13. The Mammy character and other stereotypes continued through the 1940s unabated
Reinforced by the performance of Hattie McDaniel in 1939’s Gone With the Wind, the mammy stereotype remained a fixture in film, radio, and print advertising throughout the 1940s. Mammies also appeared in dramas and comedy onstage and on radio, often with names other than Aunt Jemima. Other stereotypes prevailed as well, possibly the most famous being Amos and Andy. The program aired for the first time on WMAQ in Chicago and proved immediately successful. To the listening audience, the show seemed to be coming from Harlem, presenting the adventures of Amos Jones and Andrew Hoog Brown, both Black men. Their interactions with friends and get-rich-quick schemes amused audiences of all ages.
In reality, most episodes of the series on radio were broadcast from the El Mirador Hotel, a posh resort frequented by Hollywood stars and wealthy guests. The actors portraying Amos and Andy were both White, as were those most of the cast. It was, in essence, blackface on the radio. Aunt Jemima appeared, voiced by actors of both races. Minstrel shows featuring White actors in blackface continued to be popular in the 1920s, and many were transferred to film, a practice which continued through the 1930s. In the 1940s a new medium – television – emerged. The role of television in limiting, but by no means eliminating, blackface is seldom explored but substantial. The hot and harsh lighting required by the early television broadcasts made appearing in blackface difficult, as the make-up melted and ran in the heat.
