Saturday, July 18, 2009

Black Like Me (Part 1 of 2)


This week, I am taking a look at journalist John Howard Griffin's 1960 best-selling expose Black Like Me, which was also made into a (somewhat lurid) film in 1964 starring James Whitmore, who died just this past February. He was an ardent advocate for equal rights and also appeared in one of my favorite films, John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle.

The title Black Like Me comes from a line in Langston Hughes's 1932 poem, "Dream Variations":

Rest at pale evening...
A tall slim tree...
Night coming tenderly
Black like me.

I will post a few observations on the book and the film later this week. The entire movie is posted in roughly 10-minute segments on YouTube for your viewing pleasure. Below is the first.

All best, Rebecca

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rebecca, Glad to see you are writing a blog. I will be tuned in to see what interesting things you blog. I have never seen Black Like Me! Watch the first part now going to Youtube to watch the rest. Thanks for the enlightenment!!!!

Simone

Rebecca Williams said...

Thanks for your support, Simone--the Internet (and Facebook)...the next best thing to being there!