Banned from her film's Atlanta premiere. Banned from the cast table at the Oscars. Banned from a burial in her cemetery of choice. Today, Hattie McDaniel is a beloved Hollywood icon, but her life was a different story.
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00:00Banned from her films at Lana Premiere. Banned from the cast table at the Oscars. Banned
00:06from a burial in her cemetery of choice. Today, Hattie McDaniel is a beloved Hollywood icon,
00:12but her life was a different story.
00:15Born in 1893 to formerly enslaved parents, Hattie McDaniel made her mark in history when
00:21she won the 1940 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Even so, the star's life was far
00:27from easy. As a black woman, McDaniel's career was fraught with bigotry and intolerance.
00:33She began performing while she was still in high school. By the 1920s, she was touring
00:38the vaudeville circuit and appearing in minstrel shows. McDaniel made her way to Los Angeles
00:42in the 1930s, where she quickly gained a reputation for portraying defiant servants in Hollywood
00:48films.
00:49Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies.
00:53Although she experienced backlash for taking on stereotypical roles, the actress proudly
00:58stated that,
00:59I'd rather play a maid than be one.
01:02In 1937, McDaniel was cast as Mammy in Gone with the Wind after Bing Crosby suggested
01:08her to produce her David O. Selznick. Ultimately, the film changed her life and cemented her
01:13place in cinema history. On February 29, 1940, McDaniel became the first African American
01:20to win an Oscar.
01:21Yes, I know. You never expected to see me.
01:24Because of the color of her skin, she was nearly barred from attending the award ceremony.
01:29In the end, she was able to go as long as she sat away from her white co-stars, Clark
01:34Gable and Vivian Lee.
01:35It ain't fitting. It just ain't fitting.
01:38Upon receiving her award, McDaniel said,
01:40I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry.
01:46Gone with the Wind was one of the most successful productions in Hollywood history. It racked
01:51up eight competitive Academy Awards plus two honorary Oscars. The film was the top box
01:56office earner for some 30 years, even with an almost four-hour running time.
02:01However, McDaniel's Oscar win did little to enhance her career. Although she believed
02:06it would lead her to better, less archetypal roles, that was not the case. According to
02:12Vanity Fair, she lacked the support of the black community, as they believed the parts
02:16she took were degrading. Ultimately, she was unable to find film work and made the
02:21decision to return to radio, where she'd worked in the early 1930s.
02:25In 1947, McDaniel once again made history when she became the first black star on The
02:31Beulah Show.
02:32Don't let nobody tell you that I'm in the market for a husband. Of course I would be,
02:37but they don't sell husbands in the market.
02:40Sadly, this was the beginning of the end for the actress. She fell ill not long after the
02:45show's premiere. McDaniel had a heart attack and was subsequently diagnosed with breast
02:51cancer.
02:52On October 26, 1952, 59-year-old Hattie McDaniel died. Her last wishes were to be buried at
02:59the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and for her Oscar to be donated to Howard University,
03:04a prestigious historically black institution.
03:07Hollywood Forever was founded in 1899 and is located on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los
03:13Angeles. The cemetery is known for being the final resting place of numerous stars,
03:18including Rudolph Valentino.
03:20In 1939, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery was purchased by Jules Roth. He prohibited people
03:26of color from being buried on the grounds, and thus, he refused McDaniel's final request.
03:32As a result, she was buried at the Angeles Rosedale Cemetery, where her funeral was attended
03:37by thousands.
03:38Roth died in 1998, after which Hollywood Forever was purchased by Tyler Cassidy. Cassidy asked
03:45McDaniel's family if they wanted to move her remains to the cemetery, but they declined.
03:50Instead, they chose to erect a pink granite memorial in her honor. The memorial was unveiled
03:56in October 1999, nearly 50 years after McDaniel's death.
04:01The obelisk reads,
04:02"'Aunt Hattie, you are a credit to your craft, your race, and to your family.'"
04:06The quote is from Edgar Gough, McDaniel's grandnephew.
04:10As for her other final request, her Oscar did eventually make it to Howard University.
04:15However, the award was lost sometime in the 1960s and remains unaccounted for to this
04:21day.