Sidney Poitier- Hollywood’s Obama
Just a week back, as i was looking at the T.V. flashing images of Barack Obama, making his victory speech, i felt a kind of thrill in me, a sort of vicarious hapiness. I had heard many “well educated” Indians often make disparaging remarks about Kallus, and don’t go into Black dominated areas, and how Blacks were dangerous. In fact there were more “educated” Indians , who said that they would not vote for Obama, reason “Kallu Hai yaar”. I guess many of these people never knew what it meant to be a Black in US.
How would you feel, when you go to a restaurant, and see a sign, saying you are not allowed inside, because you look different? Or live in fear of being lynched by a mob, if you so just happen to stare at a White girl, or for whatever reason? Or sitting in a separate corner of the bus, so that your presence does not pollute the white persons?
I first got a view of the horiffying treament that Black slaves faced in US, when i read Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Later on some time, i saw a video casette of the TV serial Roots, based on Alex Haley’s novel. One of the most searing depictions of slavery and mistreatment of blacks. As i grew up reading novels like To Kill a Mockingbird, and watching movies like Missisippi Burning, Amistad i emphathized more and more with the blacks. Even in Korea, i met some black people, and contrary to general perception they were not hip hop loving, bling wearing kind who said “yo” in every speech. One was a school teacher, one was working for the US consulate. Even while working for GE, i had a couple of Black Americans, who came down, and no they were not the general Black stereotype.
For me Obama’s victory was significant, because in 1900, there were riots when Booker T Washington was invited to dinner at White House by Teddy Roosevelt. 108 years later, a black person will be actually sitting in the White House as President. For years Blacks were barred from schools, restaurants or allowed to have their own segregated spaces, until the Civil Rights movement, bought to home the gross inequality. In a nation that prided itself on personal liberty and freedom of speech, a significant majority never had any freedom to begin with, just because they looked different. In 1968, Martin Luther King jr, said I have a dream, and today, Obama is the culmination of that dream. Whether Obama comes good on his promises or not, is a different story, but the fact that he was elected as President, shows that the US, has come a long way.
And as i was watching Obama, my mind immediately flashed back to the Academy Awards show in 2002. I guess that had created a huge buzz among Indians, mainly due to Lagaan being one of the 5 nominess. But something else, caught my attention. As this man, was awarded the Honorary Academy Award, we had a montage of clippings from various black actors like Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Laurence Fishburne, Will Smith, Samuel Jackson, and their verdict was simple, “We are here today because of this man”.
And that man was Sidney Poitier, actor, director, diplomat and social activist.
Today we have many famous black actors in leading roles, like Washington, Smith, Jackson, Cuba Gooding jr to name a few. But when Sidney Poitier started to work in movies, Hollywood movies, usually showed Black actors as clowns, crooks or shady characters. In fact in some cases, White actors, would appear as Black characters, with their faces totally blackened by shoe polish and speaking with a thick accent. In fact even todate, that persists to some extent, in spite of many succesful Black actors in leading roles, i rarely see a White heroine cast opposite a Black actor, as a romantic lead. In fact when Denzel Washington co starred with Julia Roberts in The Pelican Brief, studio executives were reluctant to have a kissing scene between them. Hollywood is generally wary of inter racial romances especially between a Black hero and a White heroine, though they don’t mind it the other way around.
There are many similiarities between Obama and Poitier. Poitier broke the glass ceiling for Black actors, by appearing in leading roles. He was the first Black actor to be nominated for an Oscar in the Best Actor category( Defiant Ones) and the first Black actor to win an Oscar for Best Actor( Lililes of the Field). Apart from being a succesful actor he was an equally succesful director also, with hit movies like Stir Crazy and Fast Forward. And yes apart from writing 3 autobiographies, he was also the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan.
And this considering that he was born into a dirt poor family in Miami with his parents being vegetable sellers. Arrested for juvenile deliquency and vagrancy, he got along doing many menial jobs. During those days, the only avenue for black actors, was the American Negro theater, and even there he was a failure, thanks to his thick Bahamian accent. In fact to the extent that one of the casting agents, asked him to go and wash dishes. He took this as a challenge, improved his accent, and by 1949 he became to be noticed on Broadway. He made his Hollywood debut in 1947 with Sepia Cinderella, at a time when Black actors were only given walk on parts.
Poitiers first major role was in the 1955 flick, The Blackboard Jungle, where he was a rebellious student at a high school, who often clashed with his idealistic teacher. He would later do a role reversal in To Sir With Love, where he played a teacher who wins over a class of rebellious students. The Defiant Ones in 1958 would be his defining role, as it earned him his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Directed by Stanley Kramer, this flick looked at the racism angle, with Poitier playing a Black prisoner, who is forced to cooperate with John “Joker” Jackson(Tony Curtis), a racist Southerner, when both escape. How these two men overcome their hatred and come together, is what the movie is about.
The 60’s was the era when Sidney Poitier finally emerged as one of the leading stars of Hollywood. 1963’s Lililes of the Field, broke ground, when Sidney Poitier won the Best Actor Oscar for his role, being the first Black person to hold the coveted prize. Based on a novel by William Barrett, this movie is about Homer Smith, a handy man, and Jack of all trades kind, who helps a group of East German nuns, build a new chapel in the Arizona desert. The movie takes it’s name from the fact that when Homer demands to be paid, for his services, the Mother Superior tells him
Look at the lilies of the field, they continue to appear beautiful even though they get no payment. The bloom is to honor God, but not to get paid for their work.
In fact Smith has no such idealistic feelings, and he keeps working for the nuns, hoping they will pay him some day. But the problem is that the Nuns are as poor as Smith, and most of them persist on charities. A very poigant, very emotional movie.
In the 1965 movie, The Greatest Story Ever Told, which was about Christ’s life, he played an important role as Simon of Cyrene.
1967 would be the year when Sidney Poitier appeared in 3 landmark movies.
To Sir With Love- One of Poitier’s best movies and in fact one of his best performances. Poitier plays Mark Thatcher, a black school teacher, who takes up a job in a predominantly white London high school. In fact Thatcher, is a qualified Communications Engineer, but has been unable to land with a job befitting his qualification. He takes this job, primarily as a means to make his ends meet. However the students are a wild bunch, especially their leaders Bert and Pamela. How Poitier is able to win over the students and motivates them to do better, is what the movie is about. Poitier shines in a performance that is dignified, understated and restrained, never ever going overboard even once.
In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night- One of the best movies about racism in the Deep South. Poitier plays Virgil Tibbs, a Philadelphian homicide detective, who investigates a murder in a Southern town. He also has to contend with the local police chief Bill Gillespie( Rod Steiger), who is a typical Southern racist. The movie is famous for that quote “They call me Mr.Tibbs”. It won the Best Actor for Rod Steiger, as also the Best Movie at Oscars. A very engaging drama, with excellent performances from both Poitier and Steiger.
Guess Who came to Dinner
Guess Who is Comming to Dinner- A movie that was somewhat daring for it’s times, showing an interracial romance. Poitier plays Dr.Prentice, who is dating a White woman, Joanna( Katherie Houghton). The trouble begins when Joanna takes him to meet her parents Matt( Spencer Tracy) and Christina( Katherine Hepburn). Her otherwise liberal upper class California based parents, are not too comfortable with the fact that their daughter is dating a Black person. Director Stanley Kramer, exposes the basic dichotomy of the liberal class in the US, who when really faced with a challenge of establishing their credentials, are hesistant to take a step forward. In fact this was the last movie of the famous on screen pair of Tracy and Hepburn, after this movie, Spencer Tracy passed away due to cancer.
Sidney Poitier made his directorial debut in the 1970’s with Buck and the Preacher, where Poitier co starred with Harry Belafonte, as a trail guide, who helps escaped slaves to the West. The Wilby Conspiracy in 1975, saw him co star with Michael Caine as a South African revolutionary, who joins with an Englishman to escape a racist Afrikaner cop. Though his later movie appearances were not too frequent, he made an impact in the caper flick Sneakers as one of the members of a heist gang and as a Fed director in The Jackal, who takes the assistance of a former IRA prisoner to capture the dreaded assasin.
As a director he also directed the two hit comedies Stir Crazy and Hanky Panky, both of them starring Gene Wilder. Stir Crazy in fact starred the hit comic duo of Wilder and Richard Pryor, as two down on their luck men, trying to become big stars. Like most other Wilder-Pryor comedies, both of them are accused of a crime they did not commit, and their attempts to escape. In 1980 it was the 3rd biggest hit, and rated to date as one of the best comedies.
Today if we enjoy a Denzel Washington or Morgan Freeman or Will Smith or Samuel Jackson on screen, it is thanks to this man, who overcame barriers of poverty and illiteracy to emerge as one of the legends of screen. He could have made his background an excuse and drifted into a world of crime. But Poitier choose to overcome his weakness at every stage, and overcame every barriet. A truly inspiring legend, who to date is a role model for his dignity, character, integrity and personality. As they say men like Sidney Poitier, come once in a lifetime. A true YugPurush.
Tags: Barack Obama, Black Actors, Guess Who is Comming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night, Oscars, Sidney Poitier, Stir Crazy, To Sir With Love
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Good article, Ratnakar. It’s funny that I discovered Sidney Poitier just two days ago, when I saw “Guess Who is Coming to Dinner” on TCM. I was pretty impressed with the way the movie handled interracial dating in San Francisco, probably the most liberal city in America. It also had great performances by Spencer Tracey and Katherine Hepburn.
1967 was a very influential year in Hollywood. Besides the Poitier movies, we got “The Graduate” and “Bonnie and Clyde”. That year signalled the beginning of the film renaissance in America, and paved way for great ’70’s cinema.
Nice article there. Poitier has been one of my favourite hollywood actors.
Guess who’s coming to dinner was aired on Star movies sometime in the late 90’s or maybe 2000-01. I immediately took to Poitier’s acting and watched To Sir with Love, The Defiant Ones, In the Heat of the night and many more.
Didn’t know tht Stir Crazy was a Poitier direction…i liked it.
@papaji : Its interesting that we were both initiated into Poitier through Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner on TV.
Hi,
To date have seen only two flicks having Poitier. Guess Who’s coming to dinner and The Jackal. While the later is an out and out Hollywood A-list star vehicle the former is a an A-list star movie, forget the stars.
Way ahead of its time in all respects I would recommend it to all lovers of moviedom.
Cheers