Black Film History at Universal

Recently, I was conversating with filmmaker Katz Carter, who is very passionate about the craft and the history. Carter mentioned that he is very interested in learning more about black filmmaking and he specifically mentioned the movies Show Boat and Hellzapoppin. Both have some pretty iconic performances by black performers, and he wanted to know more about the decision to have black actors in films and more about black actors at Universal. Given the climate lately, this seemed like the perfect time to dive into such an important and under-represented topic. The research for this post was challenging and uncomfortable for me to get through, though I can’t say I’m surprised. I suppose also unsurprising is the way that racism and purposeful oppression by the film industry and its audiences has affected Black history in filmmaking. In order to fully understand the history, it’s important to delve all the way back to the silent era.

In the silent era, black characters were rarely included in films, and when they were, they often depicted negative stereotypes. On top of that, the roles were usually played by white actors in blackface. In response, some black filmmakers made their own independent production companies and films. They were referred to as “Race Films,” starring black actors and intended for black audiences. One of the very first black film companies was the Lincoln Motion Picture Company, which was organized in 1915. The only white person officially associated with the company was Universal cameraman Harry Gant. The purpose of the Lincoln Motion Picture Company and other similar companies was to counter the negative depictions of black people in the media.

Oscar Micheaux’s Within Our Gates is one of the rare race films that was not lost.

Unfortunately, it was hard to get support making films depicting black people as anything other than stereotypes, so the company struggled. Firstly, in the quantity of films they could afford to make, and secondly in distribution opportunities. Many of these films are now lost. However, one example, a rare race film that crossed over and had mainstream success, was Oscar Micheaux’s Within Our Gates, which was released in 1920. It was likely made in response to DW Griffith’s Birth of a Nation. Noble Johnson, one of the lead actors and founding members of the Lincoln Motion Picture Company, spent a few years appearing in both Universal and Lincoln films. Fearing the competition, Universal eventually told him he’d have to pick between the two studios. He picked Universal, seeing it as a more stable option, since the studio had more money behind it. Noble Johnson was light-skinned and was cast in a variety of roles at Universal, covering a variety of ethnicities. Some films you can see him in include The Mummy, King Kong, and Ben Hur.

Throughout the ‘20s, the film industry went through a major expansion, but it didn’t expand the roles available to black actors. Racist cultural norms still prohibited interracial couples, or movies with too many black people, so they were mostly relegated to smaller roles. Pressure by Black media to include black actors in more visible roles did result in more featured or extra roles, but it still didn’t have an impact on status off-screen. Films that more prominently featured black actors really leaned hard into those stereotypes or to reaffirming the status quo.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a story about enslaved people made in 1927 is a good example of this. Originally written by a white author, the film stars an all-white cast, except for the title role. Universal went with a white cast because they thought that it would better appeal to the South who they didn’t think could sympathize with black actors. James B. Lowe played the title role, and I think casting him was Universal’s way of playing both sides. Yes, they hired all these white actors to make it palatable to the South. However, times were changing, black actors had appeared with white actors in other films, so casting him was Universal’s way of placating the other side and representing a bit of progress as well.

Imitation of Life is considered one of the most important films on race.

The 1930s built on the trend of black actors as stereotypes, but it was also responsible for some great performances that are still remembered today. Two such examples I’ve talked about quite a bit include Universal’s Show Boat and Imitation of Life. I have two posts about Imitation of Life that I recommend reviewing so you can learn more about the history as well as the controversy. I also recommend watching that movie as it’s considered one of the most important films on race. In 1934 actor Clarence Muse wrote about the inner conflict of achieving mainstream success in roles as servants and fools, or to risk not working at all waiting for quality parts to come along. Many roles for black actors lacked substance, but Muse ultimately felt that it was better to have any representation than none at all.

The advent of sound brought many musical films, which finally allowed black actors to break out of the typical subservient roles, while being featured front and center. In 1941, Hellzapoppin was released, which was after my family already left Universal studios, so I have less knowledge about this time. Hellzapoppin’ is a crazy little movie, if you haven’t seen it yet I recommend finding it and watching it (I watched it on YouTube). The movie is meta and breaks the fourth wall frequently. It starts with this fun little musical scene in Hell, and then it’s sort of a movie about making a movie about making Hellzapoppin.

Hellzapoppin’ has an in famous Lindy Hop scene.

About 45 minutes in, there’s a lindy hop dance sequence that may be one of the most iconic in history. The song was composed by Universal’s musical director Charles Previn. The dancers include Frances “Mickey” Jones, William Downes, Norma Miller, Billy Ricker, Willamae Ricker, Al Minns, Ann Johnson, and Frankie Manning. The musicians include Rex Stewart on the cornet, Elmer Fane on clarinet, Jap Jones on trombone, Cee Pee Johnson on drums, and a famous duo called Slim and Slam - Slim played piano and guitar, and Slam played bass. The sequence is a bit random, and not necessarily connected to any other scene in the film. This was likely intentional, as it made it easy to omit when it played to audiences in the south. It’s also interesting to note their costumes. They’re all dressed as chefs, maids, drivers, almost like they were working nearby and heard the music starting up and joined in. Their costumes are a great example of reaffirming the status quo, that was mentioned earlier. I could watch the sequence a thousand times though. The music is fun, they dance incredibly. They move so quickly, and it’s turn after turn, flip after flip. I’ll link below to the full dance for you guys to watch.

There are 80 years between Hellzapoppin and today, so this post is simply the tip of the iceberg. I plan on doing more research in the future about important black films, filmmakers, and actors, but do your own exploration too. Which black film should I explore next?