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Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films
Completely updated to include the entire twentieth century, this new fourth edition covers all the latest directors, stars, and films including Summer of Sam, Jackie Brown, The Best Man, and The Hurricane. From The Birth of a Nation--the groundbreaking work of independent filmmaker Oscar Micheaux--and Gone with the Wind to the latest work by Spike Lee, John Singleton, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry and Will Smith, Donald Bogle reveals the ways in which the depiction of blacks in American movies has changed--and the shocking ways in which it has remained the same.
480 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
25 people are currently reading
1666 people want to read
About the author
Donald Bogle
26 books29 followersDonald Bogle is one of the foremost authorities on Black representation in films and entertainment history. His books include Running Press's Hollywood Black; the groundbreaking Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks; the award-winning Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams; the bestselling Dorothy Dandridge: A Biography; and Brown Sugar, which Bogle adapted into a PBS documentary series. He was a special commentator and consultant for Turner Classic Movies’ award-winning series Race and Hollywood. Bogle teaches at the University of Pennsylvania and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He lives in Manhattan. — Running Press
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 11, 2007
Must have for anyone who is in entertainment.
Donald Bogle is a film historian who gives you an inside look at the stereotypes of African Americans in film from Birth of a Nation until the present.
This is a MUST have!!!
I am always referring and quoting this book!
Donald Bogle is a film historian who gives you an inside look at the stereotypes of African Americans in film from Birth of a Nation until the present.
This is a MUST have!!!
I am always referring and quoting this book!
September 18, 2015
Charles Barkley once said "I am not a role model." However, when your actions are seen by millions you are most definitely influential. This book is a great example of how media develops not only our perception of ourselves, but our perception of each other. When there are only a handful of stereotypical roles, these perceptions of ourselves and each other get narrowed severely.
Media literacy is a subject that is ignored in high schools and colleges. From advertising to race relations, media literacy needs to be examined and understood in greater detail. This is a great start. Read this book!
Media literacy is a subject that is ignored in high schools and colleges. From advertising to race relations, media literacy needs to be examined and understood in greater detail. This is a great start. Read this book!
December 18, 2022
It would be fair to suggest that Black representation in American cinema has seen some highs and lows over the course of the hundred-plus years that film has existed as an art form. Much like in American life, people of color have struggled to be seen and heard on the silver screen, and had opportunities denied them that would never be denied white people. Of the times that Black actors and creatives were "allowed" to be seen, some portrayals would strike modern audiences as downright racist and dismissive. Even today, the avenues open to Black actors are limited to a degree, as if Hollywood has a quota of Black entertainers and can't be forced to open the doors wider to let in more voices and faces. Any notion that things have gotten better for Black artists has to account for the fact that "better" does not mean "equal."
"Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks," by Donald Bogle, is one of the best film studies books I've come across outside of college required reading, and I wouldn't be surprised if it *is* required reading in some college courses. Ostensibly a survey of Black representation on film since the dawn of the twentieth century to (in my copy of the third edition, at least) the last decade of the same, the book is also an examination of representation and all the highs and lows of artistic evolution in Hollywood and outside the studio system. From the beginning, Bogle argues, the ways in which Black people are portrayed onscreen have fallen into five distinct categories, and it's up to the reader to decide how much of what Bogle writes still applies to the films and TV shows of today.
Fearing the racist audiences who would reject more nuanced views of Black life in cinema, studio executives worked from the beginning to stereotype Black men and women in film to reduce the "threat" that more balanced portrayals would pose to the sensitive audiences both North and South (because racism is an American illness, not just one south of the Mason-Dixon Line). Bogle's book is at its strongest when documenting the lives and careers of the unheralded first waves of Black creatives in films, those actors and performers who often did their best with the racist and limited parts presented to them during the "golden age" of Hollywood. Early Black portrayals were usually white actors in blackface, and even some early Black performers had to darken their skin further with make-up and burnt cork in order to be palatable to the white audiences that studios sought to appease. Actors like Hattie McDaniel, Ernest "Rochester" Anderson, and Stepin Fetchit played parts that, viewed through a modern lens, would seem little better than caricatures, and yet Bogle often argues in their favor that they did the best they could with the limited opportunities offered them, and that there are levels of subversive energy to the servant roles that many Black actors were forced into during those days.
With the emergence of Sidney Poitier in the Fifties, roles for Black actors seem to have become more exciting, but Bogle shows that opportunities were still limited by racist concerns at the studios (reflecting the racist concerns of the country at large). The Sixties were the era of more Black actors playing roles in film, even if it seemed like Poitier continued to be the one major face of Black cinema (starring in three major films in 1967 alone). The Seventies seemed to offer promise with the "blaxploitation" era of "Shaft," "Superfly," and other films, but this translated to less once the Eighties arrived. Even in the Nineties, the depiction of an onscreen romance between a Black actor and a white one was a major point of contention in Hollywood, and the fears of a "sexualized" Black lead crossing the racial barriers for love and sex can still be manifest today (I well recall the discussion about 2005's "Hitch" and how the love interest was changed from white to Latina in order to avoid scaring off white audiences). Bogle often highlights the careers of familiar faces like Whoopi Goldberg, Eddie Murphy, and Denzel Washington, in order to show how they both have bucked the trend in terms of Black representation on film while also sometimes falling into the same old traps as the stars of yesterday (specifically how often each has found their roles limited to what they did before, with few options at the time to stretch their creative muscles). I'd love to say that Black artists of today have more opportunity than those even in the recent past of the Nineties, but I fear that many of the same strictures against Black representation are still in place, albeit perhaps not as obvious as they once were.
"Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks" is an important addition to any film-lover's library. Not just a celebration but a history, with plenty of critical bite and insights into representation and the pitfalls of both acceding to the system and bucking it, this book does an important service in highlighting Black artists both well-known and obscured, and showing how easily the first can become the latter when the winds of taste and what Hollywood will allow change (sometimes overnight). It has never been easy to work as a person of color in Hollywood, and despite many strides made over the past century, it will likely be the case that updates to this book will show just as much regression as they will show progress. The story of Black Hollywood is, in essence, the story of Black America, and neither so far seems to be anywhere closer to a happy ending than before. But strides have been taken, and authors like Donald Bogle will continue to show the moments of transcendent beauty amidst the often ugly history of racial exploitation and oppression.
"Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks," by Donald Bogle, is one of the best film studies books I've come across outside of college required reading, and I wouldn't be surprised if it *is* required reading in some college courses. Ostensibly a survey of Black representation on film since the dawn of the twentieth century to (in my copy of the third edition, at least) the last decade of the same, the book is also an examination of representation and all the highs and lows of artistic evolution in Hollywood and outside the studio system. From the beginning, Bogle argues, the ways in which Black people are portrayed onscreen have fallen into five distinct categories, and it's up to the reader to decide how much of what Bogle writes still applies to the films and TV shows of today.
Fearing the racist audiences who would reject more nuanced views of Black life in cinema, studio executives worked from the beginning to stereotype Black men and women in film to reduce the "threat" that more balanced portrayals would pose to the sensitive audiences both North and South (because racism is an American illness, not just one south of the Mason-Dixon Line). Bogle's book is at its strongest when documenting the lives and careers of the unheralded first waves of Black creatives in films, those actors and performers who often did their best with the racist and limited parts presented to them during the "golden age" of Hollywood. Early Black portrayals were usually white actors in blackface, and even some early Black performers had to darken their skin further with make-up and burnt cork in order to be palatable to the white audiences that studios sought to appease. Actors like Hattie McDaniel, Ernest "Rochester" Anderson, and Stepin Fetchit played parts that, viewed through a modern lens, would seem little better than caricatures, and yet Bogle often argues in their favor that they did the best they could with the limited opportunities offered them, and that there are levels of subversive energy to the servant roles that many Black actors were forced into during those days.
With the emergence of Sidney Poitier in the Fifties, roles for Black actors seem to have become more exciting, but Bogle shows that opportunities were still limited by racist concerns at the studios (reflecting the racist concerns of the country at large). The Sixties were the era of more Black actors playing roles in film, even if it seemed like Poitier continued to be the one major face of Black cinema (starring in three major films in 1967 alone). The Seventies seemed to offer promise with the "blaxploitation" era of "Shaft," "Superfly," and other films, but this translated to less once the Eighties arrived. Even in the Nineties, the depiction of an onscreen romance between a Black actor and a white one was a major point of contention in Hollywood, and the fears of a "sexualized" Black lead crossing the racial barriers for love and sex can still be manifest today (I well recall the discussion about 2005's "Hitch" and how the love interest was changed from white to Latina in order to avoid scaring off white audiences). Bogle often highlights the careers of familiar faces like Whoopi Goldberg, Eddie Murphy, and Denzel Washington, in order to show how they both have bucked the trend in terms of Black representation on film while also sometimes falling into the same old traps as the stars of yesterday (specifically how often each has found their roles limited to what they did before, with few options at the time to stretch their creative muscles). I'd love to say that Black artists of today have more opportunity than those even in the recent past of the Nineties, but I fear that many of the same strictures against Black representation are still in place, albeit perhaps not as obvious as they once were.
"Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks" is an important addition to any film-lover's library. Not just a celebration but a history, with plenty of critical bite and insights into representation and the pitfalls of both acceding to the system and bucking it, this book does an important service in highlighting Black artists both well-known and obscured, and showing how easily the first can become the latter when the winds of taste and what Hollywood will allow change (sometimes overnight). It has never been easy to work as a person of color in Hollywood, and despite many strides made over the past century, it will likely be the case that updates to this book will show just as much regression as they will show progress. The story of Black Hollywood is, in essence, the story of Black America, and neither so far seems to be anywhere closer to a happy ending than before. But strides have been taken, and authors like Donald Bogle will continue to show the moments of transcendent beauty amidst the often ugly history of racial exploitation and oppression.
June 10, 2015
“Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films” by: Donald Bogle. While I liked looking at the many photographs from the plethora of movies, it made me hungry to view all the movies I have missed along the way. I think Bogle was very harsh on the actors. I believe the actors tried to make best out of a horrible situation. I also believe Bogle was not very fair to the directors of recent days—just because he could not see their vision—not the directors fault, in my opinion. It is not appropriate to just criticize, one must get in the heads of the director, actors and the writers before one can give a true analytical view of the work. I can understand why Bogle was viciously critical to the acting community of past days, to some degree—but had they not produced what was handed to them, they would not have worked at all. Now, African American actors can be more selective and have (perhaps) a stronger voice in the roles they play.
February 24, 2018
This is a fabulous book to learn about Black film history. I appreciate the attention given to lesser known films and actors, especially films that are not easily available. While I didn't always agree with the judgements of a particular actor or film, the insights were thoughtful and detailed. Excellent resource.
April 21, 2020
"Toms, Coons..." is the blueprint for books on Black cinematic history. What I appreciate about Bogle's style of writing is the way it feels like he's just telling you a fireside story about Black film history as opposed to a fully academic one, which most books of this sort do. I read this while in high school and have bought 98% of Bogle's books (older and future) since then.
February 1, 2008
The atrocities and stereotypes that still exist today in Hollywood in relation to African-American actors and actresses. The struggle still continues and is veiled by blockbuster dreams.
June 6, 2011
An excellent book on African American Film. Highly recommended for anyone who needs to teach on the topic and has a greater than general interest in the topic.
October 14, 2023
No real review. Just an excellent well researched book. Front to back. It’s like an encyclopedia of Black imagery in film.
February 20, 2015
Great reference book
January 27, 2023
Brilliant Film History Book
November 5, 2007
A solid interesting introduction to the use of stereotypes in American film. I was lucky enough to meet Bogle and listen to him lecture to a small class of students (my prof was a friend). He was a delight to listen to. I would recommend this book heartily. As an aside, I got to meet Butterly McQueen (who played Prisy in GWTW) not long after. I have to confess that the reason I read the book in the first place was because I took a class on using black film as a teaching tool.
June 16, 2024
On Goodreads I can't seem to select the exact edition that I read (which had more pages and was more modernized), but this was a very well-written companion to the Black History in American Cinema course I took last semester!
March 8, 2024
I cannot remember ever having read a book which began so well and yet ended so poorly. In his book, Donald Bogle outlines what he claims are the five characters that African American actors have been limited to since before the motion picture camera was a glimmer in Etienne-Jules Marey's eye. He shows, with great wit and a total grasp of the subject, how these characters were created, what they reflected in the white American psyche, how they affected our understanding of race, and explains how each black star before World War II could be neatly fitted into a particular category and how they fit into it. This first third is absolutely brilliant as history, as analysis, and as polemic. It's some of the best film writing I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
Unfortunately, the book begins to curdle a third of the way through. Bogle has an unfortunate habit of glossing over films that he deems unimportant or irrelevant, particularly genre films that might be somewhat out of the ordinary in terms of style. It would be ridiculous to demand he give every film its own text, but as we move further away from the pre-WWII era and the titular archetypes start to shift and change, this habit becomes more and more pronounced. Strange or interesting films are ignored, trends in genre, style, and treatment are reduced to a one-dimensional recapitulation, and his treatment of the subjects becomes more and more cursory. Whenever he mentions a particular film or performer, it feels self-imposed, as though he feels he must write about it but totally lacks enthusiasm for it. More and more films are name dropped and forgotten, and his analysis becomes less and less rigorous.
When Bogle reaches the 70's and the era of Blacksploitation, his worst tendencies totally overwhelm the text. Whenever he writes about a major stary like Richard Pryor or Eddie Murphy, he devotes much less time and effort into his summaries of them and their work. Whenever he does say something interesting, it's not fully explored and frustrated me in its stuntedness. Bogle begins to write like a second-rate film critic concerned with telling the audience whether a movie is worth seeing or not, an approach totally different from the analytical one with which he began the book. Perhaps most annoyingly, he ascribes reactions and thoughts to audiences that he does not source; in the beginning of the book, he quotes from a number of black newspapers and civic leaders to try to explain what the black community as a group might have thought at a particular moment. But as the book develops, he seems to make more and more assumptions, and many of the quotes he does include in the book are sourced from white critics and majority-white institutions.
Out of curiosity, I compared my 5th edition (advertised on the cover as the "New Expanded 21st Century Edition") with the table of contents in the first edition. Surprise, surprise, It ended with chapter 7; Bogle had simply added a long chapter to each subsequent edition of the book in which he rattled off the films that came out in a particular period and summed up, in a couple of sentences, what a particular change meant about white America during the period. It is an exhausting slog to read through those last four chapters, in no small part because the light of the work's early brilliance, though seriously dimmed, has not shut off completely. My recommendation to anyone interested in the book's analysis of the racial archetypes in American movies is to look for a copy of the book's (much shorter) first edition. The issue isn't simply that Bogle no longer has anything new to say by the end of the book; he clearly does. The issue is that he gives up on his own work and turns his trenchant observations into a tiring obligation.
Unfortunately, the book begins to curdle a third of the way through. Bogle has an unfortunate habit of glossing over films that he deems unimportant or irrelevant, particularly genre films that might be somewhat out of the ordinary in terms of style. It would be ridiculous to demand he give every film its own text, but as we move further away from the pre-WWII era and the titular archetypes start to shift and change, this habit becomes more and more pronounced. Strange or interesting films are ignored, trends in genre, style, and treatment are reduced to a one-dimensional recapitulation, and his treatment of the subjects becomes more and more cursory. Whenever he mentions a particular film or performer, it feels self-imposed, as though he feels he must write about it but totally lacks enthusiasm for it. More and more films are name dropped and forgotten, and his analysis becomes less and less rigorous.
When Bogle reaches the 70's and the era of Blacksploitation, his worst tendencies totally overwhelm the text. Whenever he writes about a major stary like Richard Pryor or Eddie Murphy, he devotes much less time and effort into his summaries of them and their work. Whenever he does say something interesting, it's not fully explored and frustrated me in its stuntedness. Bogle begins to write like a second-rate film critic concerned with telling the audience whether a movie is worth seeing or not, an approach totally different from the analytical one with which he began the book. Perhaps most annoyingly, he ascribes reactions and thoughts to audiences that he does not source; in the beginning of the book, he quotes from a number of black newspapers and civic leaders to try to explain what the black community as a group might have thought at a particular moment. But as the book develops, he seems to make more and more assumptions, and many of the quotes he does include in the book are sourced from white critics and majority-white institutions.
Out of curiosity, I compared my 5th edition (advertised on the cover as the "New Expanded 21st Century Edition") with the table of contents in the first edition. Surprise, surprise, It ended with chapter 7; Bogle had simply added a long chapter to each subsequent edition of the book in which he rattled off the films that came out in a particular period and summed up, in a couple of sentences, what a particular change meant about white America during the period. It is an exhausting slog to read through those last four chapters, in no small part because the light of the work's early brilliance, though seriously dimmed, has not shut off completely. My recommendation to anyone interested in the book's analysis of the racial archetypes in American movies is to look for a copy of the book's (much shorter) first edition. The issue isn't simply that Bogle no longer has anything new to say by the end of the book; he clearly does. The issue is that he gives up on his own work and turns his trenchant observations into a tiring obligation.
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February 17, 2017791.43652 B675t 2016
April 15, 2013
A really good historical outline of different common roles for black characters in film, as well as some information on the lives of many black stars. Very thorough and straightforward, and interesting as well. Bogle also does a good job of showing how some of the stereotypical roles have continued in different ways over the years, and ways that each category of role has been adapted to fit sentiments during given decades. Definitely recommended if you're interested in learning more about black film history, as it is very comprehensive.
October 9, 2007
Donald Bogle taught a class I took on African-Americans in film and television in grad school...wasn't crazy about him, personally, but he did some valuable work especially where the late Dorothy Dandridge is concerned.
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November 3, 2010Bogle loves movies. I mean this guy breaks them down. He puts up a good argument. I may have to agree that hollywood will not cast a Black person in a big budget film outside of these established roles.
April 21, 2014
Excellent and thorough documentation of american cinéma, however, i would have enjoyed a cross-textual analysis with theoretical and political writings from the times of the filmic releases. The book would have been too big for this, i fear. For an historical text read, it is superbe.
September 2, 2019
while producing very little relevatory knowledge in the study of black film, bogle lays the foundation for important theorists’ contributions to the field. He is sort of cumbersome to read, but it is great reference text.
March 1, 2014
Great insight on the typecasting of African American actors
March 11, 2015
Read this book for a class in University about racism against blacks in America through film. This book is well written and is a great reference for the influence of colored people on American film
May 4, 2020
I really enjoyed most of the book. I wish there was a lot more information on the updated and revised part. It is always good to see how far we have come. I must say I had since of pride when I completed this book. Congratulation's to the new millennium filmmaker, actors and actresses. It is certainly good to see some image change.
April 17, 2019
Very comprehensive, quite dry.
September 3, 2019
I definitely want to read the updated version.
August 7, 2020
A fantastic survey of Black filmmakers and actors in Hollywood history. Even as Donald Bogle identifies and criticizes Hollywood's use of tired stereotypes, he also recognizes the difficult decision that Black actors made in acting out those stereotypes and the way that they enriched and/or subverted those stereotypes in performance. It is a deeply humane piece of film criticism.
June 19, 2015
An early, but still important history of African American films.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews