Hattie McDaniel - Controversy Over Roles

Controversy Over Roles

McDaniel faced growing criticism from some members of the black community as her fame grew. Groups such as the NAACP complained that Hollywood stereotypes not only restricted blacks to servant roles and but often portrayed blacks as lazy, dim-witted, perfectly satisfied in lowly positions, or violent. In addition to speaking with studios, they called upon actors, and especially leading black actors, to pressure studios to offer more expansive roles and at least not to pander to stereotypes. They argued that the systemic portrayals were unfair and that, coupled with segregation and other discrimination, such stereotypes were making it difficult for all blacks, not just actors, to overcome racism and succeed. Some attacked McDaniel as being an "Uncle Tom," or a person willing to advance personally by perpetuating racial stereotypes or being an agreeable agent of offensive racial restrictions. McDaniel characterized these challenges as class-based biases against domestics, a claim that white columnists seemed to accept. And she reportedly said,"Why should I complain about making $700 a week playing a maid? If I didn't, I'd be making $7 a week being one." McDaniel may also have been criticicized because, unlike many other black entertainers, did not become publicly involved in civil rights battles and was largely absent from efforts to establish a base in independent black films. She did not join the Negro Actors Guild until 1947, very late in her career. The Guild was a benevolent organization that helped black entertainers in need and many major black stars and some white ones belonged to it. McDaniel hired one of the few white agents who would represent black actors in those days, William Meiklejohn, to advance her career. Evidence suggests that she made a tactical decision not to become openly involved in politics, even on the pressing issue of civil rights. When columnist Hedda Hopper sent her Richard Nixon placards and asked McDaniel to distribute them, McDaniel declined in a letter, saying that she had made a decision to stay out of politics. Referencing her TV persona she stated, "Beulah is everybody's friend." She claimed she was making an honest dollar and should not be criticized for taking the work that was offered. Her critics, especially Walter White of the NAACP, claimed that she and other actors who agreed to play to stereotypes were not a neutral force, but rather were willing agents of black oppression.

McDaniel and other black actors feared that their roles would dry up if the NAACP and other critics of Hollywood stereotyping complained too loudly. McDaniel blamed these critics for negatively affecting her career and sought the aid of allies who some deemed questionable. After speaking with McDaniel, Hedda Hopper wrote a column claiming that McDaniel's career problems were not the fault of racism but were caused by McDaniel's "own people."