The Inequality Of Segregation In Movies
When my grandmother went to the movies in the 1950s, she experienced the racism and inequality of segregation first hand. Every Saturday she, her family and her friends would go to the movies for a couple of hours and watch movies and television shows as a community for thirty cents a ticket. She recalled that every Saturday was like a “holiday.” Even though this is a warm memory for her, it is rendered bittersweet by the fact that she was not permitted to sit where she pleased. Due to segregation, the whites sat in the front and the blacks were forced to sit in the back. However, “What they did not know,” she recollected with a smile, “is that it is easier to exit from the back.” Meaning that in the event of a fire or emergency, the people
in the back were safer than those in the front because of the location of the exit.
When I first asked my grandmother about her experience at the movies as a child she quickly replied, “We couldn’t go…well to some theaters.” By saying this she is referencing that not all movie theaters were racially integrated. Some movie theaters were whites only. However, blacks did develop other options in the form of black movie theaters. She also mentioned that eventually, the segregated movie theaters went out of business because blacks stopped attending them, thus leaving only integrated movie theaters. She also recalled that westerns and horror were the most common genres of movies and television shows featured in theaters. She named western actors like George Francis "Gabby" Hayes and William “Hopalong Cassidy” Boyd and African American comedy actors like Mantan Moreland.
As a result, my grandmother has bittersweet memories of attending the movie theaters in her younger days. She remembered the community’s comradery with a nostalgic smile however she recalled the struggles of racism with an air of frustration. Even as she described herself finishing her chores on Saturday and meeting her friends at the local theater, she spoke with a faint tone of distaste. A distaste that may only be described as bittersweet.
in the back were safer than those in the front because of the location of the exit.
When I first asked my grandmother about her experience at the movies as a child she quickly replied, “We couldn’t go…well to some theaters.” By saying this she is referencing that not all movie theaters were racially integrated. Some movie theaters were whites only. However, blacks did develop other options in the form of black movie theaters. She also mentioned that eventually, the segregated movie theaters went out of business because blacks stopped attending them, thus leaving only integrated movie theaters. She also recalled that westerns and horror were the most common genres of movies and television shows featured in theaters. She named western actors like George Francis "Gabby" Hayes and William “Hopalong Cassidy” Boyd and African American comedy actors like Mantan Moreland.
As a result, my grandmother has bittersweet memories of attending the movie theaters in her younger days. She remembered the community’s comradery with a nostalgic smile however she recalled the struggles of racism with an air of frustration. Even as she described herself finishing her chores on Saturday and meeting her friends at the local theater, she spoke with a faint tone of distaste. A distaste that may only be described as bittersweet.