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Poll_Blind

(23,864 posts)

4. Yeah, I've had that happen when I show old movies to my youngest son.

Reply to Snake Alchemist (Original post)

Mon Apr 9, 2012, 11:02 AM

Apr 2012

I'll recall the movie (or occasionally, an old cartoon) fondly, only to find myself wide-eyed during a scene where there is some obvious racial stereotype slur-type thing going on and I'm like "Whoaaa! OK, papa needs to explain what's going on here. This movie was made a long time ago and..."

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I did not remember "Breakfast of Tiffany's" being so racist. [View all] Snake Alchemist Apr 2012 OP

I bet we didn't think much of it at the time -- we've come a long way, thankfully. nt gateley Apr 2012 #1

True enough. But it's Breakfast at Tiffany's or Breakfast of Champions. GodlessBiker Apr 2012 #2

Goodbye blue Monday. nt raouldukelives Apr 2012 #40

Breakfast of Tiffany's sounds like a porn flick n2doc Apr 2012 #57

Weren't all of the Charlie Chan's white?? RockaFowler Apr 2012 #3

Yep, including Peter Sellars playing Chan in "Murder by Death" and... Poll_Blind Apr 2012 #6

The definitive Chan was - Warner Oland, Swedish by birth. sarge43 Apr 2012 #9

And Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto - Japanese - Peter Lorre is at least talented el_bryanto Apr 2012 #16

Even John Wayne got in on the act - played Genghis Khan LibDemAlways Apr 2012 #42

Yeah, I've had that happen when I show old movies to my youngest son. Poll_Blind Apr 2012 #4

Yeah. "Say, Dad, 'Ug' is from which Native American language?". n/t JHB Apr 2012 #63

I've seen it recently and thought the same... KansDem Apr 2012 #5

I know, it'a appalling...but that's what was accepted back then... joeybee12 Apr 2012 #7

I still marvel at Italian Al Pacino playing a Cuban Tony Montana in "Scarface."..n/t monmouth Apr 2012 #39

That actually was not so bad considering the lack of Cuban actors at the time. vaberella Apr 2012 #62

I never realized that was Mickey Rooney. The one I remember when this comes up is Hop Sing brewens Apr 2012 #8

Then there was "Hey Boy" from "Have Gun, Will Travel" immoderate Apr 2012 #12

Yes, but Joel Gray almost seemed to be praising Koreans in Remo Williams. Snake Alchemist Apr 2012 #13

Remo Williams, thanks for the reminder. immoderate Apr 2012 #18

You know what's funny? MrScorpio Apr 2012 #24

"The Korean is the most perfect creature ever to sanctify the earth with the imprint of its foot." Snake Alchemist Apr 2012 #26

I think Hop Sing was a nickname the white Cleita Apr 2012 #21

Both Hop and Sing are actually Chinese names XemaSab Apr 2012 #54

Movies are amazing windows into the past. Kablooie Apr 2012 #58

PBS did a series, Frontier House, where they reference a historical merchant with a similar name belcffub Apr 2012 #23

7 Brides for 7 Brothers intaglio Apr 2012 #10

It was certainly a different time. Johnny Rico Apr 2012 #11

When were the "Censored Eleven" released? MicaelS Apr 2012 #30

My bad. I thought they'd released them last year, as they said they were going to. Johnny Rico Apr 2012 #33

First JustAnotherGen Apr 2012 #14

cant blame this one on white christian straight males, Truman Capote wrote it bart95 Apr 2012 #15

Gore Vidal on Capote: "He's a full-fledged housewife from Kansas with all the prejudices." Tom Ripley Apr 2012 #27

seems like vidal had his own prejudices bart95 Apr 2012 #36

I thought you meant Vidal's anti-semitism Tom Ripley Apr 2012 #41

That person doesnt think anyone has the right to be offended by anything bigoted, ever, unless... stevenleser Apr 2012 #43

LOL Mr Dixon Apr 2012 #17

There was never a black person in Mayberry either and this was supposed Cleita Apr 2012 #20

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think maybe the first regular black character on TV Art_from_Ark Apr 2012 #47

I remember him and that show. I don't remember if he was the first. Cleita Apr 2012 #49

Now that I think about it, I Spy, starring Bill Cosby, also debuted in 1965. Art_from_Ark Apr 2012 #52

Are you thinking of "Julia"? Art_from_Ark Apr 2012 #53

Maybe that was it. n/t Cleita Apr 2012 #72

Actually daligirl519 Apr 2012 #51

That's good. I never watched it after the first few years. Cleita Apr 2012 #56

There was also the episode where Grand Kleagle Ernest T Bass killed those civil rights workers Tom Ripley Apr 2012 #66

LOL. . . daligirl519 Apr 2012 #74

Or Marlon Brando playing an Okinawan in "Tea House of the August Moon". Cleita Apr 2012 #19

I think much of the problem was that Hollywood.. Bigmack Apr 2012 #22

That's the first one that came to my mind. You beat me to it. nt Speck Tater Apr 2012 #25

Actually, Hollywood back then was run by another minority, Jews. Cleita Apr 2012 #50

Yeah, I hear you ZHerolds73 Apr 2012 #28

...or that scene when George Pepard takes Audrey Hepburn to a Klan picnic Bucky Apr 2012 #29

I really did laugh out loud Tom Ripley Apr 2012 #45

hollywood and tv thrive on stereotyping. it's a shorthand for introducing characters. unblock Apr 2012 #31

There's always Olivier corking up in "Othello" Tom Ripley Apr 2012 #32

Or Olivier and Heston in "Khartoum" intaglio Apr 2012 #59

That's right! And you have also reminded me of Heston wearing a heavy coat of Man Tan as Tom Ripley Apr 2012 #65

Alec Guinness and Anthony Quinn, Lawrence of Arabia sarge43 Apr 2012 #71

That's the era when the following Jello commercial aired: Lydia Leftcoast Apr 2012 #34

The 70's had a few bad ones too RockaFowler Apr 2012 #60

We progressed, but that progress stopped in 1981 and we've been backsliding ever since. n/t Egalitarian Thug Apr 2012 #35

I have a lot of old time radio shows on my iPod. randome Apr 2012 #37

I remember those Jack Benny ones. Cleita Apr 2012 #38

Those were the days when the only TV Asians were houseboys or Fu Manchu types mainer Apr 2012 #44

I'm not good at calling people out on soft racism. Then I feel like a heel. We are all a product of applegrove Apr 2012 #46

This was pointed out in Dragon: The Bruce Lee story SomethingFishy Apr 2012 #48

Racism against Asians is a time-honored tradition XemaSab Apr 2012 #55

And this film is post WWII and right before Vietnam War. n/t vaberella Apr 2012 #64

That Dr. Seuss? nt Snake Alchemist Apr 2012 #67

It sure is XemaSab Apr 2012 #70

I can tell you as a child I saw it as racist. Watch any western for crazy racism. vaberella Apr 2012 #61

Chuck Connors as "Geronimo!" Tom Ripley Apr 2012 #68

Donna Reed as Sacajawea, The Far Horizons (1955) n/t sarge43 Apr 2012 #69

Do ya'll remember Lee in East of Eden? ananda Apr 2012 #73

. Go Vols Apr 2012 #75