Thursday 5 March 2009

Imagine


Miss Hattie McDaniel

Miss McDaniel wrote: I desire a white casket and a white shroud; white gardenias in my hair and in my hands, together with a white gardenia blanket and a pillow of red roses - I also wish to be buried in the Hollywood Cemetery.

Her wish to be buried among her fellow movie stars in the Hollywood Cemetery was denied. The owner, Jules Roth (a nasty piece of work), refused to allow her to be interred there, because they did not take blacks. Her second choice was Rosedale Cemetery, where she lies today.

In 1952 thousands of mourners turned out to remember her life and her accomplishments.



Miss McDaniel in a scene from Song of the South (1946).



Miss McDaniel's 1939 Oscar acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind

----------------
Now playing on iTunes: Shirley Ceasar & Reverend James Cleveland - Plenty Good Room
via FoxyTunes

4 comments:

Pigtown*Design said...

I heard a lot about this during the Oscars a few weeks ago. Apparently, Howard University in DC had her Oscar, but it wasn't one of the men statues, but a plaque. They can't find it.

elingaq said...

You brought a tear to my eye... Ole Hattie rocked

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

So much shame for so many.

I bet Hattie's got thousands of gardenias now!

longtimereader said...

God, how terrible.. I have never heard that she was denied admission to where she wanted to rest ... the unspeakable things we humans do to each other.. say what you will about the movie Gone With the Wind ( GWTW as we say here in Atlanta ) she was wonderful in it.. I wish her gardenias in paradise