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Scholar
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tempt for women who possess even a trace of dominate her man but always with a touch of
comic relief to ease the pain. Although acAfrican ancestry endured fifty years later.
tresses have imbued her with a rebellious
In a 1959 version of Fannie Hurst's Imita-
tion of Life, the mulatto daughter of a self- spirit, mammy has always been relegated to
sacrificing black maid finds herself a white boy
friend. Despite all her efforts at concealing her
racial identity including meeting him in town,
the boy discovers her dark secret and awards
her a brutal thrashing. This was harsher than
nanny which is a dignified good paying position for whites. A mammy is an undignified
low or nonpaying job for blacks. Eldridge
Cleaver charges the white man with turning
the black woman into a strong self-reliant
Amazon and depositing her in his kitchen.1
As mother surrogate, scapegoat, unpaid
servant, the screen mammy is an enigmatic
perversion. She developed the curious habit of
administering her private brand of welfare to
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Edward Mapp is Chairman of the Library Department at New York City Community College. He
holds the Ph.D. degree in Mass Communications
from New York University. Dr. Mapp also is author
of the lxx)k, Blacks in American Films (Scarecrow
Press, 1972).
by EDWARD MAPP
an otherwise beautiful film from a performance point of view. Can it be mere coincidence that words such as strength, warmth
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PAGE 37
rage nor rebellion possessed, she is a goodthe film of providing an adolescent with an
nigger, patient and acquiescent. It is unlikelyacceptable sexual awakening.
High among the clichs of how the black Although Brown is a crook who has deserted
woman has been presented in films is the "sex
her and messed up her life, she admits to him,
advertising they consider sexist. Hitchcock's surroundings, she gets him into her own marithriller Frenzy was accused of misogyny and
tal bed which is half occupied while her loving
sexism, but few such charges have been aimed black husband is in jail. Not even waiting for
at the recent crop of black films. Perhaps this is her cuckolded spouse to be jailed, Lola Falana,
the sex object is used and abused without rationale by white and black males in films.
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Charley (1972).
vience.
woman as sex object. Machismo is alive and blacks Northwest after the Civil War, calls her
well in Hollywood. Women are displayed as "my woman/* Subordinating her own desire to
nothing more than rings on a merry-go-round
are displayed blatantly in The New Cen- (1972). A steadfast girl is still supportive of her
turions, The Hit Man, Across 110th Street and handsome lover after he has thrown her over
Sweet Sweetback's Baadassss Song among for a more alluring charmer. In one isolated
others. In the latter film, one whore is actually moment of truth, she warns the fellow, "Just
shown writhing at work in the classic position. localise I love you doesn't mean I'm going to
She Incomes little more than a human lieing let you shit on me, no more." This declaration
reduced to a sexual rol>ot. When Germaine
is an adequate description in reverse of the
Creer comments on this sort of self degrada- docile damsel.
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PAGE 39
Billie Holliday's life-girlhood rape, apprenticeship in a brothel, struggle to success, introduction to drugs and untimely demise- are
Audrey Edwards
Essence Magazine
"My office will use it frequently."
Alex Haley
"It is an impressive and useful tool that will
National ssociations
Radio/Television Stations
Political Organizations
Statistical Information
1968 p. 162
1972, p. D 11
3. Friedan, Betty. Trie Feminine Mystique. Norton,
1963. p. 264
xvii.
PAGE 40
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