This film is part of Free
Shooting Stars
Black music hall stars Scott and Whaley perform stereotypical minstrel routines in blackface in this 1937 touring revue.
Overview
Popular music hall stars Harry Scott and Eddie Whaley perform formulaic, stereotypical blackface routines in this 1930s touring revue. They had gained national popularity in the long-running radio show Kentucky Minstrels, and their 1934 appearance in a film of the same name made them two of the earliest black performers in British cinema. Although the blackface tradition is now considered racist, this form of entertainment remained popular with British audiences well into the 1970s.
Blackface minstrelsy was a popular form of entertainment based on demeaning caricatures of African-Americans. Both white and black artists would apply burnt cork to their faces and perform exaggerated and racist notions of 'plantation life'. Commonly, black entertainers could not appear before white American audiences unless they were in blackface. Minstrelsy arrived in Britain in 1848 when Master Juba and the Ethiopian Serenaders performed at a host of venues including Buckingham Palace. Scott and Whaley first appeared on the British stage in 1909; neither of them returned to the USA and both would assume British citizenship.
Related
The Perfect Woman The Perfect Woman
Comedy 1949 87 mins
In a bid to improve on nature, a scientist creates a robot female. But the experiment doesn't quite turn out as planned...
Tilly and the Fire Engines Tilly and the Fire Engines
Comedy 1911 2 mins Silent
Mischievous sisters Tilly and Sally borrow a fire engine and take it for a joy ride in this spirited film comedy.
Something Completely Different Something Completely Different
1974 4 mins Silent Location: Doune
Join John Cleese and the cast of Monty Python and the Holy Grail on location in Scotland
Miranda Miranda
Comedy 1948 80 mins
A man goes fishing and comes home with a most unusual catch in this comedy feature.
Le Petomane Le Petomane
Comedy 1979 33 mins
The immortal Leonard Rossiter makes flatulence a fine art in this short, poignant comedy-drama from Hancock writers Galton and Simpson
Arthur? Arthur! Arthur? Arthur!
Comedy 1969 101 mins Location: Camden
A hen-pecked inventor plots murder while he leads a bizarre double life as a bewigged playboy who runs a dating agency
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.