UMel Watkins akabonakali ngathi uyazi ileta; ngokuqinisekileyo, akabhekiseli kuyo okanye acaphule kuyo kwincwadi engobomi bakhe obutsha. Umntu ebengacinga ukuba amaphepha eFord ebeya kuba yindawo ebonakalayo yokujonga izinto malunga nendoda eshiye ngasemva amaxwebhu aphambili-ngapha koko, u-Fetchit ubonakale kwiifilimu eziphambili zeFord, phakathi kwazo UMgwebi uMgwebi (1934) kunye I-Steamboat ejikeleze iBend (1935), kunye nefilimu eyoyikekayo ebizwa ngokuba yi-film Ihlabathi liyaqhubeka (1934).
Ngendlela efanayo yokunyuka kukaJohn Wayne weza ngokwenyani ngendlela iMelika ekhetha ukuzibona ngayo, ke uStepin Fetchit waba luphawu olubi-kubo bobabini abamnyama nabamhlophe-ngendlela abamhlophe baseMelika ababaphatha ngayo abantsundu: njengabantu abathobekileyo.
Waye ke waphoswa ngaphakathi — uxolelo ibinzana — ubumnyama bangaphandle ngexesha leMfazwe yesibini (II) yehashe, ihashe eliyinkohliso elinye elinobuqhetseba elidala nelalingakwaziyo ukuphila kunye namanani anekratshi adlalwa nguJames Edward owayelityalwe ngokungekho sikweni kunye ngokuthandekayo uSidney Poitier. U-Fetchit-owazalwa ngu-Lincoln Perry kwi-Key West ngo-1902-wayephila ubomi obunobundlongondlongo, bokuhambahamba, ezele yimali, amatyala kunye nabasetyhini. Iingxaki zobomi bakhe ziphindaphindwa kwibhayiloji yakhe. Mnu.Watkins ucinezelwe nzima ukunika intsingiselo okanye umxholo ogqwesileyo kwisifundo sakhe; unengxaki eyaneleyo yokugcina nje umkhondo wezinto. Unyana ka-Fetchit, umzekelo, uyanyamalala kwingxelo ngokupheleleyo; ukuba uMnu. Watkins akakwazanga ukumlandela, ngewayethethile.
U-Fetchit, okanye, endaweni yoko, uLincoln Perry, wayenekratshi elincomekayo kubugcisa bakhe-Ukuba ndingumdlali olungileyo, ndifuna imbeko kunye nokwamkelwa okunikwa abadlali abalungileyo, watsho kwi-1930-kodwa wayengathandeki ngokukodwa; bekukho uthuli oluninzi kunye nezitudiyo, hayi ngaphezulu komlinganiswa awudlalileyo, kodwa ngaphezulu kwemali kunye nokungakwazi kwakhe ukugcina igama lakhe lingabikho emaphepheni.
Ngokusisiseko, le ncwadi ngumsebenzi wekliphu, oqondakalayo (wonke umntu eswelekile). Kodwa uMnu Watkins akakwazi ukwenza ukuba iziqeshana ziphile, mhlawumbi ngenxa yokuba kubonakala engazi ukuba zeziphi iziqeshana zokugxininisa, makungabikho ukuthembela. Ubeka ubunzima obufanayo kudliwanondlebe kunye nemagazini elawulwa yi studio Ukudlala ifoto njengoko esenza kwiikholamu zikaFetchit, ezibhalelwe amaphepha-ndaba amnyama elo xesha, apho uFetchit evela njenge-vaudevillian enomdla, ekhutheleyo.
Ingxaki engundoqo ngokuzama ukuxabisa uFetchit kukuba wayehleli ngokungenamthungo kwi-archetype yobuhlanga, kumzuzu wokugqibela ngaphambi kokuba ibe yinto engenakwenzeka kwimbali. Ewe, wayehlekisa, kwaye kube kanye okanye kabini wayengaphezulu kunoko-njengakwi-in UMgwebi uMgwebi , xa engaqondanga ehenda uWill Rogers ’uBilly Priest ukuba awushiye umsebenzi wakhe wokugweba aye kuloba. IFord inyibilika yaya e-Fetchit nase Rogers behamba kamnandi elunxwemeni lomlambo, iipali zokuloba ziphethwe ngesandla, umntu ophakathi, onobuhlanga noHuck no-Tom abadityaniswa kukungabi noxanduva.
Kodwa kukho into ecaphukisayo ngokukodwa malunga nomlinganiswa we-Fetchit. U-Eddie (Rochester) UAnderson wadlala isicaka, kodwa uJack Benny noAnderson bahlala beqinisekisa ukuba uBenny wayengoyena mntu uhlekisayo, engazange abe liRochester. Kwangokunjalo, uHattie McDaniel wadlala uMammy, kodwa waphinda wadlala ngothando ngokuvulekileyo noClark Gable, ekufuneka emfumanele ubuncinci bokudlula kwinqanaba elizayo.
Ukuhleka okwenziwe nguStepin Fetchit kunendlela yokubamba emqaleni wakho, kuba asikwazi ukumbona ngokucacileyo-imibutho inzima kakhulu. Umnumzana Watkins umabela indima entle ka-Br'er Rabbit, uJoel Chandler Harris 'umkhohlisi owaguqula izinto ezazilindelwe ngabamhlophe kuye ukuze afumane indlela yakhe, kodwa oko kuvakala ngathi kukuzingca okumiselweyo; Kwiskrini, u-Fetchit akazange abonakalise ubuqhetseba obaneleyo, makungabikho mandla, ukukhuphela nabani na. Ukungabinamsebenzi konke konke yayiyinqaku elihlekisayo lomntu wakhe.
Le ngcaciso ibaluleke kakhulu kwindlela ebonisa ngayo ukufana phakathi kwesimo sengqondo esimnyama esineengcinga ezigwenxa zexesha lika-Fetchit kunye nezimo zengqondo eziguqulweyo namhlanje, ngomculo ozukisa umpimpi kunye nomgulukudu kunye neemovie zamva nje Indawo yokuceba kwaye Isicwangciso soMphefumlo— ekunokwenzeka ukuba ngelahle i-Fetchit ukuba ebekhona. Umnumzana Watkins uxela oku (ngokuchanekileyo, ndicinga) hayi kukwahluka nje kuphela kodwa kwisahlulo esiphakathi kwekhola eblue kunye nabamnyama abakumgangatho ophakathi:
[I] mifanekiso yecarticatures yabantsundu yayingaphantsi kwesiseko kwinyani kodwa [abamnyama abakudidi oluphakathi] babenoluvo lokuba ugxininiso olugqithisileyo kwelona qondo lisezantsi lobomi beNigro lisithe inkqubela eyenziwe ziingcali ezimnyama; Batsho ukuba ukucinezela loo mifanekiso ingekho mthethweni, kunye nokuzibaxa izinto kubalulekile ekuphakamiseni ugqatso nasekufumaneni ukuhlonitshwa kuluntu olukhulu.
Ngokunyuka kwangexesha elifanayo kwenkcubeko ye-thug, emele ubundlongondlongo bendoda emnyama-ikhola emnyama, kunye noCondoleezza Rice kunye noColin Powell abonelisa iminqweno yodidi oluphakathi, abamnyama baseMelika benyukele kwinkcubeko ephambili ukusuka phezulu. kwaye ngezantsi.
Ngandlel 'ithile, sisiphelo sento eprofetwe ngayo: Indlela endikholelwa ukuba ingxaki yomdyarho eza kusonjululwa ayisiyiyo yamanani okanye ye-oratory kodwa ngolunye lwezi ntsuku siza kuvuka sizibone siphezulu kwaye siphumelele. Andazi ukuba sifike njani apho.
Kusenokwenzeka ukuba wadlala isidenge, kodwa wayengekho.
Scott Eyman's INgonyama yeHollywood: Ubomi kunye neLegend kaLouis B. Mayer (USimon noSchuster) yapapashwa ebutsheni balo nyaka.
