Stealing the Show is a study of African American actors in Hollywood during the 1930s; a decade that saw the consolidation of stardom as a potent cultural and industrial force. Petty focuses on five performers whose Hollywood film careers flourished during this period—Louise Beavers; Fredi Washington; Lincoln “Stepin Fetchit†Perry; Bill “Bojangles†Robinson; and Hattie McDaniel—to reveal the “problematic stardom†and the enduring; interdependent patterns of performance and spectatorship for performers and audiences of color. She maps how these actors—though regularly cast in stereotyped and marginalized roles—employed various strategies of cinematic and extracinematic performance to negotiate their complex positions in Hollywood and to ultimately “steal the show.†Drawing on a variety of source materials; Petty explores these stars’ reception among Black audiences and theorizes African American viewership in the early twentieth century. Her book is an important and welcome contribution to the literature on the movies.
#2166781 in Books 2010-03-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.25 x 6.00l; 1.74 #File Name: 0520266277462 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Why Not Five StarsBy Bill EmblomThe research done on this book certainly rates five stars. However; four stars indicate "I like it". I can't say; "I love it;" which would indicate five stars. Prior to reading this book I feel it would be very helpful to have a well-labeled map on the area covered in this book. Greenland; Baffin Island; and the Hudson Bay region are all well known; but there are a number of lesser known islands pointed out in the book and not all of them are labeled. I; myself; could have benefited from such a map so I could have followed along where the book was describing.The explorers who took part in these adventures were a hardy bunch indeed. The suffering they subjected themselves to in regard to extreme cold; darkness; and ice are beyond one's ability to imagine. To think some of them returned for more trips to this forbidding region strikes me as foolhardy.Martin Frobisher; Luke Foxe; William Baffin; Edward Parry; John Ross; John Franklin; Roald Amundsen; Henry Hudson; and others are all included in this book; and have places named after them in this region of the world.The goal of each of these individuals was to find a passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean; but eventually it was found out that this was not a practical route for shipping. As in other parts of the world when the Europeans came in contact with the local inhabitants; in this case the Inuet; trouble broke out between them.If you are interested in reading books on exploration this is one you should have included in your library. It is very well done; but frankly my background in studying this part of the world is rather limited and I found parts of it to be a struggle. However; don't let this detract from your purchasing the book if you enjoy books on exploration. I feel if you have a book on this part of the world this would be the one to buy.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Very Complete BookBy Ryan N.I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. There is very little more inspiring to me than reading about those who journeyed (or sought to find) to unknown places. I have always found it fascinating to think about that first group of people; wherever they were from; that pointed out into the ocean one day and said to themselves- 'That's where we're headed. Destination? Unknown-' One of the things I liked about this book was that it helped my imagination piece together the thoughts; ideas; speculations; inspirations; and the like; for those that sailed in search of a supposed northwest passage. Tales of survival are everywhere; and this book brought to the surface the very real construct of risk vs. reward (when it comes to voyages of discovery etc. that this book dealt with). A real good read.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Good readingBy SafariI have a large collection of history books on the Northwest Passage and Sir John Franklin's quests for a route to the Orient; and this book adds some interesting highlights I had not read before. Entertaining reading.
