Hollywood Black: 5 shocking revelations from the historical docuseries

Episode 1 of Hollywood Black, the 4-episode docuseries by Justin Simien, was released on MGM+ on August 11, 2024. Titled Built On Our Backs, the first episode’s official synopsis reads:

“From the silent era to the late 1960s, an emboldened generation of Black actors and directors make films that counter denigrating imagery of Black people and forever change Hollywood's perception of Black storytellers.”

As the synopsis clarifies, the first episode of Hollywood Black goes all the way back to the inception of cinema and starts from there to show how a group of black artists started making their presence felt and matter in the essentially white industry of Hollywood.

As Hollywood Black plunges into history and anecdotes related by the several talking heads, episode 1 lays bare certain shocking facts concerning Hollywood’s perception and treatment of Black people.

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5 revelations from Hollywood Black

1) The Birth of a Nation was screened inside the White House

Donald Bogle in Hollywood Black (Image via MGM+)

D.W. Griffith’s 1915 film The Birth of a Nation is notorious for the racism it portrays. It represents members of the Klu Klux Klan as saviors who protect the white people from the threats posed by vengeful black ex-slaves.

W. Kamau Bell says in Hollywood Black how such a portrayal of black people would “program” one to “associate images of Black characters who are played by white people, r*ping and pillaging and robbing and rioting.”

Griffith’s film was the second film ever to be shown at the White House and the first to be screened inside. The then President, Woodrow Wilson, allegedly praised the film, Donald Bogle claims in episode 1.

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2) Oscar Micheaux had to go crowdfunding to make his movies

The Birth of a Nation painted a bleak picture of the black populace in America. In order to counter that, a number of black artists emerged. One of them was the filmmaker Oscar Micheaux.

However, making films as a black man was no easy task at that time. With no studio eager to help him, he went door to door asking people for money so he could make his movie.

This way, he went on to make films like Within Our Gates and The Homestead, among others. Oscar Micheaux is a potent embodiment of the resilience and creativity among black artists that Hollywood Black celebrates.

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3) Hattie McDaniel had to sit separately at the Academy Awards

A still from Hollywood Black (Image via MGM+)

Hattie McDaniel is now known as the first black artist to win an Oscar. She received the honor for portraying the role of Ruth Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939), bagging the Best Supporting Actress award.

However, even after delivering a superlative performance and earning an Oscar nomination, McDaniel had to suffer racist prejudices. She was denied a seat along with the rest of the cast of the film, who were white. As the only black nominee in the room, she was made to sit separately.

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4) Paul Robeson had to suffer for his outspoken views

Paul Robeson was a famous name in the acting profession by the 1930s, having established himself as a powerful theater actor. Amidst his rising celebrity, he became the first black actor to act in the leading role in a movie.

His performance as Brutus in the 1933 film The Emperor Jones is famous even today. However, Hollywood Black revisits how the actor refused to shoot any scene of the movie below the border called the Mason-Dixon line. This was the boundary that separated the slave states and free states before the abolishment of slavery.

Moreover, he was an outspoken anti-racist individual in many other respects. The docuseries suggests that his career suffered due to his vocal involvement in the political scenario of the day.

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5) Bert Williams was told to darken his skin

When the nascent form of cinema was just taking its first steps, a genre of theatrical shows called “minstrels” was popular. Centered mainly around black people, these would perpetuate racist stereotypes against them.

These would be attended by white audiences, and during the performances, the black actors would be told to darken their faces further in order to cater to the white spectators’ gaze.

Bert Williams, one of the most celebrated performers of the day, was told to do the same. He later went on to craft the first black Broadway show, In Dahomey.

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The docuseries Hollywood Black is inspired by the 2019 book Hollywood Black: The Stars, the Films, the Filmmakers by historian Donald Bogle. Episode 2 of Hollywood Black will be released on August 18, 2024, only on MGM+.