The Black & White Minstrel Show (23/11/73)

[@Aeonterbor]

This content is hosted here as close to it's original form as possible to act as educational research content so the program can be judged in full with it's content in context. If you would like to learn more about the racial stereotypes this show was based on consider visiting the web page for "The Jim Crow Museum"' for a in depth exploration of the culture of the time and how it affected people's lives. jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu/index.htm

[@slytheringingerwitch]

Such great talent if you ignore the 'obvious.' Thank you for posting this.

[@HONGRYGORL]

This is a weird comment

[@slytheringingerwitch]

@@HONGRYGORL Why is it weird? The entertainment is good, they are all lovely singers. I won't deny that.

[@Bungle-UK]

It’s a bit of fun light entertainment. End of story.

[@slytheringingerwitch]

@@Bungle-UK Its not as simple as that.

[@Bungle-UK]

@@slytheringingerwitch of course it is, unless you’re the type of person that looks for offence in everything.

[@knockshinnoch1950]

An inconvenient truth that today is mostly overlooked- you could say "white washed" from history. The Black & White Minstrel Show was the BBC's flagship Saturday Night Light entertainment colossus much as Strictly is today. It ran through the 1960s and into the 1970s before changing social attitudes saw the show cancelled. Up to 20 million people tuned in to watch this show on a regular basis. Several albums of tunes were released- one outsold the Beatles multiple times to become the biggest selling album of the 1960s in the UK. The past really is a different country and the prevailing attitudes of the time prove this to be true. The cast were on the bill of the 1968 Royal Command Performance which also starred Motown superstars Diana Ross & the Supremes. All was well until the dress rehearsal when the Supremes were confronted by these black face performers- the 3 girls were horrified and deeply insulted by what was a long abandoned style of racial trope and performing style in the USA. It almost caused an "international incident" but eventually Diana and the girls were persuaded not to abandon their performance before the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne and Prince Charles. The Supremes did cause controversy during their performance by including an excerpt of Dr Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream speech during a monologue in the middle of their performance of Somewhere from West Side Story. It was seen as a political act which is of course against protocol when performing before the British Royals. Princess Margaret also caused offence when she asked Supreme Mary Wilson if she was wearing a wig! Not many black performers would be booked to appear on TV in their natural fro back in 1968- that in itself was a political statement!

[@DavidWalensa-n5o]

It's not the greatest thing to post but there's many things that I sometimes wonder why our they there d w

[@roxy2190]

The not so Black and entirely white show!

[@francisheperi4180]

Suits me just fine and I'm not White.

[@roxy2190]

@@francisheperi4180 I'm not sure how that's at all relevant.

[@Bungle-UK]

And that’s a problem?

[@roxy2190]

@@Bungle-UK Uh its called the black and white show.