Posted on 10/08/2009 12:15:51 PM PDT by a fool in paradise
A comedy act involving five men in afro wigs and black make-up on their faces during an Australian variety show has been criticised by Harry Connick Jr.
The US singer and actor, who was serving as a judge on Wednesday's Hey Hey It's Saturday, scored the act based on the Jackson Five a zero.
"If I knew that was going to be part of the show I definitely wouldn't have done it," he said.
Host Daryl Somers apologised to Connick Jr at the end of the live show.
"I know that to your countrymen, that's an insult to have a blackface routine like that on the show, so I do apologise to you," Somers said.
Dr Anand Deva, the frontman of the Jackson Jive act, which also included a man with white make-up on his face playing Michael Jackson, said they had not meant to cause offence.
Speaking to Australian radio 3AW, he said: "Clearly, all of us want to apologise. I mean we have offended some people no doubt, particularly Harry Connick Jr."
He revealed that he is Indian and several of the other members of the group have multicultural backgrounds.
"It certainly was not meant to be racist in any way at all," Dr Deva said.
Speaking on the show, Connick Jr said: "I just want to say, on behalf of my country, I know it was done humorously, but we've spent so much time trying to not make black people look like buffoons, that when we see something like that we take it really to heart."
Hey Hey originally ran for 27 years, starting in 1971, and the Jackson Jive group first appeared on the show 20 years ago...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
He just doesn't get it.
He revealed that he is Indian and several of the other members of the group have multicultural backgrounds. "It certainly was not meant to be racist in any way at all," Dr Deva said.
Digging the hole deeper.
Hey Hey originally ran for 27 years, starting in 1971, and the Jackson Jive group first appeared on the show 20 years ago...
Yeah and England still had mistrel show programming in the 1970s. They don't get it.
Then again, neither did Ted Danson.
Please keep this thread from going zot.
I would think there are very few people who would NOT find blackface offensive. I could be wrong.
this reminds of an episode of Designing Women where Suzanne (Delta Burke) wears dark make-up during a talent show performance... she and the other gals were singing a song by Diana Ross and The Supremes...
Good for him!
Was black face or black face black face? Theres a difference don’t you know.
Harry Connick Jr. wearing a “black afro” wig and immitating a southern prea-chah.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/hey-hey-harry-connick-jnr/2009/10/08/1254701095637.html
In Milwaukee, police were looking for an African-American suspect until they realized the guy who robbed a Target store was actually in blackface. Australian crime wave!
http://www.jsonline.com/newswatch/63757387.html
Well Whoopi Goldberg DID date Ted Danson at the time he posed for that photo.
As a boy in the 40s I dressed up in a home-made Halloween costume as Aunt Jemima, complete with burned-cork blackface. In those days Aunt Jemima on the pancake mix box was not the chic, scarf wearing, slim black woman she is today, but a chubby, smiling, round-faced, bandana-wearing mammie. That notwithstanding, I intended no offense to black (then called negro) people by wearing that costume.
I’ve seen threads that are perfectly legitimate get zotted because of some of the down-thread content. I have no control over what comes after.
I guess by eliminating the blackface Connick felt he was in the clear. I found it funny and the blacks in the skit didn’t seem to mind.
Meanwhile blacks mock whites with impunity.
Yes, times were very different then. It was probably like wearing a Mr. Clean costume - was that an insult to bald people? Thanks for post.
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