Black Like Me (1964)

Based on the true story of a white reporter who, at the height of the civil-rights movement, temporarily darkened his skin so that he could experience the realities of a black man's life in the segregated South.

Director:

Carl Lerner

Writers:

John Howard Griffin (book), Carl Lerner (screenplay)

Stars:

James Whitmore, Sorrell Booke, Roscoe Lee Browne

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Whitmore	...	John Finley Horton
Sorrell Booke	...	Dr. Jackson
Roscoe Lee Browne	...	Christopher
Al Freeman Jr.	...	Thomas Newcomb
Will Geer	...	Truckdriver
Robert Gerringer	...	Ed Saunders
Clifton James	...	Eli Carr
John Marriott	...	Hodges
Thelma Oliver	...	Georgie
Lenka Peterson	...	Lucy Horton (as Lenka Petersen)
P. Jay Sidney	...	Frank Newcomb (as P.J. Sidney)
Billie Allen	...	Vertell
Alan Bergmann	...	Charles Maynard
Stanley Brock	...	Salesman
Heywood Hale Broun

Storyline

Black Like Me is the true account of John Griffin's experiences when he passed as a black man. John Horton takes treatments to darken his skin and leaves his home in Texas to travel throughout the South. At one stop, Horton encounters a black shoe shine man, Burt Wilson, who befriends him and shows him how to "act right" so that he can fit more easily into the African American culture. It is through Wilson that Horton learns the art of shining shoes. Most of his encounters with whites are quite degrading and disturb him. As a hitchhiker, John meets several white men who refer to black men and women in disparaging ways which angers John. Throughout the movie, John is harassed and persecuted by whites without reason. In one of his many stops throughout the South, John finds himself on a park bench sitting by a white woman. A white man walks by and says, "You'd better find another place to sit." Even though he had a college degree, menial jobs were all that he could find. John meets ...

---

Plot Keywords:

south | reporter | passing for black | african american | blackface | 

---

Taglines:

"I changed the color of my skin... now I know what it feels like to be BLACK!"

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Latin

Release Date:

20 May 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Czarny jak ja

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Hilltop Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film of Ralph Dunn.

---

Goofs

When Horton, after meeting the PhD student, opens his wallet to pay in the diner, something falls out of it near the counter. No one notices or refers to it.

---

Connections

Referenced in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch: Geek Like Me (1996)

User Reviews

Good performance by Whitmore.

James Whitmore gives a good performance as a white man who is given medical treatments to turn the pigmentation of his skin to resemble that of an African American. Based on the fine book by John Howard Griffin he heads off to the south to see what being a black person in the U.S. is like.

The film recently aired on AMC. It is somewhat dated and Whitmore doesn't appear to be any thing other than a Caucasian with dark make up on. The film nonetheless is quite good as it examines his journey through the south. He encounters prejudice at virtually every stop. The film tends to lag at certain points but still delivers a powerful story. Read the book first then see this early 60's picture