I am an Afro-Cubano who arrived in the US in the mid-50's a an adolescent and was subjected to segragation in the South from my family's initial arrival in Miami. We had to take a bus to New York and we were placed in the "colored" section of Dowtown Miami's Greyhound depot, we were made to sit in the back of the bus, use sepearate restrooms, drinking fountains and dining facilites as we made our way through the South to NYC. When we left Baltimore and crossed the Mason-Dixon line, yes Virginia the capitol of the US was/is a southern city and subject to segregation, things changed as far as "forced seperation"
Coming from Cuba, we had known racism but not forced seperation as here in the land of the free. This experience marked me for life and when the 60's civil rights era began my family, my cousins and myself and siblings all became heavily involved in the movement. I studied racism of the US in college, specializing in the media's portrayal of coloreds. darkies, negroes, blacks, african-americans etc etc I took a course in the history of minstrel shows as well. I was a Black Panther and militant in the early 70's as learning about the racist history of this country made me angry in the Nam era as I avoided service because I was not going to fight commies 5,000 miles away, commies who never called me nigger, while my own country had commies 150 miles south of Miami.
I mention all of this to indicate what I am about to say is not just shoooting off the hip. In the 60's my colleagues despised Louis Armstrong, Rochester, Sammy Davis and many others including Dudley Dickerson for their stereotypes. Now I know better, Louis was quite an outspoken critic of Eisenhower and the Little Rock segregration event, Sammy contribuited mucho $$$ to the cause and many actors had to portray what they did or not work, not everyone had the courage of Paul Robeson or Ossie Davis, not even the top dog, Sydney Poittier, he came around a bit later.
I wouldn't consider the Stooges prejudiced, they had a choice, they could've NOT used Dudley Dickerson repeatedly. Dudley was kinda of a Black Stooge in his antics anyhow. One 2-reeler, A Gem of a Jam has what I beleive to be IMO, the best role by Dudley, the least of amount of so called sterotyping from that era is seen and the interactions between he and Curley are not that of 'racists", in fact the touching of hands. 1 black and 1 white I guarantee you was banned in the South, and if not was frowned upon bySoutherners going to the movies to see the Stooges. More racists are the satires and portrayals of Japanese and Germans during the war, an understandable situation.. let us not forget that in the South the Stooges were Kikes, northern liberals and although I have no way of checking, I doubt sincerly that the Stooges had no live shows or appearances in the South before their final stage of the 1960's and perhaps not even then. Moreover the Howard brothers and Larry having been raised in uban areas, Brooklyn and Philly, and as jazz swing lovers would've have plenty of interactions with Blacks.
We have to view the Stooges and judge then in the context of their times, as a person who is knowledgeable of the climate of their times I would not consider them them racists and I now have no problem viewing the Stooges shorts with Dudley and I explain to my daughter and grandkids the actions they see in context. They see much more stereotyping on the UPN shows and movies like Soul Plane because now there is a choice, there wasn't before.
Shemoeley El Fino Fine
