MARY POPPINS RACISM AND TENNESSEE WILLIAMS SEXISM

Race and sex, negatives where inappropriately applied. For the moment, part of our everyday lives. Political correctness gone amuck. Overwhelmingly so.

Mary Poppins and Tennessee Williams fitting examples.

Mary Poppins a great 1964 movie. Healthful entertainment for children and adults alike. Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke starring.

White persons black faced are a no no.

Julie Andrews was black faced during a portion of the movie. A scene had her dancing on a roof top with Van Dyke and 2 children. She had been performing as a chimney sweep.

She ended up on the roof top after cleaning a chimney. Her face sporadically covered with soot. Rather than wipe it off, she powdered her nose and cheeks with the soot, thereby making her face even blacker.

The New York Times recently ran an op-ed by a Linfield College Professor. Daniel Pollack-Pelzner. Pelzner considered Julie Andrews actions racist.

Come on! Julie Andrews a racist under the circumstances? Mary Poppins likewise a racist? A step too far. Way too far!

Tennessee Williams had his day as a sexist. Though not in today’s time frame.

In 1955, Williams wrote the play 27 Wagons Full. The play was made into a movie in 1956. The movie Baby Doll. Starred Carol Baker, Karl Malden and Eli Wallach. Eli Kazan directed.

The movie received several Academy Award nominations. Kazan won for Best Director. Williams wrote and co-produced the movie.

A hit!

However considered by many at the time as the “dirtiest American made motion picture…..ever…..legally exhibited.” Especially the Catholic Church.

The movie involved 2 southern male rivals seeking the sexual charms of a 19 year old virgin child bride. Carol Baker the 19 year old. A beauty. Sensuous even when not performing.

The denounced portion showed Baker lying in a crib, wearing a short night gown, and sucking her thumb. Another incident showed Wallach with his hands on Baker’s thighs just under the night gown.

Cardinal Spellman denounced the movie from the pulpit of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Twenty million Catholics picketed the movie on its opening weekend in New York and Los Angeles. Three quarters of the theaters pulled the film.

The movie otherwise ran. Was a box office hit. Is considered today one of the 1,000 best movies ever made.

The scenes criticized would not even receive an R rating under today’s standards. The movie would not be condemned by the Catholic Church. The only adverse result was Williams carried the stigma of being a sexist for a short period of time.

Sex condemnations fly easily these days. The woman says, I accuse! The man is automatically deemed a sexist. No due process. The charge being sufficient to attribute guilt.

Not correct.

My yesterday began early evening at Dueling Bartenders. A special treat. Bobby Nesbitt was guest performer. He and Rick Dery mostly sang the songs of yesterday. The “40’s and ’50’s. The audience’s age made it appropriate.

Loved it all! Sang along with most of the tunes!

My dear friend Liz was there with Mary and Josefina. Lynda Frechette came in. Try to make her Aqua Idol Show tonight. A hit this year again!

Donna and Terri arrived later. Terri looked terrific. Her clothes color blended well. Though 100 percent blind, she can select the colors and designs of that which she wishes to wear as if she actually saw them. The Blind Association has provided her with a scanner. She scans the clothes. The scanner’s audio tells her color and design.

Amazing!

Donna had just returned from several days in New York. Her son Brett’s 50th birthday. The whole family made it to New York for the event.

Donna’s trip proved that Terri can function alone for a few days. This was the second trip Donna recently had to make. Terri did alright in each instance. Bear and friends providing some assistance along the way.

Joseph arrived. Love Joseph! A great guy! No St. John the Baptist pole last night. He was walking with a cane.

Joseph shared some bad news with me. Linda died 2 weeks ago. Linda Patchett. I mentioned her frequently when we would run into each other at Dueling Bartenders. Linda had been an optometrist her entire life. As her father before her. I purchased several pair of prescription glasses from her over the years.

I liked Linda. A quiet sweet person. Always with a smile.

I told Joseph I missed her obituary in the newspaper. He said it had not been in. She died in Miami.

The Lord is pretty old. Been around many yeas. I can visualize Linda fitting Him with reading glasses.

Mary stopped in after work. We enjoyed a drink together and then went to La Trattoria for dinner.

Packed! The season is on! People standing everywhere waiting for a table.

Tiffany bartending.

Sitting next to me at the bar was Robert Spottswood. I had not seen him in a couple of years. He and his family own and operate among other properties the Marriott Beachside. It was catch up time.

I came across a December 15th Miami Herald article this morning having to do with the cosmetic shops on Duval. The shops that are troublesome. They have the reputation of ripping off older tourists with age defying cosmetic products.

The elderly purchasers do not realize they have spent thousands of dollars till they arrive home and get a credit card bill.

A local group last Fall began picketing the shops. They appear to be Israeli owned and operated. The group has been somewhat successful. A couple of stores have returned monies to elderly customers.

The group continues to picket and protest, carry signs. Such obviously not good for business.

The Miami Herald article claimed the staff of these stores were hired and trained in Israel. Everything. How to induce the customer into the store, how to handle the sale, etc. The sales team consists generally of sweet lovely young Israeli ladies.

December 15 was Counterprotest International Holocaust Remembrance Day. One of the store owners confronted the pickets with a sign of his own. It said “Nazis.” He was charging those picketing his business with being Nazis because he was a Jew. Turned out 2 of the protesters were Jews. One had lost family in one of the concentration camps.

This mishmash carried into January. The Key West City Commission wanted to pass a set of guidelines by which the cosmetic shops were to operate. It would have passed easily. However a lone Commission person, Sam Kaufman, said wait! There may be an anti-Semitic issue here.

The matter remains up in the air. The shops continue to operate. The pickets continue to picket.

Trump’s State of the Union tonight at 8. Supposedly will be conciliatory. I’ll believe it when I see it.

My podcast Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou this evening at 9. A quick hard hitting interesting half hour. Join me. You will enjoy! www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

I close with a Happy New Year! A Happy Lunar New Year! Today is the Chinese New Year. The beginning of the Year of the Pig.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One comment on “MARY POPPINS RACISM AND TENNESSEE WILLIAMS SEXISM

  1. Was that one of the Spottswoods who closed off the great views of Key West from the top of the La Concha Hotel that used to be free to all?

    w

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