Dixie (1943)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

A. Edward Sutherland

Writers:

Claude Binyon (adaptation)
William Rankin (story)

Release Date:

13 January 1944 (Australia)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Musical

Plot:

A young songwriter leaves his Kentucky home to try to make it in New Orleans. Eventually he winds up in New York...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Showbiz | Minstrel Show

Cast

Bing Crosby	...	Daniel Decatur Emmett
Dorothy Lamour	...	Millie Cook
Billy De Wolfe	...	Mr. Bones
Marjorie Reynolds	...	Jean Mason
Lynne Overman	...	Mr. Whitlock
Eddie Foy Jr.	...	Mr. Felham
Raymond Walburn	...	Mr. Cook
Grant Mitchell	...	Mr. Mason
Clara Blandick	...	Mrs. Mason
Tom Herbert	...	Homer
Olin Howland	...	Mr. Deveraux (as Olin Howlin)
Robert Warwick	...	Mr. LaPlant
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Waiter
Brandon Hurst	...	Dignified man in audience

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In this movie, Dan Emmett's birthplace is in Kentucky. He was actually born (and died) in Mount Vernon, Ohio.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Road to Utopia (1946)

Soundtrack:

Old Dan Tucker

Dixie Review

Dixie Historical Film Review A popular musical stage show of the early and mid 19th Century was minstrelsy. Minstrel shows a variety of comical skits in which both black as well as white people painted their faces black. The film Dixie, directed by A. Edward Sutherland was a story about the intertwining characters and their production of a Minstrel show, Though Minstrel shows content embodied racial hatred they were the first form of musical theatre that was American-born and bred. It was embraced by all colors despite its ignorant and obnoxious slander of African Americans.

Minstrelsy had an initial structure normally broken into a three act performance. A dance sequence was first on stage. Singing songs and preparing the audience for the second part which included a coordinate speech said by "Mr. Interlocutor". This pun-filled speech in Dixie was said by Mr. Cook, played by Raymond Walburn, while he was in the center of the stage. The final act in the show was a song almost like one slaves would sing while working at the plantation.

In the film the characters refer to African Americans as "darkies". To accomplish "blackface" performers would burned corks and painted their face black with the soot, and then extenuated their lips with red paint, with the objective to appear as black as possible. Minstrelsy typical distastefully portrayed African Americans as lazy and moronic people gallivanting around.

Though enjoyed by audiences of all colors minstrelsy began to lose popularity with the gain of social rights against racism. In the 1930's it was considered suitable portrayal of black America by White America, with blind bigotry. The film Dixie did not have African American's performing in the Minstrel show they were all white. But during this era that was acceptable and considered comic relief.

Despite the slander against African Americans culture and characteristics all races enjoyed the comedy of the Minstrel show. But the fact that audiences at that time did not speak up sooner concerning the physical appearance of the blackface actors and overall enacting of blacks, leaves one with a strong impression, truly displaying the horribly rude comments and acts going on in our society. However Dixie correctly followed the structure of minstrelsy and had an interesting plot, forcing the audience to quickly forget how inconsiderately racist the movie actually is. This helps us ultimately realize the awareness of whites view on black culture.