In fact, to purists the problem with Belafonte was that he was too much of a singer, and not a calypsonian at all. In Trinidad, where calypsonians had long since formed something like a trade guild, a king of calypso was determined during an annual carnival known as the Calypso War: the calypsonian who most inventively insults his competitors wins the title.
So Trinidadian calypso, which was traditionally extemporized, and which zestfully blended political protest and personal invective, was thus a far different creature from what usually passed under that name in the United States. Belafonte is unapologetic. Now I came along and I modified the dialect, I put it into a rhythm that was more closely identified with the American scene.
If, instead, I came in and sang this stuff with a thick Jamaican accent, it would have been like listening to Italian opera. He recalls a press conference where a Trinidadian journalist berated him for styling himself King of Calypso when he had never been to Trinidad and had no contact with its traditions.
You sing about our sexual power, and our gift of drinking, and rape, and all the things we do to which I have, and want, no particular claim. What I have sought to do with my art is take my understanding of the region and put it before people in a positive way.
But then Belafonte was never going to get any benedictions from the keepers of the Volksgeist. It depended on what they thought the bank account was. Harry fills that need remarkably. Although he is brown-skinned and unmistakably Negro, he is acceptable in terms of white standards of beauty. Brown up Tab Hunter and you could hardly tell him from Harry Belafonte. The status of bridge Negro did not sit very well with Belafonte, who wanted to be adored as much as the next man, but whose political sensibilities were in rebellion against the terms of that adoration.
The one who broke the chain was Sidney, who agreed to do it. But a pattern was established. Over the next decade, his friend Poitier made seventeen major motion pictures; Belafonte made exactly none. For one thing, the scripts he was offered appalled him. He mentions a couple of movies that he turned down. This, of course, was the film that established Poitier as a significant presence in postwar cinema: noble, selfless, saintly.
When I saw it, at thirteen, I was moved to tears. It was the perfect civil-rights vehicle for its moment. Its message to white America was practically telegraphed: We are a friendly and kindhearted people; we are good citizens. Belafonte had another take on it. Which was just typical, according to Belafonte. He handpicked each one of those pictures to continue to exercise that beauty and make sure that he never, ever disturbed the white psyche in anything he did.
Not once. Not in public utterance or in private utterance. They would not listen to my gods. Belafonte first met King in , during the Montgomery bus boycotts. It was Belafonte who bailed King out of the Birmingham jail, and who raised money to bail out a number of jailed student activists.
Meanwhile, Belafonte held on to his day job, continuing to tour and make television appearances. But TV had its vexations for him, too. According to Belafonte, an agreement was reached in which he would be given a million dollars to produce and serve as host of five shows.
The second show, featuring black and white luminaries from jazz, folk, and pop, earned raves. Then he was brought up short by reality. Good ratings. Good reviews. Very nice. If you could just take all the white people out.
Revson, let me tell you something. I cannot become resegregated. Revson was just one of a number of advertisers who were looking to sponsor the occasional black entertainer. This time, when objections were raised by one of the marketing vice-presidents Belafonte did not walk softly. But, if the political climate was changing in ways that were congenial to him, racial aesthetics were changing in ways that were less clearly advantageous.
He certainly reflected that more than I. As we sit in what Belafonte refers to as the Red Room of his West End Avenue apartment, he tells me about a recent countrywide tour.
Hunched slightly forward on a nine-foot damask sofa, he sounds depleted. Watch the video. Sign In. Up 8, this week. View rank on IMDbPro ». Actress Costume Designer Producer. She was previously married to Harry Belafonte. See full bio ». Born: September 14 , in USA. Filmography by Job Trailers and Videos. Share this page:. Harry Belafonte is a Jamaican-American singer, songwriter, activist, and actor.
He is known as one of the most successful Jamaican-American singers in history, and was nicknamed the 'King of Calypso' for popularizing the Caribbean musical style around the world in the s.
He has performed in many music genres, including blues, folk, gospel, musicals, and American standards. He is also an actor, appearing in several films, including Carmen Jones , Island in the Sun , and Odds Against Tomorrow Belafonte's political beliefs were inspired by singer and Communist activist Paul Robeson, who mentored him.
Robeson opposed not racial prejudice in the United States and western colonialism in Africa. He also acts as the American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador for juvenile justice issues. In , Belafonte went to Kenya to highlight the importance of educating children in the country. Each episode of Unsung Hollywood focuses primarily on a film or television star, rather than a music star.
Each episode of Unsung Hollywood acts like a documentary, with raw footage of the artists and actors, as well as testimonies from insiders, family, friends, and other people who were close to the featured artist or actor. Each episode of Unsung Hollywood will take you through the life of the featured artist or actor, too. Each episode usually will begin with a story about childhood, then taking the viewer through the struggles and successes of the artist or actor, up to the point of success.
Each episode will highlight important points in the artist or actors career and discuss what ultimately led to their failure. Buck and the Preacher A wagon master and a con …. A wagon master and a con-man preacher help freed slaves dogged by cheap-labor agents out West.
A Safe Place A disturbed young woman - a former for child of the 60's, ….
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