• About Tara Hanks
  • Jeanne Eagels: A Life Revealed
    • Reviews
    • Synopsis
    • Updates
    • Where to Buy
  • The Mmm Girl
    • The Mmm Girl – Extract
    • The Mmm Girl – Reviews
  • Wicked Baby
    • Wicked Baby – Reviews
  • Media

Tara Hanks

~ Author of 'The Mmm Girl' and 'Wicked Baby'

Tara Hanks

Tag Archives: Dark Waters

The Black Garbo: Nina Mae McKinney

31 Saturday Mar 2012

Posted by marina72 in Books, Film, Non-Fiction

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

BearManor Media, Billie Holiday, Dark Waters, Elia Kazan, Gang Smashers, Irving Thalberg, Jimmy Monroe, King Vidor, Nina Mae McKinney, Paul Robeson, Pinky, Race Movies, Safe in Hell, Sanders of the River, Stephen Bourne, The Black Garbo, William Wellman

Nina Mae McKinney, who made her screen début in King Vidor’s Hallelujah! (1929) – one of the first Hollywood films to feature an all-black cast – was hailed by MGM’s Irving Thalberg as ‘the greatest acting discovery of the age’. A vivacious beauty, Nina Mae had more in common with ‘It Girl’ Clara Bow or glamorous comedienne Carole Lombard than with the enigmatic Greta Garbo, to whom she was compared.

But like many other black actresses of her generation, McKinney was reduced to playing bit parts and never fulfilled her initial promise. Her subsequent career included roles in ‘race movies’ (films made outside Hollywood, for black audiences) and cabaret success in Europe. The British film historian, Stephen Bourne, who has previously written about other black female stars of the early twentieth century – including Ethel Waters and Butterfly McQueen – has now investigated the life and work of Nina Mae McKinney in his latest book, The Black Garbo. Continue reading →

Subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 296 other followers

Pages

  • About Tara Hanks
  • Jeanne Eagels: A Life Revealed
  • Media
  • The Mmm Girl
  • Wicked Baby

Creative Commons License
http://tarahanks.com by Tara Hanks/marina72 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 UK: England & Wales License

Categories

Archives

Twitter

  • RT @johnmcdonnellMP: If anyone thinks the Tory party with its talk of levelling up is somehow different from any Tory government in the pas… 1 hour ago
  • RT @AOC: Abolish ICE. 1 hour ago
  • Forty years on from the New Cross fire, what has changed for black Britons? theguardian.com/world/2021/jan… 3 hours ago

Find Me

  • ES Updates
  • The Marilyn Report

My Favourites

  • Aaron Darc
  • Chris Wade
  • Culled Culture
  • Culture Matters
  • Cursum Perficio
  • Cy Forrest
  • Everlasting Star
  • Fionn Wilson
  • Jude Starling
  • Laura Wilkinson
  • Mary Ann Lynch
  • Michelle Morgan
  • Moon In The Gutter
  • Refugee Radio
  • Soledad Arts Journal

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy