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Hattie McDaniel: Black Ambition, White Hollywood – An Incisive Historical Biography of the Trailblazing Academy Award-Winning Actress
From an accomplished historian comes an uncompromising look at the pervasive racism in Hollywood, as seen through the life and times of actress Hattie McDaniel Hattie McDaniel is best known for her performance as Mammy, the sassy foil to Scarlett O’Hara in the movie classic Gone with the Wind. Her powerful performance won her an Oscar® and bolstered the hopes of black Hollywood that the entertainment industry was finally ready to write more multidimensional, fully-realized roles for blacks. But despite this victory, and pleas by organizations such as the NAACP and SAG, roles for blacks continued to denigrate the African American experience. So Hattie McDaniel continued to play servants. “I’d rather play a maid then be a maid,” Hattie McDaniel answered her critics, but her flip response belied a woman who was emotionally conflicted. Here, in an exhaustively detailed and incisive text by a talented historian, is the story of a valiant woman who defied the racism of her time.
384 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2005
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July 30, 2020
First published in Ballasts for the Mind: https://medium.com/ballasts-for-the-m...
The actor Hattie McDaniel was a complicated figure. The daughter of slaves, McDaniel began her life tagging along with her mother learning the ways to become a domestic. It was a “force” in life that was pulling her in one direction. Meanwhile another “force” was pulling her in the opposite, one in which she submitted to and ultimately became successful in, show business. Show business took McDaniel to the heights of a Hollywood career one in which she would break barriers and make history but only by portraying roles that aligned with the first “force” at the beginning of her life, that of a domestic. Jill Watts chronicles the life of Hattie McDaniel in her 2005 book which reveals McDaniel’s triumphs and her struggles as an entertainer.
For those who are unfamiliar with McDaniel outside of her award winning role in the movie Gone With the Wind, Watts begins by writing about how Hattie McDaniel first cut her teeth in show business by performing as a comedian in minstrel shows and singing as a blues singer. In Black minstrel shows she often played the character of Mammy which was a common role in White racist minstrel shows, however, McDaniel’s portrayal of Mammy was “assertive and bold” rather than “passive and acquiescent”. Her blues singing provided another form of protest for her against racism and sexism. Both of these forms of entertainment benefited her when she transitioned to the silver screen. Watts shows that McDaniel’s experiences helped her refashion the images of the characters she would later play in film.
This biography is not only a book about Hattie McDaniel’s life but it is also a book about the intersection of Hollywood and race in the early 20th Century. Specifically it covers the limits of being a Black actor at a time when the roles that were offered tended to be of servants who perpetuated negative anti-Black stereotypes, most of which originated from the Redemption period (see Stony the Road by Henry Louis Gates Jr.). Watts provides insight into the preferences of White Hollywood producers when choosing Black stars. For example, producers tended to prefer darker skin to lighter skin Black people, large women for maids and small men for butlers, and any Black actor who successfully got a part in a film had to speak in a contrived stereotypical Black dialect that White speech coaches would ultimately teach the actors.
Watts does a great job in the book of showing the challenges of being a Black actor in this time period. Many of them, including McDaniel, were strongly criticized for the roles they played by Black elites in the Black Press and civil rights groups such as the NAACP. It was a delicate balance they had to manage, playing a domestic who was seen as a traitor to the race while at the same time trying to make a career in Hollywood.
Watts’ coverage of the production of Gone With the Wind was also illuminating. We think of the movie as being controversial today but the same was true when it was being produced. The NAACP protested it, especially its defense of slavery and its promotion of the false notion of Black inferiority. Black actors who performed in the film, Hattie McDaniel among them, were criticized for their roles and were called “economic slaves”. Watts provides good evidence that McDaniel perpetuated the racism that Hollywood promoted by not challenging “the bigotry she faced in the studio”. McDaniel’s relationship with Butterfly McQueen, who played Prissy my least favorite character in the film, was very interesting. I was surprised that McQueen took a more recalcitrant position on the set than McDaniel, much to McDaniel’s chagrin. Ultimately its McDaniel who benefits the most from her role as the character Mammy. Watts explains that McDaniel reinterpreted the role in the film, she made Mammy into a vigorous, intelligent, and opinionated character the complete opposite of the book’s old and slow version of the caricature. As most know, McDaniel became the first Black actor to be nominated and win an Oscar, which she did for her role as Mammy.
The remainder of Watts’ book chronicles McDaniel’s struggles in Hollywood. Winning the Oscar did not open up the floodgates to better roles for the actor, she continued to play maid characters for the rest of her career. She continued to defend herself to the NAACP and the Black press, by saying that she was not a hindrance to the progress and image of Blacks in America. Watts shows in this great biography that McDaniel remains a complicated figure one whose roles embarrassed many Blacks then and now while others recognize the agency, albeit limited, that she infused in her portrayals. Students of history and Old Hollywood will enjoy this book.
The actor Hattie McDaniel was a complicated figure. The daughter of slaves, McDaniel began her life tagging along with her mother learning the ways to become a domestic. It was a “force” in life that was pulling her in one direction. Meanwhile another “force” was pulling her in the opposite, one in which she submitted to and ultimately became successful in, show business. Show business took McDaniel to the heights of a Hollywood career one in which she would break barriers and make history but only by portraying roles that aligned with the first “force” at the beginning of her life, that of a domestic. Jill Watts chronicles the life of Hattie McDaniel in her 2005 book which reveals McDaniel’s triumphs and her struggles as an entertainer.
For those who are unfamiliar with McDaniel outside of her award winning role in the movie Gone With the Wind, Watts begins by writing about how Hattie McDaniel first cut her teeth in show business by performing as a comedian in minstrel shows and singing as a blues singer. In Black minstrel shows she often played the character of Mammy which was a common role in White racist minstrel shows, however, McDaniel’s portrayal of Mammy was “assertive and bold” rather than “passive and acquiescent”. Her blues singing provided another form of protest for her against racism and sexism. Both of these forms of entertainment benefited her when she transitioned to the silver screen. Watts shows that McDaniel’s experiences helped her refashion the images of the characters she would later play in film.
This biography is not only a book about Hattie McDaniel’s life but it is also a book about the intersection of Hollywood and race in the early 20th Century. Specifically it covers the limits of being a Black actor at a time when the roles that were offered tended to be of servants who perpetuated negative anti-Black stereotypes, most of which originated from the Redemption period (see Stony the Road by Henry Louis Gates Jr.). Watts provides insight into the preferences of White Hollywood producers when choosing Black stars. For example, producers tended to prefer darker skin to lighter skin Black people, large women for maids and small men for butlers, and any Black actor who successfully got a part in a film had to speak in a contrived stereotypical Black dialect that White speech coaches would ultimately teach the actors.
Watts does a great job in the book of showing the challenges of being a Black actor in this time period. Many of them, including McDaniel, were strongly criticized for the roles they played by Black elites in the Black Press and civil rights groups such as the NAACP. It was a delicate balance they had to manage, playing a domestic who was seen as a traitor to the race while at the same time trying to make a career in Hollywood.
Watts’ coverage of the production of Gone With the Wind was also illuminating. We think of the movie as being controversial today but the same was true when it was being produced. The NAACP protested it, especially its defense of slavery and its promotion of the false notion of Black inferiority. Black actors who performed in the film, Hattie McDaniel among them, were criticized for their roles and were called “economic slaves”. Watts provides good evidence that McDaniel perpetuated the racism that Hollywood promoted by not challenging “the bigotry she faced in the studio”. McDaniel’s relationship with Butterfly McQueen, who played Prissy my least favorite character in the film, was very interesting. I was surprised that McQueen took a more recalcitrant position on the set than McDaniel, much to McDaniel’s chagrin. Ultimately its McDaniel who benefits the most from her role as the character Mammy. Watts explains that McDaniel reinterpreted the role in the film, she made Mammy into a vigorous, intelligent, and opinionated character the complete opposite of the book’s old and slow version of the caricature. As most know, McDaniel became the first Black actor to be nominated and win an Oscar, which she did for her role as Mammy.
The remainder of Watts’ book chronicles McDaniel’s struggles in Hollywood. Winning the Oscar did not open up the floodgates to better roles for the actor, she continued to play maid characters for the rest of her career. She continued to defend herself to the NAACP and the Black press, by saying that she was not a hindrance to the progress and image of Blacks in America. Watts shows in this great biography that McDaniel remains a complicated figure one whose roles embarrassed many Blacks then and now while others recognize the agency, albeit limited, that she infused in her portrayals. Students of history and Old Hollywood will enjoy this book.
August 1, 2022
Hattie McDaniel was the first black woman to win an Oscar, and this award has cemented her in film history. Her achievement broke barriers for black actors in the future, but it was also a curse that made it difficult for her and other African American stars to find work.
Hattie began as a blues and jazz singer and worked her way up in the ranks of Hollywood to become an instantly recognizable and beloved character actress. Although she was criticized for playing maids, she retorted that she'd rather play a maid than be one. She was the daughter of a former slave and knew hardship, so she relished making money and worked hard to get it.
This book is an interesting read because it goes deep into the plight of the black performer in a time caught between the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. Hattie was flung in the middle of the struggle by blacks for equality and respect and the struggle by many whites, especially in the south, who preferred blacks to be treated as second class citizens. Watts did her research and documents the race struggles splendidly.
The only thing lacking in this book is a good overall impression of who Hattie McDaniel was. We get snippets here and there about her being ballsy, sometimes temperamental, and loyal to her friends, but these come spaced too far between all of the racial history. Although this history is essential to understanding Hattie's legacy, it dilutes a sense of why we should love her as well as respect her.
Hattie began as a blues and jazz singer and worked her way up in the ranks of Hollywood to become an instantly recognizable and beloved character actress. Although she was criticized for playing maids, she retorted that she'd rather play a maid than be one. She was the daughter of a former slave and knew hardship, so she relished making money and worked hard to get it.
This book is an interesting read because it goes deep into the plight of the black performer in a time caught between the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. Hattie was flung in the middle of the struggle by blacks for equality and respect and the struggle by many whites, especially in the south, who preferred blacks to be treated as second class citizens. Watts did her research and documents the race struggles splendidly.
The only thing lacking in this book is a good overall impression of who Hattie McDaniel was. We get snippets here and there about her being ballsy, sometimes temperamental, and loyal to her friends, but these come spaced too far between all of the racial history. Although this history is essential to understanding Hattie's legacy, it dilutes a sense of why we should love her as well as respect her.
November 18, 2022
Annoying race-oriented biography that has less to do with Hattie McDaniel and is more used to preach about racism in the early 1900s America. The writer uses the word "racism" throughout the book to describe any minor problem that the actress encounters but fails to prove that the actress really struggled a lot more than any other performer. As a matter of fact, McDaniel achieved so much success compared to the average person during the Great Depression that Watts is simply wrong in the many opinionated conclusions that she draws.
The book is poorly written and is filled with the writer second-guessing every event, saying things like "it must have been because..." or "it probably was due to..." with zero proof. The words "must have" appear more than just about anything else. She just makes up scenarios, speculates on things McDaniel read or did, even repeatedly attributing emotional feelings that McDaniel "must have had."
The section about Gone With the Wind is full of hot air, sprinkled with many uses of the N word. Totally unnecessary. Watts slams the original author of the Civil War book, demeans just about anyone white in Hollywood, and even turns her wrath on McDaniel, writing, "The truth is she helped perpetrate Hollywood's racism by not only refusing to directly challenge the bigotry she faced in the studio system but actually upholding it." That is an ignorant, offensive, misleading comment that is not proven by facts in this book. It's the writer drawing wrong conclusions based on her own modern political bent.
Ironically the author repeatedly condemns the "stereotyping" in movies and TV. Yet this book is filled with the writer's own stereotypes. She even calls out McDaniel for being racist with a claim that the actress insisted on a white doctor being called because she didn't trust black doctors!
Then there's this paragraph about McDaniel's third husband Larry Williams: "Whether or not Williams was gay is not clear. But it seems certain that some members of the press suspected he was." The proof? One magazine reporter said the man had "fussed" with flowers at the couples' wedding. That's it? So this writer, who rants about stereotyping, thinks it's okay to report rumors of a black husband being gay based simply on a floral arrangement? Hope the man's family doesn't mind that he was accused of something for which there is no evidence.
In the end too little of this mess is actually the story of McDaniel; too much is focused on the racism around every corner. The writer fails to see the real story: that McDaniel and her equally amazing siblings came through a horrible ancestral history to rise above racism, work hard, and become more successful that most of her contemporaries, no matter what their color.
The book is poorly written and is filled with the writer second-guessing every event, saying things like "it must have been because..." or "it probably was due to..." with zero proof. The words "must have" appear more than just about anything else. She just makes up scenarios, speculates on things McDaniel read or did, even repeatedly attributing emotional feelings that McDaniel "must have had."
The section about Gone With the Wind is full of hot air, sprinkled with many uses of the N word. Totally unnecessary. Watts slams the original author of the Civil War book, demeans just about anyone white in Hollywood, and even turns her wrath on McDaniel, writing, "The truth is she helped perpetrate Hollywood's racism by not only refusing to directly challenge the bigotry she faced in the studio system but actually upholding it." That is an ignorant, offensive, misleading comment that is not proven by facts in this book. It's the writer drawing wrong conclusions based on her own modern political bent.
Ironically the author repeatedly condemns the "stereotyping" in movies and TV. Yet this book is filled with the writer's own stereotypes. She even calls out McDaniel for being racist with a claim that the actress insisted on a white doctor being called because she didn't trust black doctors!
Then there's this paragraph about McDaniel's third husband Larry Williams: "Whether or not Williams was gay is not clear. But it seems certain that some members of the press suspected he was." The proof? One magazine reporter said the man had "fussed" with flowers at the couples' wedding. That's it? So this writer, who rants about stereotyping, thinks it's okay to report rumors of a black husband being gay based simply on a floral arrangement? Hope the man's family doesn't mind that he was accused of something for which there is no evidence.
In the end too little of this mess is actually the story of McDaniel; too much is focused on the racism around every corner. The writer fails to see the real story: that McDaniel and her equally amazing siblings came through a horrible ancestral history to rise above racism, work hard, and become more successful that most of her contemporaries, no matter what their color.
November 17, 2012
This is no mere Hollywood Biography. Ms. Watts delves into Ms. McDaniel's family tree so one gets the essence of Hattie's wit, struggle, innovation and creativity. She did things her way more than one realizes. This is no vanity biography - it goes deep into the psyche of the Post Civil War Life of African Americans straight into the world of Black/White Hollywood.
November 30, 2021
Catch the liveshow book review of this book with myself and another book tuber. You will also notice the author is in the chat discussing the book with us https://youtu.be/9rx2okR_ao8
January 11, 2025
Jill Watts is super. This is an in-depth dive into Hattie McDaniel’s life, so settle in for a long haul. This gave me some much needed insight into the social context of being a Black actor in Hollywood in the 1930s and 40s. Hattie isn’t a hero or a villain, she’s just human. But she did deserve better. And let me say it with my chest: f*ck Margaret Mitchell.
July 4, 2025
Great overview of the racism black actors experienced in Hollywood, and the choices they had to make to work. I think the author did a good job of showing both sides of what Hattie McDaniel experienced from whites and blacks, as well as how it impacted her emotionally and professionally. The writing was good, but the structure was a bit confusing at times as far as timeline of events.
November 15, 2014
This biography was just okay for me. It's informative, but dull as hell. The author makes no attempt to make Hattie's life interesting, which is ridiculous considering what a fascinating, courageous, and talented woman she was. Instead, Jill Watts focuses on the injustices directed at African Americans in the early days of film, writing with a vicious tone throughout. This would be fine if she were writing about the black experience of Hollywood--but she wasn't. The actions taken against African Americans during that time certainly warrant anger; however, Watts never tries to celebrate Hattie's life--she's too busy ranting. This angry style and disregard for Hattie's successes make this bio most irritating.
Additionally, the outdated information surrounding Hattie's experiences with GWTW and Margaret Mitchell is annoying. Watts tries to portray Mitchell as a racist redneck from hell, when, as current research proves, she was certainly the opposite. Mitchell loved Hattie McDaniel in GWTW, and, beginning with her telegram about the premiere, continued correspondence with her until she died. Mitchell even sent Hattie McDaniel a wedding gift of handcrafted teacups for a wedding present--a gift the mayor of Atlanta had reserved for the white actors only. The exclusion of this information is irritating because it's inaccurate. And sloppy research is at the top of my list of things I can't stand.
All in all, I feel I have a better understanding of Hattie McDaniel and what she endured to become an actress. But I would have appreciated a more accurate and compassionate portrait of this important and courageous star.
Additionally, the outdated information surrounding Hattie's experiences with GWTW and Margaret Mitchell is annoying. Watts tries to portray Mitchell as a racist redneck from hell, when, as current research proves, she was certainly the opposite. Mitchell loved Hattie McDaniel in GWTW, and, beginning with her telegram about the premiere, continued correspondence with her until she died. Mitchell even sent Hattie McDaniel a wedding gift of handcrafted teacups for a wedding present--a gift the mayor of Atlanta had reserved for the white actors only. The exclusion of this information is irritating because it's inaccurate. And sloppy research is at the top of my list of things I can't stand.
All in all, I feel I have a better understanding of Hattie McDaniel and what she endured to become an actress. But I would have appreciated a more accurate and compassionate portrait of this important and courageous star.
November 29, 2007
Please see my review at Amazon.com:
Grace's Hattie McDaniel Book Review
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February 15, 2008
Information about Hattie McDaniel, heavily overshadowed with the history of blacks in Hollywood, and not well done. There's NOT a really good book about Hattie McDaniel, and blacks in Hollywood are much better covered by Donald Bogle.
November 28, 2021
4.5-5 stars
Check out my live discussion and review with Bre from the Loc'D Booktician.
Check out my live discussion and review with Bre from the Loc'D Booktician.
April 10, 2023
The author is a former colleague. I read it for a Retirees Association meeting; an interesting biography that intersects with other books I've been reading.
July 2, 2025
With extreme delicacy and in-depth historical context, Watts creates a portrait of Hattie McDaniel that is the most comprehensive I’ve ever encountered. I was taken aback by the woman she was and the woman many thought her to be. Watts does a great job at explaining the racial lines that Hattie had to tip toe across in order to get work and find success as an actress. I must say, I’ve read many biographies about several different actresses, and none of them focused on the actual “work” of being an actress more than Hattie’s and that’s because Hattie didn’t have the luxury of seeing her career as anything other than a way to make ends meet by doing something she loved. Hattie took her craft seriously, but also made sure she and her family were taken care of. This drive to succeed in her career seemed to come, not from any ego, but rather a desire to survive (and maybe even thrive at the same time). There’s only one problem with her goal, which is Hollywood and America’s extremely racist ideas and stereotypes that permeated the social landscape during her entire career.
While the book did start slow and made me question where the author was going with all of the historical details, it became clear that she was setting the scene for Hattie’s life. Born from parents who experienced slavery and with a father who fought in the civil war, Hattie came from a stock that understood hard work, sacrifice, and not getting what they rightfully deserved. These details are very important as Hattie’s story unfolds. It must have been an immense weight to carry the freedom of your parents on your shoulder, as well as your entire race, which would also happen to her later in her career. Hattie would find herself playing the characters that were deemed a disgrace to the Black community and an antithesis to what her father fought for. People would be very ruthless with calling her out and during the entire book, I couldn’t help but feel empathetic toward Hattie. Juggling all of those roles could not have been easy and there were only a few select people who could understand how she felt as a Black woman in the golden age of Hollywood.
Throughout these pages, I also learned many things about Hattie I didn’t realize. I never knew she had a radio and vaudeville career before becoming an actor. I thought she started as an actress. I also didn’t know she was a blues singer with a great voice. She even shot shows for a television show that wasn’t aired, so she really had her foot in every creative performance medium possible at the time. I really respected how well rounded that made her as an actress and performer. In other aspects, this realization made me even more sad and depressed about the roles the studios gave her. She was notoriously only offered Mammy roles, which were extremely controversial as her career grew and the public began demanding more layered and complex roles for the Black actress. The studios inability to see her as more than a maid, hindered her career and stunted her growth as an artist. I can’t help but think of the amazing things she would be doing today if she were alive and able to do whatever she wanted. Now granted, this implies Hollywood is more inclusive than when Hattie was there, (and while that’s true), there’s also way more work to be done and way further to advance the visibility and accurate portrayal of Black actors.
The importance of this accuracy also comes in the form of Black actors and artists having the ability to control their own career, roles, and narrative. I loved that Hattie was able to improvise some of her scenes and lines in many of her biggest movies (such as Gone With the Wind). This ability allowed her to play with the back sassing maid that she perfected in her vaudeville shows. This gave her the unique ability to reclaim minstrelsy and turn it back on her white counterpart in a subversive way. While many say her roles perpetuated the negative stereotypes of Blacks, looking back at many of her films in the year 2025, she’s the only one relatable. She’s judging her rich white “employers” in the same way we are now, as a (somewhat) more socially aware society. And while many of her roles do lend to white subserviency, it’s clear that there is so much more to Hattie and she injects much more into her roles. She also championed the Black people around her behind the scenes. One example of this is when she insisted on getting her friend Ruby hired at CBS as the first Black woman to write for TV. That’s pretty awesome. I think people were too hard on her during the time she existed. It’s easy to see how they could be as they were literally fighting for a fair existence, but time gives 20/20 hindsight. Hattie did not hold her race back in the films, she advanced them, and all the while, she was seriously constrained by others around her who were racist or conditioned to accept a racist society. She also championed Blacks in her personal life by creating and donating to Black charities, as well as being the driving proponent to fair and equitable housing in the areas she lived (because there were always white neighbors who didn’t want her there). I think it’s remarkable she accomplished the things she did in the time period she lived in.
I won’t lie, there are times, I do believe Hattie had to prioritize her success and livelihood over her morals. There were moments of cringe throughout this book that I can’t imagine having to endure as a Black person, such as white dialect coaches teaching Black actors Ebonics and making characters appear blacker or dirtier to look darker on film. It was really appalling to hear some of things Black actors had to endure and I think about the immense humility and pride they had to have to get through such treatment. While Hattie knew she deserved to have a seat at the Gone With the Wind premier in Atlanta, just like she deserved to have the Oscar she won for her performance in the film, she humbly acted like she understood Selznick’s unwillingness to fight the racist southern theaters. It had to extremely upset her though, to not be part of something she helped create. When she received roles, she also hoped to inject as much dignity as possible into the part, but was constantly rebuffed by directors, producers, or like her scenes from In This Our Life, she was seeing her work be completely cut by racist censors in the south.
Hattie very rarely seemed to be able to catch a break, but when she did, it was like striking gold. The fact that she was nominated for and won an Oscar in 1940’s America as a Black woman, seems like a fairytale, but it wasn’t. It was real, just like the woman. Not a mammy, not a symbol, just a hell of a good actress and an accomplished Black woman. Her story is one of resilience and tenacity. I was inspired by every page and our society needs to push more stories like Hattie’s to the forefront. Only then can we truly champion and appreciate the Black experience in America.
While the book did start slow and made me question where the author was going with all of the historical details, it became clear that she was setting the scene for Hattie’s life. Born from parents who experienced slavery and with a father who fought in the civil war, Hattie came from a stock that understood hard work, sacrifice, and not getting what they rightfully deserved. These details are very important as Hattie’s story unfolds. It must have been an immense weight to carry the freedom of your parents on your shoulder, as well as your entire race, which would also happen to her later in her career. Hattie would find herself playing the characters that were deemed a disgrace to the Black community and an antithesis to what her father fought for. People would be very ruthless with calling her out and during the entire book, I couldn’t help but feel empathetic toward Hattie. Juggling all of those roles could not have been easy and there were only a few select people who could understand how she felt as a Black woman in the golden age of Hollywood.
Throughout these pages, I also learned many things about Hattie I didn’t realize. I never knew she had a radio and vaudeville career before becoming an actor. I thought she started as an actress. I also didn’t know she was a blues singer with a great voice. She even shot shows for a television show that wasn’t aired, so she really had her foot in every creative performance medium possible at the time. I really respected how well rounded that made her as an actress and performer. In other aspects, this realization made me even more sad and depressed about the roles the studios gave her. She was notoriously only offered Mammy roles, which were extremely controversial as her career grew and the public began demanding more layered and complex roles for the Black actress. The studios inability to see her as more than a maid, hindered her career and stunted her growth as an artist. I can’t help but think of the amazing things she would be doing today if she were alive and able to do whatever she wanted. Now granted, this implies Hollywood is more inclusive than when Hattie was there, (and while that’s true), there’s also way more work to be done and way further to advance the visibility and accurate portrayal of Black actors.
The importance of this accuracy also comes in the form of Black actors and artists having the ability to control their own career, roles, and narrative. I loved that Hattie was able to improvise some of her scenes and lines in many of her biggest movies (such as Gone With the Wind). This ability allowed her to play with the back sassing maid that she perfected in her vaudeville shows. This gave her the unique ability to reclaim minstrelsy and turn it back on her white counterpart in a subversive way. While many say her roles perpetuated the negative stereotypes of Blacks, looking back at many of her films in the year 2025, she’s the only one relatable. She’s judging her rich white “employers” in the same way we are now, as a (somewhat) more socially aware society. And while many of her roles do lend to white subserviency, it’s clear that there is so much more to Hattie and she injects much more into her roles. She also championed the Black people around her behind the scenes. One example of this is when she insisted on getting her friend Ruby hired at CBS as the first Black woman to write for TV. That’s pretty awesome. I think people were too hard on her during the time she existed. It’s easy to see how they could be as they were literally fighting for a fair existence, but time gives 20/20 hindsight. Hattie did not hold her race back in the films, she advanced them, and all the while, she was seriously constrained by others around her who were racist or conditioned to accept a racist society. She also championed Blacks in her personal life by creating and donating to Black charities, as well as being the driving proponent to fair and equitable housing in the areas she lived (because there were always white neighbors who didn’t want her there). I think it’s remarkable she accomplished the things she did in the time period she lived in.
I won’t lie, there are times, I do believe Hattie had to prioritize her success and livelihood over her morals. There were moments of cringe throughout this book that I can’t imagine having to endure as a Black person, such as white dialect coaches teaching Black actors Ebonics and making characters appear blacker or dirtier to look darker on film. It was really appalling to hear some of things Black actors had to endure and I think about the immense humility and pride they had to have to get through such treatment. While Hattie knew she deserved to have a seat at the Gone With the Wind premier in Atlanta, just like she deserved to have the Oscar she won for her performance in the film, she humbly acted like she understood Selznick’s unwillingness to fight the racist southern theaters. It had to extremely upset her though, to not be part of something she helped create. When she received roles, she also hoped to inject as much dignity as possible into the part, but was constantly rebuffed by directors, producers, or like her scenes from In This Our Life, she was seeing her work be completely cut by racist censors in the south.
Hattie very rarely seemed to be able to catch a break, but when she did, it was like striking gold. The fact that she was nominated for and won an Oscar in 1940’s America as a Black woman, seems like a fairytale, but it wasn’t. It was real, just like the woman. Not a mammy, not a symbol, just a hell of a good actress and an accomplished Black woman. Her story is one of resilience and tenacity. I was inspired by every page and our society needs to push more stories like Hattie’s to the forefront. Only then can we truly champion and appreciate the Black experience in America.
October 30, 2012
Hattie McDaniel had the most extraordinary life -- the daughter of slaves, a fighter and survivor of appalling poverty, a vaudeville actress from her teens and also a washerwoman and domestic, a widow by 21, a pioneering blues singer who wrote and performed her own songs, and then an actress, Oscar winner, friend to Clark Gable etc etc. How could an autobiography of such a woman fail to be interesting? It doesn't, and yet it's not as gripping as it should be, it's apologetic tone almost indicts McDaniel more than its litany of criticism...I wanted a more thoughtful account of such criticism, a more thoughtful look at black representation in film and the struggle around that, a deeper connection between her history and the roles she was forced to play. Perhaps records no longer exist, perhaps the autobiography she wanted to work on never got started, but there seemed to be very little of Hattie's own voice here until her career began falling apart along with her health...
Also, disappointingly, there is an absence of the kind of day to day racism she faced, it is noted on some of the films and the Gone With the Wind premier and such, but the telling makes these seem exceptional rather than the norm. There is little about the African American experience in LA, which for my own research is quite disappointing, but also seems a curious lack.
Also, disappointingly, there is an absence of the kind of day to day racism she faced, it is noted on some of the films and the Gone With the Wind premier and such, but the telling makes these seem exceptional rather than the norm. There is little about the African American experience in LA, which for my own research is quite disappointing, but also seems a curious lack.
September 9, 2010
"Hattie McDaniel: Black Ambition, White Hollywood" is a must read biography and a true revelation. It revealed to me a greater complexity and depth to an artist I only THOUGHT I knew. Jill Watts does an incredible job of delving into McDaniel and also the highly charged world in which she lived. It explores her motives, drives, fears and conflicts with acute understanding. It is well researched and does an excellent job of depicting the racist climate, restrictions and battles there were being waged before, during and after McDaniel's life and career. While this may sound dry and academic, it is all written with a compelling style that will hold your interest. It was so fascinating to learn of McDaniel's many artistic achievements that included writing dialogue and music, directing, singing and acting. She infused her roles with considerably more wit and subtext than was ever written on the page. She made the most of her sadly limited opportunities and paved the way for numerous artists who followed in her wake. This biography is an outstanding tribute to her life and legacy. A must read for anyone interested in film history and/or the African American experience.
September 2, 2021
I have always been a fan of the talented Hattie McDaniel. I was glad to see a biography about the actress. The author offers a very detailed biography of Hattie McDaniel. The book starts out writing about Hattie McDaniel's parents working up to her birth. she started her career on stage as a singer. Eventually she landed roles in movies. As they were back then, she unfairly was forced to play maids and servants. Even playing a stereotypical version.
Of course her most famous role is that of Mammy from Gone with the Wind. A role that won her an Oscar. The first for an African American person. Ms. McDaniel did not like playing the same roles she had to perform but she needed to earn a paycheck. She was even outspoken of her treatment. She died in the early 50s at 59 years old. I found this to be an informative biography.
Of course her most famous role is that of Mammy from Gone with the Wind. A role that won her an Oscar. The first for an African American person. Ms. McDaniel did not like playing the same roles she had to perform but she needed to earn a paycheck. She was even outspoken of her treatment. She died in the early 50s at 59 years old. I found this to be an informative biography.
July 25, 2007
So me being a fan of Gone With the Wind I naturally wanted to read about Hattie McDaniel. Her story, as I expected, was an amazing one. I loved her because although she played subclass roles that were completely beneath her ability level, she was always the picture of grace, style and dignity. She's kind of my hero : ) There are some slow parts, but overall it is a great book.
August 19, 2017
If you love old Hollywood - this is a must read. Very insightful look into the life of a talented lady who struggled in Hollywood against the stereotypes of the day - only to find herself caught in the cross hairs between earning a living and racial stereotyping. Lots of history about the African-American struggle to be treated with respect in America from the Civil War through the McCarthy Era. A fascinating read.
July 16, 2013
The level of detail in this book was amazing and I learned a lot about Hattie that I never knew. I think her quote "I'd rather play a maid then be a maid" is always going to stick in my head. A must read for Gone with the Wind fans, movie buffs and anyone who likes to read about the early days of Hollywood.
March 14, 2015
Behind the glitz and glamour of the first African American Oscar winner is a story of long-term suffering. Hattie McDaniel won critical acclaim yet endured backlash from the African American community for her role as a mammy figure throughout her Hollywood career. However, the distinguished actress was a Confederate daughter who fought for equal rights in motion pictures, radio, and television.
June 3, 2010
Very interesting: things back then sucked even MORE than I thought. Gave me a better understanding of a lot of things and my admiration grew for a women who faced things I cannot imagine and continued to strive to express herself as an actor.
October 3, 2010
A strong and courageous woman and yet it wasn't without sadness. How much of Hattie McDaniel that no one knows and how misunderstood she was. Truly as an artist and an African-American woman she was one of the strongest and the bravest.
June 11, 2011
June 3, 2011 Did not complete the book. It did go more in depth to her life. Will have to recheck it out.
I want to learn more about this woman since reading earlier this year about her life and struggles.
I want to learn more about this woman since reading earlier this year about her life and struggles.
August 12, 2015
Wonderful biography about an often misunderstood actress, Hattie McDaniel,the first African-American to win an Oscar--in any category. I would have liked more focus on her and less on American and African-American history but, a great book, nonetheless.
February 23, 2008
Interesting review of this talented woman's life, and the changing attitudes in Hollywood and in the United States during her life.
May 9, 2008
I have a new respect for her; very informative about the beginnings of Hollywood;
October 20, 2013
Frankly written...you can feel Hattie in this book.
March 14, 2014
The book was more a history lesson on race relations instead of Hattie. I would pick another book to read if you want to learn about the person.
December 4, 2023
An enlightening book about the actress and performer.her struggles through early life and career.the parts she had to play as some people have said were foisted on her by white film producers to perpetuate the black stereotype.i think and it's only something that I thought of when I read the book that the oscar Hattie won was given to her yes for her work on gwtw, but also the year 1939 was significant because of the rise in nazism in Germany and the USA didn't want to be seen(even though they were)to be following the same path.the opposition in that category were stronger.she became a slave to the big studios as with other stars,but unlike the white stars fighting the system she did it subversly.even now artists in all forms of entertainment are catergorised and woe betide if you step out of it.far from being a racial streotype Hattie fought the good fight from the inside.too many people were glad to use her financially and other ways.once she had won the oscar the powers that be didn't know how to promote her other then the character seen on screen.a thought provoking book even in this enlightened age.
August 13, 2025
This was one of my discarded freebies from the local library!
I adored it! I've been wanting to read a book on Hattie for awhile and this was awesome! From her father's surviving slavery to becoming a Union soldier and disabled (that is a true tragedy there in how the American government treated their black Union soldiers during and after the Civil War!) to Hattie's first marriage (for love, he dies young) to her brothers in show business (and she joined them) to finally, leaving Colorado to take her career to Hollywood, I feel like we grew with Hattie's experiences! She was AMAZING! Do yourself a favor: find a copy of this book!
I've done enough spoilers here and there, but I can say, Ms. McDaniel was a woman that paved the way for others and she must have been a great lady - a real lady! I'd love to have known her!
One of the best books I've read in a long time - and I had been waiting to read a book on her!!!! There's a few others (including a fctional one) that I am going to seek out!
I adored it! I've been wanting to read a book on Hattie for awhile and this was awesome! From her father's surviving slavery to becoming a Union soldier and disabled (that is a true tragedy there in how the American government treated their black Union soldiers during and after the Civil War!) to Hattie's first marriage (for love, he dies young) to her brothers in show business (and she joined them) to finally, leaving Colorado to take her career to Hollywood, I feel like we grew with Hattie's experiences! She was AMAZING! Do yourself a favor: find a copy of this book!
I've done enough spoilers here and there, but I can say, Ms. McDaniel was a woman that paved the way for others and she must have been a great lady - a real lady! I'd love to have known her!
One of the best books I've read in a long time - and I had been waiting to read a book on her!!!! There's a few others (including a fctional one) that I am going to seek out!
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