Ernest Anderson. The first black lawyer in a white film.

I recently saw The Well (1951). A little black girl is missing after being seen talking to a white man who is a stranger in town. The film deals with the racial tensions which build up due to misinformation. (Always a dangerous situation). The child's father is played by Ernest Anderson. 

At the start of his career Anderson played the usual porter parts but in 1942 received a National Board of Review Award for Best Actor for his role as a law student innocent of a hit and run incident which leaves a white woman injured and her child died. 

The film was called In this Our Life (1942). Anderson wanted to play a qualified paralegal but the film company thought that would not be accepted by a white audience, so with the formidable support of the film's leading lady Bette Davis the director agreed he could be a student working in a lawyer's office, studying part time for the bar. 

I think Anderson was very handsome. My mother used to say a lot of black people have part Chinese heritage, not that it would matter, but when I look at Anderson I do wonder if he had. 












Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Harry Belafonte, Brixton Ritzy Cinema Q & A and Beetlejuice.

Image
I love the films Island in the Sun and Carmen Jones .  Both films had Harry Belafonte as the leading man, Joan Collins (also in Island in the Sun) once described Belafonte as a most beautiful man. In 2012 I was in the audience of the Q and A at The Brixton Academy cinema. The evening was to promote his book Sing your Song. I did not ask a question but one young woman's enquiry had the whole auditorium in stitches. Her question to Mr Belafonte was "Have you seen the film Beetlejuice ?" He said "No, why". She then went on to explain there is a dinner party scene which is regarded as the funniest bit of the film. One of his staff moved to his side and whispered something in his ear. "Oh I see, when I return home I shall watch it with my grandchildren". More laughter and clapping. He talked about family, his friendship with Sidney Poitier and his involvement with The Civil Rights Movement. Recounting many incidents such as the time in the deep south a pic...
Read more

James Baldwin (Jones). New York; my home from home.

Image
Among the great authors I learned about at my south London state school, I was never told about James Baldwin.  I am a little ashamed to admit I never read any of his work until recently. I have seen the film version of his book If B eale Street could talk  (2018) and   it is very good. Between 1999 and 2021 I visited New York almost every year (except 2001) and walked around Harlem where Beale Street is.  I love the song  Across 110th street  by Bobby Womack. Harlem reminded me of Brixton in the 1970s; children's noise, music and women doing hair on the pavement (sidewalk). Like Brixton, The Harlem I visited in 2023 is being gentrified and losing its old school character. What a shame. James Baldwin was one of the characters in Truman Capote vs. The Swans . They were friends. How refreshing to see a black man in a piece set in the 1970s who is not a drug dealer or criminal. 
Read more