1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:06,960 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello Again. It's Eves and you're listening to 3 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:10,280 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class, a podcast that truly believes 4 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: no day is boring. Today's February. The day was February 5 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: ninett Hattie McDaniel became the first black person to win 6 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:34,839 Speaker 1: an Academy award. McDaniel was born in Wichita, Kansas in 7 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:40,160 Speaker 1: She was the thirteenth child born to Henry and Susan McDaniel, 8 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: and her family was full of performers. Her mom was 9 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: a gospel singer and her father played the banjo, among 10 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:51,839 Speaker 1: other professions and hobbies. Hattie showed a talent for singing 11 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 1: and reciting poetry when she was young. She said that 12 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 1: sometimes her mom would even give her change to stop 13 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 1: singing and dancing because she did it so much. In 14 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: nineteen o eight, McDaniel began attending Denver East High School. 15 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,919 Speaker 1: While there, she won a drama contest that was sponsored 16 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: by the Women's Christian Temperance Union. But in nineteen ten 17 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 1: she left school and joined her family's minstrel show throughout 18 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 1: the late nineteen tents. In early nineteen twenties, she toured 19 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: with acting troops in small towns and places like Colorado, Kansas, 20 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:31,479 Speaker 1: and Nebraska. She was a singer in George Morrison's Melody Hounds, 21 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:35,919 Speaker 1: a touring jazz orchestra, and she performed regularly on the radio. 22 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:40,400 Speaker 1: McDaniel continued performing on the vaudeville circuits up until the 23 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: late nineteen twenties, when the booking organization that she worked 24 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:48,280 Speaker 1: with went bankrupt as the Great Depression began. She soon 25 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 1: started working as a bathroom attendant in Milwaukee. Though Club 26 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: Madrid only let white people perform, the owner of the 27 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: club let Hattie take the main stage, and she performed 28 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: there for about a year. But a couple of her 29 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:04,640 Speaker 1: siblings had been living in Los Angeles and earned some 30 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: movie roles, and Hattie decided to move to Hollywood, though 31 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,520 Speaker 1: she had to take small jobs to support herself. Hattie 32 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: made her movie debut in nineteen thirty one as an 33 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: extra in a musical. In nineteen thirty two, she got 34 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: a role in her first major movie, The Golden West, 35 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 1: as a servant. At the time, jobs were black actors 36 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: in Hollywood were generally limited to stereotypical roles. McDaniel's roles 37 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: were often based on the stereotype of the mammy, a 38 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: caricature of an agreeable black woman who took care of 39 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:43,000 Speaker 1: white children. That said, Hattie's performances often added depth to 40 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 1: the stereotypical character, as she exhibited wit and perceptiveness in 41 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:50,919 Speaker 1: the role. Hat He played several parts that she did 42 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 1: not get a screen credit for, but throughout the nineteen thirties. 43 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: In nineteen forties, she appeared in several films that she 44 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 1: was credited in. The film that made her the first 45 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 1: Black actor to win an Academy Award was Gone with 46 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 1: the Wind. She played the role of Mammy in the movie, 47 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 1: for which she earned four hundred and fifty dollars a week. 48 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:14,640 Speaker 1: The film was critically acclaimed and popular, though many black 49 00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:17,240 Speaker 1: people still took issue with the roles she was playing. 50 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: At the Academy Awards on February ninety she won the 51 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:26,079 Speaker 1: Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She went on to tour 52 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 1: the country as a Mammy. Over the next several years, 53 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 1: McDaniel continued to play the role of servant. Though she 54 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 1: had one national fame for her acting, plenty of people 55 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 1: looked down on the roles she played as harmful, anti 56 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: black and at best outdated. Beyond her screen roles, she 57 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: won a starring part on a CBS radio show called 58 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: The Beulah Show. In her later years, McDaniel donated her 59 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:55,760 Speaker 1: oscar to Howard University. She was diagnosed with breast cancer 60 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: in nineteen fifty two and died in October of that year. 61 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 1: I'm Eaves death code, and hopefully you know a little 62 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,840 Speaker 1: more about history today than you did yesterday. Spend some 63 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 1: of your daily social media time with us at T 64 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:14,880 Speaker 1: D I h C podcast. If you prefer something a 65 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: little bit more formal, then you can write us at 66 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 1: this Day at I heart media dot com. Thanks for listening. 67 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:29,719 Speaker 1: We'll see you again tomorrow with another episode. For more 68 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:32,280 Speaker 1: podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 69 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.