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You are here: Home / Archives for Hattie McDaniel

BOTD: The Heart of Gone With the Wind, Hattie McDaniel

June 10, 2021 By Joi

Hattie McDaniel and Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind

Hattie McDaniel and Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind

In addition to Judy Garland, another iconic and much-loved actress was BOTD, the wonderful Hattie McDaniel was born June 10, 1893 in Wichita, Kansas. She also happens to be one of my favorites.

She VERY deservingly won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939). She was the HEART of GWTW.

Hattie McDaniel also starred in other wonderful films including The Mad Miss Manton (1938), The Little Colonel (1935), Alice Adams (1935), and Song of the South (1946) among others.

Happy Heavenly birthday to an actress I CANNOT imagine old Hollywood without.

Hattie McDaniel and Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind

Hattie McDaniel and Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind

Filed Under: BOTD, Gone With the Wind, Hattie McDaniel, Vivien Leigh Tagged With: BOTD, Gone with the Wind, Hattie McDaniel, Vivien Leigh

Great Gift Idea for Fans of Classic Hollywood: Renegade Women in Film & TV

November 23, 2019 By Joi

Renegade Women in Film and TV

Renegade Women in Film & TV

I love my family. Okay, that should probably go without saying, but seriously… I really, really love my family.

Not only because they’re the coolest, most colorful, and lovable group of people you could ever hope to meet but also because they’re uncommonly thoughtful, kind, generous, and… well…. DARN good. Not just good. DARN good.

The book you see here is an early Christmas gift from my youngest daughter Stephany. She and her two sisters (Emily and Brittany) have contributed to my Old Hollywood book and dvd collections tremendously and I love that they love supporting my obsessive habit!

They’ve helped create the monster behind these words.

Renegade Women in Film & TV is an absolutely remarkable book. Not only is it gorgeous (hardcover and packed with colorful illustrations of the women it celebrates), it is an exceptionally inspiring read.

Within the pages I was reminded of just how remarkable some of my favorites are (Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Dorothy Dandridge, Hedy Lamarr, Hattie McDaniel, Dorothy Arzner, Mary Pickford, Rita Moreno, Anna May Wong, Marlo Thomas, Oprah…). I also learned a lot about some ground-breaking women I knew very little about (Ida Lupino, Mae West, Edith Head, Barbra Streisand, Susan Harris, Mary Tyler Moore, Lesley Visser, Barbara Walters, Geena Davis…) and met ladies I knew nothing about and a few I’d never heard of before but will never forget now.

(Continued Below Lucille Ball… how mesmerizing are those eyes??)

Lucille Ball in Renegade Women in Film and TV

Lucille Ball

As expected, there are outstanding women who are missing that I’d have LOVED for them to have included..

  • Olivia de Havilland
  • Bette Davis (she gets a mention at the end)
  • Greta Garbo
  • Betty White
  • Etc.

However, the ones who AREN’T there should not and do not detract from the ones who are. Besides, maybe there’ll be a follow-up. I certainly hope so!

Renegade Women in Film & TV would make the most wonderful gift for fans of Old Hollywood and/or Classic TV imaginable. You will, however, want to get your hands on a copy for yourself, too, trust me.

But, here’s the thing… you may want TWO copies. I know I do. One for enjoying and keeping whole (it would make a perfect coffee table book) and one for removing the gorgeous photos for framing. They are truly stunning.

See Renegade Women in Film & TV  for more information.

Renegade Women in Film and TV

Renegade Women in Film & TV

 

Filed Under: Carol Burnett, Classic TV, Dorothy Dandridge, Hattie McDaniel, Lucille Ball, Old Hollywood Actresses, Old Hollywood Book Reviews Tagged With: Old Hollywood Actresses, Old Hollywood Book Reviews, Women of Old Hollywood

Evelyn Venable, Shirley Temple, and Hattie McDaniel: The Little Colonel

April 27, 2018 By Joi

Evelyn Venable, Shirley Temple, and Hattie McDaniel: The Little Colonel
Evelyn Venable, Shirley Temple, and Hattie McDaniel

The Little Colonel (1935) is one of my favorite Shirley Temple movies – which is really saying something because, frankly, I love them all to distraction.

Plot:  Elizabeth Lloyd (played beautifully by Evelyn Venable) is a Southern Belle who falls in love with a Yankee, Jack Sherman (John Lodge). When they run away to get married, Elizabeth’s father, Colonel Lloyd (the wonderful Lionel Barrymore)… who happens to be a former Confederate colonel during the Civil War… cuts her off entirely and vows that he’ll never speak to her again! After several years, Elizabeth returns to her home town with her precious little girl (adorably played by Shirley Temple). Can The charming and lovable little girl soften her grumpy, stubborn, and unforgiving grandfather? Can she bring a father and daughter back together again?

You know the answers to these questions… and it is especially beautiful to watch.

Wonderful, warm movie with an outstanding cast.

You can find the Ultimate Shirley Temple DVD Collection on Amazon. If you simply want to “rent” her movies to watch, you can also find the adorable little ray of sunshine on Amazon Prime!


Filed Under: Evelyn Venable, Hattie McDaniel, Picture of the Day, Shirley Temple Tagged With: Evelyn Venable, Hattie McDaniel, Shirley Temple

Hattie McDaniel Quotes (I Love this Lady’s Sense of Humor)

August 31, 2017 By Joi

Hattie McDaniel
“I did my best and God did the rest.”

“A woman’s gifts will make room for her.”

“I’d rather make $700 a week playing a maid than earn $7 a day being a maid.”

“My desire for the part of Mammy was not dominated by selfishness for Hollywood has been good to me and I am grateful.”

“I don’t belong on this earth. I always feel out of place – like a visitor.”

“I sincerely hope that I shall always be a credit to my race, and to the motion picture industry.”

“I’ve played everything but a harp.”

“In playing the part of Mammy, I tried to make her a living, breathing character, the way she appeared to me in the book.”

“Faith is the black person’s federal reserve system.”

“Bob Hope, Red Skelton, and Eddie Cantor… help us keep our balance.”

“It sure looks good to see an honest-to-goodness audience after looking at you all for so long from the silver screen.”

“You can best fight any existing evil from the inside.”

“The only choice permitted us is either to be servants for $7 a week or to portray them for $700 per week.”

“I’m letting no man handle my bank account.”

“When I was little, my mother taught me how to use a fork and knife. The trouble is that Mother forget to teach me how to stop using them!”

“Putting a little time aside for clean fun and good humor is very necessary to relieve the tensions of our time.”

“Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, fellow members of the motion picture industry and honored guests: This is one of the happiest moments of my life, and I want to thank each one of you who had a part in selecting me for one of their awards, for your kindness. It has made me feel very, very humble; and I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be able to do in the future. I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel, and may I say thank you and God bless you.”

“Always remember this: There are only eighteen inches between a pat on the back and a kick in the rump.”

“As for those grapefruit and buttermilk diets, I’ll take roast chicken and dumplings.”

“When I was 8 years old, I knew what I was going to be—an actress.”

“Every actor and actress is possessed of the absorbing passion to create something distinctive and unique.”

See Also: Hattie McDaniel Facts

Filed Under: Hattie McDaniel Tagged With: Hattie McDaniel, Hattie McDaniel Quotes

Fascinating Facts About Hattie McDaniel, Hollywood Trail-Blazer

July 22, 2016 By Joi

Hattie McDaniel: Chairman of the Negro Division of the Hollywood Victory Committee

Hattie McDaniel (Center): Chairman of the Negro Division of the Hollywood Victory Committee

One of my favorite actresses of all time is Hattie McDaniel. I fell in love with her when she all but stole the entire movie Gone With the Wind (right out from under the big-name stars!) and I’ve never fallen out of love.

When reading (and writing) about men and women of color during Old Hollywood (or many times in history, unfortunately), I inevitably feel a mixture of emotions. First of all, there’s an overwhelming sense of sadness that there was EVER a time when humans were not treated equally breaks my heart. I once read a biography on Jackie Robinson and had to put it down, like, a hundred times to dry my eyes. A few times, I even thought, “I’m not picking that back up… my heart cannot take it!”

The same can certainly be said when reading about other heroes and heroines – Harriet Tubman, Hattie McDaniel, Butterfly McQueen, Etta James, Sammy Davis, Jr, Martin Luther King, Jr., Booker T. Washington..

However, a desire to know them better combined with an intense longing to know what made them strong enough to rise above it all keeps me reading and reading and reading. Is it always comfortable? Heck no. It’s often heart-breaking, maddening, infuriating, frustrating, and a whole slew of other emotions that don’t even have names.

And yet…. all of that can be flipped over, exposing a beautiful other side. These individuals, and so many like them, displayed a strength and grit that most of us will never be called upon to channel. People around them tried to tell them “their place,” but they didn’t accept it. They saw no good reason they couldn’t carve out their own place – and that they did!

So, as you read about this talented, lovely actress with a million-dollar smile, keep in mind all that she overcame – can you imagine the strength of character it took?! Of course she did more than just overcome, mind you. The lady made history.

Facts About Hattie McDaniel:

Hattie McDaniel (1895–1952) was born on June 10, 1895 in Wichita, Kansas.

She was the first African-American to win an Academy Award. She won as Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939).

Her wish to be buried in Hollywood at the time of her death in 1952 was denied due to the racism that existed at this time.  However, 47 years later, she was memorialized with a granite monument at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

She became the first African-American to attend the Academy Awards as an actual guest.
Her father was a slave who was ultimately freed.

She was a huge vaudeville star in her day as both a singer and dancer.

Hattie McDaniel willed her Oscar to Howard University.  Unfortunately the Oscar was lost during race riots at Howard during the 1960s and it has never been found.

Hattie McDaniel and Clark Gable were good friends. Gable threatened to boycott the premiere in Atlanta because McDaniel was not invited, but later relented when she convinced him to go.

Clark Gable played a joke on her during the filming of Gone With the Wind. He put real brandy in the decanter instead of iced tea during the Bonnie Blue birth celebration scene!

Pictured on a USA 39¢ commemorative postage stamp in the Black Heritage series, issued 25 January 2006.

Was referenced in both George Clooney and Mo’Nique’s Oscar acceptance speeches.

When black actors and actresses couldn’t find a decent place to stay in Los Angeles, Hattie opened her doors to them at her home.

McDaniel was awarded 2 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: One for Radio at 6933 Hollywood Boulevard and for one for Motion Pictures at 1719 Vine Street in Hollywood.

She’s the subject of a bio, Hattie McDaniel: Black Ambition, White Hollywood by Jill Watts.

Hattie McDaniel died on October 26, 1952 at the young age of 57.

 


Filed Under: Hattie McDaniel Tagged With: Hattie McDaniel, Hattie McDaniel biography, Hattie McDaniel facts

Welcome to Hollywood Yesterday!

Ann Sheridan, It All Came True

Ann Sheridan
My name is Joi (“Joy”) and I created Hollywood Yesterday as my personal tribute to Old Hollywood. It’s my effort to help keep the stars from Old Hollywood, Classic Television, and Old Radio Shows alive and shining forever. Old Hollywood was positively magical and I see no reason for the magic to ever die.

Be warned, I am (by nature) overtly positive, I never take anything too seriously, I say extraordinary so often you’d think I invented the word, and I overuse exclamation points to distraction. I’m perpetually over-caffeinated.. we’ll blame that.

Read more about Hollywood Yesterday (and see my personal favorites) here!

Old Hollywood Actresses

Lena Horne, Meet Me in Las Vegas

See the Old Hollywood Actresses page for the index of Classic Hollywood Actresses and Classic TV Actresses.

Old Hollywood Actors

Henry Fonda, Behind the Scenes The Grapes of Wrath

See the Old Hollywood Actors page for the index of Old Hollywood and Classic TV actors.

Old Hollywood Book Reviews

Ann Dvorak: Hollywood's Forgotten Rebel by Christina Rice

I love reading old Hollywood biographies and memoirs as much as I love watching classic movies, and that’s truly saying something!

To see my Old Hollywood book reviews, please see the index listed here: Book Reviews.

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Maureen O'Hara, The Parent Trap

Maureen O’Hara

The Old Hollywood & Classic TV Pictures of the Day are published as regularly as possible. If I miss a few days, please just know that the husband, daughters, sons-in-law, grandbabies, and/or my cats were demanding my attention. I’ll be honest, nothing comes before any of them! Not even Maureen O’Hara or Henry Fonda.

Priorities, y’all.

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Thank you so much for visiting Hollywood Yesterday! You truly HONOR me with your presence. ~ Joi (“Joy”)

Olivia de Havilland

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My main goal with Hollywood Yesterday is to keep the names, faces, and films of the stars that mean so much to me shining brightly. When I’m guilty of focusing more time on my personal favorites (such as Olivia de Havilland) than other stars, I hope you’ll forgive me. I am, by all indications, very human!

Also, please know that I try to keep my posts (except for book reviews) short and to the point, so you can enjoy the pictures, grab the information, and get back to your life. I don’t appreciate anything that’s overly wordy, so I don’t want to do that to others. For better or worse, I write as I talk, so if you ever feel like you’re reading the words of someone who’s a cross between Lucy Ricardo, Daisy Duck, and a Jerry Lewis character, that’s just because you are!

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Barbara Stanwyck Quotes

Another personal absolute favorite of mine is Barbara Stanwyck. Not only was she beautiful and outrageously talented, she was exceptionally bright, charismatic, and colorful. This growing collection of Barbara Stanwyck Quotes will give you an idea of just how colorful she was!

Old Hollywood Movies

Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire Top Hat Cheek to Cheek

There’s nothing quite like watching a movie from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Whether it’s a Musical, Western, Comedy, Romance, Film Noir, or Drama – if it’s on, I’m not too far away… with popcorn and raspberry tea in hand and a couple of cats nearby.

Below are a few Old Hollywood movie reviews I’ve done on the blog. There are, as you’d imagine, a lot more to come. – Joi (“Joy”)

We’re in the Money (Joan Blondell, Glenda Farrell)

The Naked Spur (James Stewart, Janet Leigh)

The Prince and the Showgirl (Marilyn Monroe, Laurence Olivier)

The White Sister (Helen Hayes, Clark Gable)

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Howard Keel, Jane Powell, Russ Tamblyn, Julie Newmar)

Rio Bravo (John Wayne, Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson, Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan)

El Dorado (John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, James Caan, Charlene Holt, Michele Carey)

Rio Grande (John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara)

Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein (What is it With Me and These Movies??)

The Stooge (Jerry Lewis’ favorite Lewis and Martin Movie… for good reason.)

Critic’s Choice (Hilarious movie starring Bob Hope and Lucille Ball)

To Please a Lady (Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck team up in a fast track movie)

Grand Hotel (Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore)

Hearts Divided (Marion Davies, Dick Powell)

The Quiet Man (John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Barry Fitzgerald)

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Classic Hollywood Books & Biographies (Reviews)

Maureen O'Hara's Autobiography 'Tis Herself

‘Tis Herself by Maureen O’Hara
I Know Where I'm Going (Katharine Hepburn Biography) and Princess

I Know Where I’m Going: Katharine Hepburn

 

Debbie Reynolds Unsinkable
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Ginger Rogers Autobiography - Ginger: My Story

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My Lucy Obsession

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Find out just how much I (truly) Love Lucy in the Lucille Ball category. I’m warning you, I call it an obsession for a very good reason…

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