Hattie McDaniel – (Actress)

The 1930s 

In the early ’30s when she moved to L.A., she was able to garner small roles on the radio through her brother, Sam, and sister Etta (already working in radio/film)- which turned into bit roles as extras in films. In order to get by, she took on odd jobs in domestic work while pursuing radio and film work.

Judge Priest 

In 1934, she landed her first big break on-screen role as a maid in John Ford’s Judge Priest.

Hattie has small uncredited roles as maids in films from 1932-33, but her appearance in Judge Priest in 1934 was a breakthrough role since it allowed her to demonstrate her singing talents in several numbers and perform a duet with Will Rodgers, who became a close friend. Some critics suggested that Hattie “stole” several scenes in the film from fellow comic actor Stepin Fetchit.
TheFullmovies 2013

Hattie McDaniel as Aunt Dilsey and Stepin Fetchit as Jeff Poindexter

1934, she landed her first big break on-screen role as a maid in John Ford's Judge Priest.

 

 

 

 

 

In the first of two films Hattie made at RKO with Ginger Rogers in 1938, VIVACIOUS LADY (right), she plays the small and rather unremarkable role of a washroom attendant. Later that year in CAREFREE (1938), Ginger's eighth musical with Fred Astaire and a decent screwball comedy, Hattie once again makes a very minor contribution, this time as an attendant (named "Hattie") at the country club where most of the plot takes place.

In the first of two films Hattie made at RKO with Ginger Rogers in 1938, VIVACIOUS LADY(right), she plays the small and rather unremarkable role of a washroom attendant. Later that year in CAREFREE(1938), Ginger’s eighth musical with Fred Astaire and a decent screwball comedy, Hattie once again makes a very minor contribution, this time as an attendant (named “Hattie”) at the country club where most of the plot takes place.

SHOW BOAT 

“Hattie had landed a job as part of the chorus in Florenz Ziegfeld’s musical tour Show Boat. While in Milwaukee, the star, cast, and crew heard the news that the stock market had crashed. Though everyone was shocked, Florenz Ziegfeld reacted in a way that could only be deemed cruel.

Stranded and Broke
With the financial collapse of Wall Street, Florenz Ziegfeld no longer had the capital to keep Show Boat running. What’s worse was there was no money to pay the entertainers the wages they were due or to finance their transportation home. Everyone was out of a job, including Hattie. Suddenly, she was stranded in Milwaukee without a dime to her name.

[“When it premiered on Broadway in 1927, Show Boat instantly changed the musical landscape. Never before had a mainstream musical so seamlessly blended narrative and song, explored controversial social issues, and integrated African-American characters and culture into its plot and score. Theatergoers flocked to Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s ambitious adaptation of Edna Ferber’s popular novel, and over the ensuing 25 years, Hollywood would produce three very different versions of the classic tale of love, loss, and intolerance on the majestic Mississippi.”]

With zero prospects for work in her beloved entertainment industry, Hattie knew she had to take what she could get. So, she pushed her pride aside and accepted a job as a bathroom attendant at a nightclub called Club Madrid. Her talents were temporarily extinguished; she bided her time until she could perform again.

The Comeback Kid

“Cleaning the stalls and replacing toilet paper weren’t the only things Hattie did while at work. She studied the stage and its performers, waiting for her chance to shine once again. One night, that chance finally came. The club owner had dismissed all of the acts but needed one last performer to close out the set. Hattie was more than happy to oblige. After a rousing version of St. Louis Blues, the crowd went crazy. Her boss was so impressed he promoted her from washroom attendant to stage singer that night. Things were looking up.”

After performing at Club Madrid for two years, the Great Depression had taken its toll, forcing the owner to close the doors. This time, Hattie was prepared. With her savings in her pocket, she caught a bus to Hollywood, ready to conquer the film industry. 

Show Boat (1936)


In this 1936 romantic musical directed by James Whale (Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, and Bride of Frankenstein), the film covers is about a showboat that travels the Mississippi River putting on shows. It starred Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Paul Robeson, and Hattie McDaniel.

Hattie McDaniel and Paul Robeson in the musical Showboat

Hattie McDaniel and Paul Robeson in the musical Showboat [ 1936 In a still from Show Boat, McDaniel performed with actors Irene Dunne, Paul Robeson, and Helen Morgan.]

“Show Boat Novel by Edna Ferber Show Boat is a 1926 novel by American author and dramatist Edna Ferber. It chronicles the lives of three generations of performers on the Cotton Blossom, a floating theater on a steamboat that travels between small towns along the banks of the Mississippi River, from the 1880s to the 1920s.”

 

Ah Still Suits Me ( Show Boat) 1936

Helen Morgan, Hattie & Irene Dunne in "Show Boat" (1936).

Helen Morgan, Hattie and Irene Dunne in Show Boat (1936).

Can’t help lovin’ dat man.

Irene Dunne, Helen Morgan, Paul Robeson, and Hattie McDaniel 

 

Hattie McDaniel and Paul Robeson

Show Boat (1936)
Directed by James Whale
Shown from left: Hattie McDaniel, Paul Robeson

The Great Lie (1941)

Bette Davis

1941

McDaniel acted alongside Bette Davis in the drama, The Great Lie.

*~*

A Rudy Vallee Show rehearsal turns into a conga dance. L-R: John, daughter Diana, Hattie McDaniel, Joan Davis, and Vallee, January 1942.

*~*

 

Thank Your Lucky Stars – (1943)

Hattie McDaniel and Willie Best

Hattie McDaniel and Willie Best – “Thank Your Lucky Stars,” 1943.

Hattie McDaniel & Willie Best – Ice Cold Katie | Thank Your Lucky Stars | Warner Archive

 

Hattie McDaniel, Rita Christina, Willie Best and Jesse Lee Brooks 

Bette Davis and Hattie McDaniel 

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ARCHIVIST, EDUCATOR, HISTORIAN, and ARTiST
Dale Ricardo Shields is a 2017 winner of The Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award®, 2017 and 2015 Tony® award nominee for the Excellence in Theatre Education Award, the 2017 AUDELCO/"VIV" Special Achievement Award, 2020, 2021, and 2022 ENCORE AWARD / The Actors Fund and winner of the 2022.

Recently, he won the 2022 Legend Award from his alma mater Ohio University.

He is the 2021 winner of the Paul Robeson Award, presented (jointly) by the Actors Equity Association and the Actors Equity Foundation.

Research Accomplishments:
His extensive professional credits as a Director, Stage manager, and Actor (Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and Regional) As an actor he has appeared on Saturday Night Live, Another World, Guiding Light, The Cosby Show, and the ITV television series "Special Needs" and commercials and film.

Professor Shields is a member of the Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the American Guild of Musical Artists performance unions and an associate member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.

He began his artistic academic career in New York City at Playwrights Horizon, The South Bronx Action Theatre, and Mind Builders, and then was invited to join the teaching staff at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre (New York Shakespeare Festival). He represented the United States for Theatre Young Audiences at the ASSITEJ Theatre Festival in London, England.

He has been a Professor and Visiting Artist at Ohio University, The College of Wooster, Denison University, Macalester College, Randolph- Macon College, Susquehanna University, and SUNY Potsdam.

He holds B.F.A and M.F.A, Degrees from Ohio University.

Website(s)

Iforcolor.org [Research]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Ricardo_Shields [Career]