Ethel Waters,The Nicholas Brothers, plus a re-teaming of
Dorothy Dandridge and
Harry Belafonte are the featured stars of Twentieth Century-Fox new DVD releases of 'Pinky,' 'Stormy Weather' and 'Island in the Sun.' These historic films survive the test of time as documents of their eras—the early years of the modern
Civil Rights Movement when black showbiz performers acted on their social responsibility. Each film highlights performers whose talent was backed by political conviction, demonstrating how powerful "entertainment" can be.
'Pinky'Singer-crusader Ethel Waters was one of the century’s great multi-talented performers, perhaps the first great black screen actress. Waters sought roles that allowed her to display her dramatic force without sacrificing her personal integrity (she famously clashed with directors over how she would be presented). 'Pinky' (1949) brought Waters her only Oscar nomination. The role of Dicey, grandmother of the film’s passing-for-white heroine (played by Jeanne Crain) was a departure from Waters' previous image as a musical star. But Waters herself insured that her portrayal of a Southern maid differed from other big screen mammies. Dicey knows the secrets of the white racist south and reminds her granddaughter to face the world with truth and self-respect as the definition of
black womanhood. Waters' Dicey is figure of strength and justice; the image of her entering a courtroom in a ten-gallon hat has humbling, mythic resonance. After 'Pinky,' 'Waters' career peak continued with dramatic films like
'The Member of the Wedding' (1953)
where she recreated her Broadway triumph.
'Stormy Weather'The Nicholas Brothers are part of a cavalcade of race performers in 1943's 'Stormy Weather' which also includes Lena Horne,
Bill (Bojangles) Robinson,
Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, Katharine Dunham and
Dooley Wilson. This was an unprecedented marquee line-up that was Hollywood's response to the NAACP pressure during World War II. But it is the Nicholas Brothers' spectacular dance number during the film's climax that turned the film into a classic.
As tap-dancing teenagers first appearing in 1930s short films, Fayard and Harold Nicholas perfected their acrobatic-choreographic skills in specialty numbers. Their training and imagination peaked during 'The Jumpin' Jive,' an astounding boogie ballet that brought audiences to their feet. More than dance virtuosity, this number choreographed the Nicholas Brothers' artistic struggle. They make their way up and down an elaborate staircase, displaying energy and ingenuity. It is an example of a musical number as a political parable—a triumph of grace and accomplishment. The Nicholas Brothers' legacy became the subject of the 1989
Gregory Hines film 'Tap.'
'Island in the Sun'Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte were the first black Hollywood performers allowed to dramatize their sex appeal. After appearing together in
'Bright Road'
and
'Carmen Jones,' Their final teaming in the 1957 'Island in the Sun' took another progressive step forward. This West Indies-set political drama addressed the issue of interracial romance while examining colonialism and black self-determination.
It is amazing to watch two of Hollywood’s sexiest performers focus on the complex subject of how sex and race and politics intertwine. Dandridge and Belafonte play Caribbean-born citizens enjoying the advantages of race-mixing who then develop social consciousness. How these love-torn individuals act out obligation to their community makes 'Island in the Sun' a morality tale that is both glamorous and serious. Dandridge's final film 'Tamango' was a rare slave ship drama and her legacy was saluted in the
1999 Halle Berry/HBO biopic. Belafonte more recently stole the show in the 1996 Robert Altman film 'Kansas City' for which he won the New York Film Critics Circle Award.
