[or-roots] Little Black Sambo 1946

[Eugene Barnes]

You should have been around in 1936 in SF where
in between films they still had vaudville.  The night
they showed Mutiny on the Bounty there was a
colored banjoist.  He broke a couple of strings but
fared well.  I think the original film with Clark Gable
was far better than the remake.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Kith-n-Kin (ATT) 
  To: or-roots at sosinet.sos.state.or.us 
  Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 1:16 PM
  Subject: RE: [or-roots] Little Black Sambo 1946


  Would it just be tacky as heck to point out that the story of "Little Black Sambo" was about an East Indian boy? Where did you ever see a tiger in Alabama? Too bad about that PC stuff, ruined a good book once people started taking offense. 



  Matter of fact, probably the first movie I ever saw was "Song of the South", played in Kinzua at the Community Center - perhaps 1945 or so. My all time favorite movie and you have to get a copy from a European source if you want to watch it today. Think I will. So there.



  I have to say, much as it pains me, that my grandfather, who probably never saw many black people growing up in Jackson County and only one Asian that I know of, was a bigot. Who knows where he got that! Fortunately, my parents somehow protected us from his behavior, or explaining that it wasn't right, so we grew up differently. Just sort of middle class white bread unintentional racist. But, we got over it.  Helps to have all sorts in the family tree. . . and to dinner. . .



  Pat (in Tucson)



  -----Original Message-----
  From: or-roots-admin at sosinet.sos.state.or.us [mailto:or-roots-admin at sosinet.sos.state.or.us] On Behalf Of Connie Guardino
  Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 12:57 PM
  To: or-roots at sosinet.sos.state.or.us
  Subject: Re: [or-roots] Little Black Sambo 1946



  There were no black people in Grants Pass when my mother was growing up. There is a "Black Sambo" story told about her: The first time she ever saw a black person, she asked: "Why does that man have shoe polish all over his face?" I forget now how old she was, but she must have been quite young. I also grew up in Grants Pass, and didn't know about blacks or hispanics until we moved to California for a brief period of time. I knew about Chinese because of neighbors. Your wife died in 1993? She was terrified by black people for the rest of her life? That seems mighty strange, as she would have lifed through the civil rights movement and should have had enough exposure to blacks to know the majority of them aren't going to put anybody in a "stew pot!" 

  Cecil Houk wrote: 

    The following is NOT PC. The story of "Little Black Sambo" is no longer allowed in this country, but it was very popular in the 1940's.  Not only in the USA, but also in Japan. Prior to WWII Japan was a "closed society"; no foreigners were allowed.  The only exposure to black people the Japanese people had was "Little Black Sambo" and stories of African cannibals. One day in 1946, a young girl was walking home from school.  She passed a field where American occupation soldiers were playing baseball.  One of them offered her a candy bar... he was black! She envisioned herself in a big stew pot!!  She ran all the way home - screaming.  She was terrified by black people for the rest of her life. I know this is true because she was my first wife.  She died in 1993, but not in a stew pot; cancer.   Midori Murakami1935-1993 Cecil Houk, ET1 USN Ret. 
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