Comments on: Hattie McDaniel’s Path to Her Oscar

By: Karen

Karen — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 04:04:56 +0000

Recently, McDaniel’s personal Signed Presentation Script for Gone With The Wind went up for auction. It was purchased by The Shaw-Tumblin Gone With The Wind Collection. I have learned that the script, along with several original Gone With The Wind Costumes, will be on display at the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas beginning April 30, 2011.

By: moirafinnie

moirafinnie — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 19:59:45 +0000

Hi Penny,
I have been trying to find out more about Mr. Yober, too, but so far, after looking in newspaper archives available and in biographical information on Hattie McDaniel, I haven’t found any more about this escort. Given the range of Hattie McDaniel’s interests in life, F.P. Yober may have been a gentleman friend or a business associate, though I would guess that the actress would want to choose someone she could rely on for support on such a special occasion. I hope that if you find more out about Bernice Lancaster Yober or F.P. and their possible connection to Miss McDaniel, you will feel free to post it here, as I will too if I discover more.

Thanks so much for bringing to light this question.

Moira

By: Penny Rahming

Penny Rahming — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:55:07 +0000

Wondering about Hattie’s escort, F. P. Yober. Was he an actor or a close friend? I am researching an actress Bernice Lancaster Yober. Later Hattie’s escort was Wonderful Smith. Loved Hattie in all her roles.

By: stevie68a

stevie68a — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:11:44 +0000

She steals every scene she’s in GWTW. It is notable that she was, in fact, part of the family at a time (1939) when that would not be acceptable.
Viva Hattie McDaniel!

By: Richard Sutor

Richard Sutor — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:28:08 +0000

Moria,

Your article moved me to tears several times and I had to replay Ms. McDaniel’s acceptance speech 3 times times before I could keep my eyes clear for the whole response. What a fantastic actress she was.

I, too, have high hopes Mo’Nique is successful in bringing the life and career of Hattie McDaniel to the screen.

But there’s one Hattie McDaniel performance that is still locked away from public viewing – and that needs to be corrected. Disney’s 1946 Song of the South saw her portraying Aunt Tempy in another excellent performance. She even gets to sing in this role.

Thank you for writing this article.

By: CineMaven

CineMaven — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:42:47 +0000

Hello Moira. This was a wonderfully written article about the wonderful Hattie McDaniel. She spoke for so many whose voices would not be heard.

Thanx!

CineMaven.

By: Stooge

Stooge — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:37:14 +0000

Really terrific piece. Thank you for it!

By: Jacqueline T Lynch

Jacqueline T Lynch — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:14:04 +0000

Thanks for another great post, Moira. I agree Hattie McDaniel’s performance in GWTW is outstanding, and a revelation in many respects. She is my favorite thing about that film, and her famous scene after the death of Scarlett’s child never fails to move me to tears, no matter how many times I see it.

By: Errol Jones

Errol Jones — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:05:23 +0000

Now that the ‘dust’ seems to have settled over the GWTW snubs…I would now like to express my thoughts on HATTIE MC DANIEL..truly one of the screens best supporting character actors ever.

My family had talked about Hattie and her wonderful performances all the time I was growing up. I had only got to see her a couple of times, at that point, on movies that had made it to television.
I remember the first time I had watched her was in “SHOW BOAT”, “GEORGE WASHINGTON SLEPT HERE” and “THE GREAT LIE”. All I knew, is that there was ‘not enough’ of this very talented lady in the films
and when she was on the screen..she seemed to draw your attention toward her..and the rest of the actors were just not that important, as long as I was watching her on the screen.

I came from a white family in ‘southern’ Utah..and I figured I would never get to see the film that all the family had talked about and the great performance that Hattie Mc Daniel gave in GWTW. But as a teenager, in the mid 1950′s…my dream of seeing her performance finally came true, because GWTW had been re-released and so I finally got my chance to see her in her Oscar winning role as Mammy.

From then..and on…I always looked for more of her films to explore and enjoy. She was a credit to her craft. My dream was to become an actor and I, too, fell into that area of being a character actor and I did pursue my dream. Have been a professional stage musical/comedy actor for the past 43 years and am still doing shows to this day.

I bring this up…because it was watching great supporting actors
like Ms. Mc Daniel..that made me realize some very important things in the acting trade. I always remembered that you did not have to be ‘the lead’ to steal a scene. In fact, you didn’t even have to be saying lines..and the scene could still go toward you.
Look at Hattie as Mammy in GWTW..There were times when she was not saying a word…but with ‘one look’ could ‘make’ the scene HERS! She did it in many/most of her films. Yes..the words helped to make her character work..but they were not always needed…and you have to be darn good, to have that happen.

I liked LOUISE BEAVERS too..but did not find it the same with her roles as it was with Hattie’s, as far as achieving this kind of acting. Hattie was A PRO..when it came to this…and whether you are a man or a woman, finding your place in the acting establishment, you learn..TO LEARN..from BOTH men and women who did it long before you…and did it WELL.

I am also now a collector of old radio shows, such as SUSPENSE, THE WHISTLER, THE JACK BENNY SHOW and my all time favorite AMOS ‘N ANDY. I still do not have all of their shows, but I do have two with Hattie as their guest. I don’t know how many times I have played the episode where HATTIE is out to get a MAN and she comes to use Andy and the King Fish’s escort service. YOU didn’t have to SEE her..you only had to HEAR her voice and you could picture the whole story.

HATTIE MC DANIEL was an inspiration to many of us..in many different ways. These are some of the ways she inspired me..as an actor..and a devoted fan of movie classics.

Thanks for reading this..
Errol

By: Jeff Heise

Jeff Heise — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:58:38 +0000

To Errol: While I will state that GWTW is a classic, to me it has never been THE classic film. There are others that I think are much better, but my opinion and others cannot detract from the rightful place the film has earned. For me, the best things about the film are Gable, deHavilland, McDaniel, Steiner’s score (still one of the most criminal Oscar race thefts ever), the photography, the sets and costumes and Fleming’s direction. Minuses: Howard’s (mostly) disinterested performance, I REALLY do not like Scarlett although I think Leigh is astounding in the part and Scarlett’s sudden revelation that Ashley loved Melanie and not her (talk about an obvious duh!).

The film probably came to me at a disadvantage because by the time I finally saw it (on the big screen) I had been told by so many people that it was the greatest film ever, while all I really liked was what I mentioned above. These days, the story of the making of the film fascinates me more, but I still enjoy watching it (I now have the Blu-Ray collector’s set.).

Also Errol, as far as a film depicting the way slaves are treated: have you heard of a little film called AMISTAD?