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Oct. 31, 2005 One of my favorite actresses is Pam Grier. She is also one of the most underappreciated screen goddesses of all-time. Former Omaha World-Herald critic Roger Catlin once called her, "the most wasted talent in the history of Hollywood." He cited Grier's acting skills and the fact that she was being used strictly in low-budget blaxploitation films and performing what was essentially soft-core porn. In the blaxploitation genre Grier was the biggest box-office draw and had her role of "Coffy" been franchised a la the Bond films, she would have achieved mainstream stardom much sooner. (Franchising "Coffy" is not as whack as you might6 think, being that blaxploitation films were low-budget ventures that produced large returns). < According to her biography in Wikipedia, "Grier was discovered by quickie director Roger Corman, who cast her in his women-in-prison pictures The Big Doll House (1971) and The Big Bird Cage (1972). This led to fame as a sex symbol in several action films . After a lull in her career, she earned critical acclaim, in films such as 1983's "Something Wicked This Way Comes", "Fort Apache: The Bronx," and 1997's "Jackie Brown." < Grier says, "I didn't get into this business to be famous or make a lot of money. Actors don't. I just translate the work. I knew going in that you've got to be very humble when you're an actor." < But in the mid-70's she was big and to many middle-aged blacks she will always be remembered as a tough-talking, action heroine in movies like "Coffy," (1973), "Foxy Brown," (1974), and 'Sheba, Baby' (1975). The 56-year old Grier still possesses a rare beauty (rated number 10 on BET's special, "25 Shades Of Fine") and paved the way for the success of today's new crop of black actresses, Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox, Nia Long, Regina King, Gabrielle Union and Halle Berry among others. And as in the case of Grier, the talents of these women are also under utilized. A year after winning an Emmy for her portrayal of Dorothy Dandridge, Halle Berry was producing and greenlighting film projects. After her Best Actress Oscar win in 2002, her clout was expected to increase exponentially. Todd Boyd, a USC film instructor and writer of the film, "The Wood" said of Berry's win, "I don't know if her victory really says anything for Black women in Hollywood beyond a real surface or symbolic level." Berry followed her Oscar win with the horrific "Cat Woman" and was victimized by tepid reviews in "Gothika." Plans for her to star in a James Bond spin-off seem to have lost steam. Since Whoopi Goldberg's Best Supporting Actress win in 1990 for "Ghost" and a record 13 (albeit, losing) nominations for "The Color Purple" black actresses have proven their mettle, but still are not being offered the plum Hollywood rules. Queen Latifah won a Best Supporting Actress nomination ("Chicago") and turned in what critics called a "hilarious" turn in "Bringing Down The House" opposite Steve Martin and Eugene Levy. But roles that offer her the opportunity to flex her acting muscles have been few and far between. Angela Bassett declared, "I pass on a lot of scripts because it's just not my cup of tea. I could be working all of the time. But to me, if you work at a certain level, you've got to stay there or exceed it. Your art, your belief, your integrity, your peace of mind is more important than money." The dearth of roles for black females are often attributed to black women being enigmas to writers, which may be true, being that most of the working writers in Hollywood are not black. Stories centered on black females are few and far between. This is because black writers and directors aren't afforded the chances black actors have. Spike Lee believes this will be the case until blacks gain the clout and resources to produce and greenlight projects. To this day the lone black director ever to receive an Oscar nomination is John Singleton, and that was almost fifteen years ago. Daytime television is almost as bad. Blacks make up 39 percent of the daytime-TV viewing audience, yet out of 11 daytime soaps only 24 black women have roles, and the majority of them are secondary characters. Worse, none of the producers are black and most shows employ few black writers and directors. Nia Long lamented that as a member of the cast of Guiding Light she often had to rewrite her "corny" dialogue. Movie critic Stephanie Zacharek writes, "(Blacks are) perfectly acceptable as the stars of glossy, enjoyable comedies like 'How Stella Got Her Groove Back' or 'wo Can Play That Game'--pictures aimed specifically at black audiences--but we're not clamoring to see them in 'our' comedies. There's no good reason for that other than cultural conditioning. And while cultural conditioning isn't racism, it's one of the elements that allow it to thrive." Black Actresses Nominated For Oscars Sixteen black actresses have been nominated for the Academy's top two Best Actress honors, with the only winners being Hattie McDaniel and Whoopi Goldberg (Best Supporting Actress, 1939 and 1990 respectively) and Halle Berry (Best Actress 2002). Other nominees: Goldberg (The Color Purple, 1985), Angela Bassett (What's Love Got To Do With It, 1993), Queen Latifah (Chicago, 2002), Alfre Woodard (Passion Fish, 1992), Dorothy Dandridge (Carmen Jones, 1954), Beah Richards, (Guess Who's coming To Dinner, 1967), Ethel Waters (Pinky, 1949), Juanita More (Imitation of Life, 1959), Cicely Tyson (Sounder, 1972), Diahann Carroll (Claudine, 1975), Diana Ross (Lady Sings the Blues, 1972), Margaret Avery (The Color Purple, 1985), and Oprah Winfrey (The Color Purple, 1985),. SOURCES: Kelly Carter, "Berry Widens Window for Black Actresses", USAODAY.com, March 19, 2003 Stephanie Zacharek, "Invisible Women," Salon.com Mark A. Rawls, "Hattie Or Halle...And the Oscar Goes To...?," BlackSeek.com EURWeb, "Black Actresses Dominate; Rashad Makes TONY History," June 7, 2004 www.jayepurplewolf.com/BlackOscarHistory Alan Carter, "All My Sistuhs: Black Actresses On Soap Operas," Essence magazine, August 1992 Kimberly Davis, "After Halle's Oscar: Why Black Actresses Still Can't Get Any respect in Hollywood," Ebony magazine, March 2003 Pam Grier biography, www.wikipedia.com ------------ About the author: Timothy Stelly is the 46-year old author of "Tempest In The Stone" and "The Malice of Cain". His third novel, "Darker Than Blue" is under consideration for publication. Mr. Stelly currently resides in Pittsburg, California with his three youngest children Dante, Kimberly and Lawrence. Excerpts from The first two books and the first two chapters of his upcoming anthology, "Frankenigga--And Other Urban Tales" can be viewed at: stellbread0.tripod.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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