle Race Relations The Crossover Phenomenon NEW DIRECTIONS APRIL 1987 By Russell L. Adams what merely survives a given period. medium more intimate than a movie house. n years past, in Black America, the word Commentary on the “The Cosby Show” It is to be wondered if Cosby’s Huxtables, in “breakthrough” was used to indicate has been voluminous; much has been made real life, would be as affectionately regarded Ipositive change, especially when the of the universality of many of the domestic in a proper upscale white suburb, especially change involved a single individual. Of the situations often portrayed. The show does when receiving some of their kindred who many compilations of Black firsts, one can have an infectious appeal, but Bill Cosby may be a little rough around the social usually find entries such as: “The first Black had such an appeal long before his current edges. By and large, studies of Blacks in college graduate was Edward A. Jones, who top-rated show. He is the brightest of a long suburbia suggests that the Huxtables in all received a B.A. degree from Amherst line of smiling Black entertainers, stretch­ probability would be treated with about the College on August 23,1826,” or “The first ing back beyond Bert Williams, who same polite indifference which greets Black Black to receive a Ph.D. degree was Patrick crossed over from minstrel shows bearing families akin to them. Francis Healy, who passed the final exam­ names such as “Bandana Land,” Television shows such as “Goodtimes,” inations at Louvain in Belgium on July 26, “Abyssinia” and “Mr. Lode of Koal” to the “Sanford and Son,” and “The Jeffersons” 1865,” (His brother, Patrick F. Healy, was were intended to make America laugh, president of Georgetown University in particularly white America. The same was Washington, D.C. from 1872 to 1883). Or true of “Benson” and a number of other the first Black justice of the Supreme Black and white in­ shows featuring Black leading characters. Court, Thurgood Marshall, who was con­ creasingly remain in place When these shows wear out their popu­ firmed on August 30, 1967, or the first larity, as all television shows eventually do, Black four-star general, Daniel “Chappie” on the social chessboard these gifted actors appear to have an James, the late commander-in-chief of the of this society. unusually difficult time landing other roles, North American Air Defense Command, or are offered stereotypical negative parts. who began serving in that position on Other serious Black actors, such as William September 1,1975, or the first Black in the Marshall and Roscoe Lee Browne, are major leagues of baseball, Jackie Robinson, intermittently employed. They are not who became a Brooklyn Dodger on April “Ziegfield Follies,” where he remained a America’s idea of acceptable crossovers. 10, 1947, or George Dixon, the first Black favorite of white theatergoers for 10 years. Howard Rollins, who impressed world champion in the bantamweight divi­ Bill Cosby is not a minstrel but he has a moviegoers in “Ragtime,” is yet another sion of professional boxing after he defeated gleeful playfulness in his manner, mixed actor who is underemployed; he too is not a one Nunc Walker on June 27,1890. “Firsts” with enthusiastic sincerity, all of which crossover type. In short, the successful have been and still are important in Black come across as a mixture of Bert Lahr and crossover Black actors are those helping America because they set precedents. Red Skelton. America to relax. They hold up to white It should be noted that the “firsts” on this The American public will accept a non­ Americans their images in a fun-house list represent individual accomplishments in smiling Clint Eastwood, -or Charles Bron­ mirror. This is true even in those television situations where either exceptions were son, or John Wayne and make of them cult shows featuring whites who adopt Black made or the ground rules changed to heroes. Non-smiling Blacks rarely last very urchins, as in “Differen’t Strokes” and include Black participation. We need only to long; nor is America comfortable with “Webster.” It is doubtful if Hollywood can be reminded that Satchel Paige, often them. A Sidney Poitier could, for a while deal with a family crossover situation in considered America’s greatest baseball experience a crossover, but only in a which the Black juvenile lead is teenaged pitcher, got to the major leagues in his old reversal of the image and values which and serious. age — as did America’s greatest contralto, America applauds in males. Can one imag­ In daytime television, the participation of Marian Anderson, who was allowed to sing ine a Black Sylvester “Rambo” Stallone, or Blacks in the “soaps” was long in coming, in at the Metropolitan Opera House when her an Arnold “The Terminator” Sch- part due to the intimacy of the subject voice was past its prime. One of the great wartzenegger? One does not have to think matter and relations which make soaps the costs to the quality of American life has very hard for the answers to the questions favorite of many whites who generally are been the loss of a host of “mute inglorious of why no major motion picture has ever respectable lower middle and low-income Miltons” whose talents never crossed the been made of the heroes of the Haitian viewers. distressingly persistent color line. Revolution, who had far more reason to In the area of talk shows, the “Oprah Even though the color line still persists in revolt than the North American colonials in Winfrey Show” is a fascinating example of entertainment, especially at the purely the 1770s, or even a motion picture of the the crossover phenomenon. Just as Bill business end, the crossover phenomenon Nat Turner and Denmark Vesey insurrec­ Cosby’s smile has a long history, so does takes a different shape and function under a tions in Virginia and South Carolina, re­ Winfrey’s “amplitude” and perennial good different set of conditions. Here the anony­ spectively. cheer. The overhefty Black female image mous public makes its choice by the volun­ During the era of the so-called “Blax- dates back past Hattie McDaniel of “Gone tary allocation of its time and money to ploitation” movies of the 1970s, the Fred with the Wind” to the antebellum wetnurse given individuals or programs, especially in Williamsons and the Jim Browns had their for the Scarlet O’Haras and Melanies of television. While it is often difficult to tell macho day, but it was a day spent mainly that era. The “fat” Black has always which moves first in matters of race — the entertaining other Blacks. As quintessen­ soothed white America, perhaps as a mis­ power elite or the mass populace — in tial Black macho icons, neither of these taken symbol that all is well. Certainly television ratings tend to be the arbiter of artists would last long on television, a things have changed; it is indeed a long way NEW DIRECTIONS APRIL 1987 26 from the Aunt Jemimas to Diahann Carroll extraordinary physical prowess. Muham- as Dominique Devereux of “Dynasty,” a med Ali encountered trouble when he at­ novelty crossover carried by a television Patti LaBelle and the tempted to assert himself outside the ring. series befitting a declining era of celebrated Pointer Sisters may be In track, Jesse Owens was rewarded greed. mainly for his deeds on the oval but not away When one recalls the outrage of some seen as partial crossovers from it, even though he had a most pleasant Southerners over the reaction of fellow . but the likes of Johnny off-track persona. Edwin Moses and Carl whites to the songs of the late Nat “King” Lewis remain very distant track stars to Cole years ago, or the apprehensions sur­ Mathis and Tina Turner majority group Americans, the former for rounding Harry Belafonte and Petula Clark are complete crossovers. being indiscreet during his free time, the when she touched his arm during a tele­ latter for being true to his own feelings on vised show, again years ago, one has to the track. conclude that television has come a long when allowance is made for the brute fact In football, a William “Refrigerator” way but yet has more to go. that live persons are on both sides of the Perry literally fills the bill of white Amer­ What may one conclude about the deeper lights. And even more than the movies, the ica’s image of the fat Black of great gen­ significance of this sort of analysis? Why legitimate theater has audiences which are tleness when off the field. Corporate Amer­ does the crossover phenomenon appear to mainly of one race, depending on the nature ica has applauded him with endorsements be increasingly common in mass entertain­ of the production. After-theater parties are reputedly amounting to millions of dollars, ment, especially in television? Perhaps part seldom integrated, again because the end­ just as it has Bill Cosby with his happy face.