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STEPIN_FETCHIT
October 08, 2016
A number of Charlie Chan movies are up on youtube,
such as the 1935 film "Charlie Chan in Egypt":
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=video&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DbOGXbnEZ4wI&ei=TubFVP6dKtOxogSTroHQAg&usg=AFQjCNGox9BZotyS669Mtamc2VyV2xilDQ&sig2=_xwOZMw0mDH4UngVe9kV9w&bvm=bv.84349003,d.cGU
This is a truly amazing film, a cavalcade of
ethnic stereotype: in the opening scenes, we As pointed out by
have Warner Oland doing his broken version of Yunte Huang in
Chinese broken english, an Arabic dude in a "Charlie Chan" (2010)
fez leading a camel around, and the comic
black side-kick role played by Stepin Fetchit.
And Stepin Fetchit is positively brilliant.
The other guys on stage are acting, Stepin
Fetchit is *being*... he's the only one of
three that seems completely authentic.
He reminds me of guys I've met hanging
around in Oakland...
I've heard that he described his
concept of this role as "a lazy man
with a soul", and that covers it
perfectly.
You have to wonder what an actor like this
could've done in a Hollywood that allowed
a black actor more scope.
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