Cotton and Chick Watts Blackface Comedy Routine

[isissocialmisfit]

They did this because there was a time dark folk werent allowed to be in movies so yes its very racist

[BattlingLevinsky]

Good LAAAAWD thas a whoooooole lotta racism, y'all!

[yungjohnswag]

couldn't stop laughing lmao

[TranceExplosion]

@MrTelegony The U still has golliwogs and Papalazarou

[quagapp]

This was racist at the time, although not all white people necessarily) thought so. But it is good to see it now and - as long as you can see what it is the are some very funny thing in it...despite (or because of) its "Jim Crow" connotations etc

[quagapp]

I wonder if this is where he got his "Mr Bones"... from the film. Berryman was an alcoholic but a great poet and teacher (scholar). He committed suicide (1979 I think).

[quagapp]

John Berryman who won the Pulitzer prize for his Dream Songs (about 1970) had in each of his "Sonnets" various alter egos. That included Henry, others and a "Mr Bones" his second sonnet refers to minstrely and Daddy Rice. I think he uses Mr Bones as a kind of archetype (that penetrates his subconscious and l also think this echoes the troubled state of race relations etc but he also takes the humoresque carnivalesque aspects.

[slideguy100]

this is no more deroguatory than rap, cept mo talent, most popular form of entertainment in europ and u s , evrybody loved it, even darkies! screw political correctness !

[CaLiBluNTs562]

Why did they wear blackface wat was the point of all this?

[redbonegal]

NOW THEY LOOOOVVVVEEEE WHITE WOMEN< HA HA HA!!!!

[kdj997]

lol he sounds like bill cosby before bill cosby, bill cosby stole his whole act from him. wow

[BorderCityBandit]

I think this kinda stuff should still be on tv,I think any race should be able to rip into another race as often and as offense as possible,we need to let this shit peacefully and in a funny manner,or else it festers and becomes violence we sure as shit dont need

[knibscratch]

This footage was also in some prints of Ed Wood's Jailbait, in other prints there was footage of a burlesque dancer, but the music was the same as the music in the dance in this footage.

[bahamiangreek101]

LMAO! I find this crazy funny for a show in nineteen-fifty one.Cotton Watts LMAO! Cotton Watts sounds a little like Bill Cosby XD! Seriously I don't like negative stereotypes or racism by any race period.So someone who's black has to be lower rank,unintelligent,lazy and dangerous?Talk about those stereotypes displayed in this video.Although I'm not offended by seeing this obviously.I'm taking this video as comedy anyways.

[tbrunke]

This is just comedy, and should be taken as such. The PC crowd always likes to scream racist. Why don't they ever complain about the black comedy shows of today that portray white people like buffoons?

[Steadno]

death to them

[Abayo04]

The racist history of the US exposed for all to see. We can do better.

[Guts01]

@Abayo04 Funny, back then there was no such things as "racism".

[DaltonsBizkit]

@Abayo04 As evident as Chris Rock's whole routine, racism's still kicking to this day at a much more harsh approach. A bit silly you come to black face comedy to rant of racism.

[funnygirl04]

Lol this is funny to me and Im black.. lol he sounds like Bill Cosby and why is his top lip so big

[DragoonNoR]

HA!!! This is awesome! They should show this on cable!

[ibidydo]

if we bring this back i would like to see black people do white people impressions so we can laugh and joke with eachother

[HorrorHarry100]

What? he's not black?

[Dwain9695]

That is the best black impression by a white guy ever

[HorrorHarry100]

You mean to say he's not really black ????

[Dwain9695]

Im black i cant like this is funny as shit

[biancatylr]

@SilasK9098 you have to be racist because this is not even close to being funny. you cant bring up what Eddie and Dave do in their acts decades later, theirs is only retaliation.

[WizzoPro9476]

This is hillarious, but boring!

[sheerXD]

Good old Family Racism ....

[blackie7397]

how is this funny

[Coffeeisnecessary]

@blackie7397 It was funny at the time. People back then were sick. People now are sick as well. Racism against people with black skin color, and now Arabs are victims of racism. Caucasians are not the only racist; everyone has some form of racism. It's upsetting. I was racist five years ago, but now I see that I was being ignorant! I'm not against any race now, I'm against a few cultural principals, but not their race. I guess this reply can be described as a ramble because I got 6 topix in 1

[townhall05446]

This is offensive to many I'm sure. But don't fall into the trap of judging prior generations by today's standards. In the 70's Redd Foxx on Sanford & Son used the "n-word" plenty talking about blacks, and suggested using his sister-in-law's face to "cut out a mess of gorilla cookies". Was Foxx racist against blacks? Of course not. There's a black guy in the background laughing at this comedy routine, he's not offended. Don't judge "then" by "now". Blacks ridicule whites too - but who cares?

[biancatylr]

@townhall05446 this shouldve been considered as wrong and racist in "back-in-the-day" standards. and blacks ridicule whites NOW for alllllll they did to blacks for centuries!

[mylokaf]

Looking at some fo the rasist comments tell me one thing.......Martin Luther King Jr. was a nieve fool. I have a Dream.....yeah right!!

[PipeIncognito]

That was so funny I forgot to laugh...

[AzCa4614]

YYou sir, definitely reveal your ignorance with that last statement. For one RACE of people to maliciously humiliate and degrade another RACE is the epitome of racism. Look out this Summer for the new White face viral videos. We are in production currently, and I cannot wait to see the different opinions white folks have after MY videos come out.

[SSENWERD42]

@AzCa4614 Nobody cares about racism anymore.

Its cancer that's in nowadays. Make a video about that and you might get popular.

You could even merge your 'whiteface' with cancer patients because that would be exactly what the world wants to see nowadays! Omg you will look so cool!

[GenesisCummaker]

i have to ignore the ignorant comments on here already, but would just like to say how disappointing it is to see a real black man sitting in the audience laughing at what is going on. This video, as well as any other like it, prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that racism will NEVER die

[ikachina]

@GenesisCummaker

Remember that this is 1951 and at that time there weren't any parts for Blacks in the movies that didn't rely on racist stereotypes. Also it's likely that guys like Scatman Crothers could see past the racism and still appreciate the skill involved in expertly portraying the stereotypes.

[doubleghod]

@GenesisCummaker you're right, the comments do epitomize ignorance. The greatest ignorance displayed in these comments is the ignorance of the definition of the words racist and racism. I have not seen one thing racist or one iota of racism in any of these minstrel routines. Just because one group of people poke fun or make light of another group of people does not a racist make. Before anyone villifies me or my comments, please look up the word racism in the dictionary—you'll see.

[biancatylr]

@doubleghod youre stupid! this is clearly racist becus they went overboard on top of the fact that the times this was made were overtly and extremely racist times. youre probably racist!

[THECHAMPdotCom]

@GenesisCummaker chill, its comedy.

[tmux]

@GenesisCummaker yo idunno about you but im colored myself and i find this pretty fuckin funny :P

[thabesttheris]

THIS SHIT IS SO FUCKED UPP!!!!!! how tha hell can u hate someone for looking different from u white folks. yall fucked up like shit this shit look scary too creep me tha fuck out

[tmfortuna]

"I'll pay you all that you're worth." "Oh no, you got to pay me somethin!!" Hard to believe people used to laugh at what that joke implies. That black people aren't worth anything.

[Capt51stALA]

This is funny as hell!

[thabesttheris]

@Capt51stALA u ignorant 

[mochajoe2]

@andrometa1

ur not very intelligent.. first of all the language that blacks speak have syntax and grammatical structure from africa only slowly they assimilated to the kings english... how many black people do u know that dont have jobs? think about that.. also is it there fault? Yes? no u must believe in the american dream..."if you dont work hard u wont be successful.." blaming the victim.. go read a book seriously.. stop being so ignorant

[doriantaylor66]

@andrometa1 wow is that what you think of blacks but most of the white kkids these days are following what we are doing i really have nothing else to say to you pieces of shit like you dont need my time an i got a job all the blacks i know got a job an im goin to college an most of the blacks i know are going but theirs no point in telling you ur only 15 anyway

[ikachina]

@doriantaylor66

It's unfortunate and disturbing that racism like that displayed by @andrometa1 is still very prevalent among some whites. It's particularly disappointing that so many young people who are supposed to know better will often make comments like this on the internet because they can do so anonymously. I could delete those comments but I think that its better for everyone to see them so that they understand that we are not (as a society) even close to being over racism yet.

[doriantaylor66]

@ikachina i feel you 

[doriantaylor66]

@andrometa1 whats wrong with you no black man is like that

[andrometa1]

@doriantaylor66 excuse my few typos for it is late and i am tired with my fingers slipping across a keyboard, and my mind is someplace surreal.

[zbergstroom]

Anybody that thinks it's funny is ignorant. And only commented because you're hiding behind a computer.

[zbergstroom]

There are as many ignorant whites too...

What about Trailer Trash, majority of the Battlefield Army, BLONDES, NASCAR fans.

[decevioj]

GO C DECEVIO AND NEW WEST ORDER  MUSIC ON YOUTUBE 2012

[unfortunatebeam]

@andrometa1 what do you mean "modern" blackface?

[andrometa1]

@unfortunatebeam as in i want to see this comedy come back. some of my buds would do this, but i have found no professional work in this genre

[unfortunatebeam]

@andrometa1 "but i have found no professional work in this genre"

gee I wonder why...

[svelvetnoose]

still learning

[svelvetnoose]

wow

[ray8up]

This is disrespectful, whether you think it is funny or not.

[88948895611499]

i think even if i was white, this dumb shit wouldnt be funny!

[unfortunatebeam]

This would have been ok only if black people were allowed to don white face and make fun and exaggerate negative stereotypes of their race. But they weren't, so it's an unfair double standard

[ikachina]

@unfortunatebeam

Plantation Blacks had their own ways of stereotyping their masters with the "Cakewalk." It made fun of the white master's walk and because whites had no idea that they were the ones being made fun of, the cakewalk was very popular with whites and became a standard part of all minstrel shows. Search YouTube for "Cakewalk" and you'll see what I mean.

[unfortunatebeam]

@ikachina hmm, yeah that's interesting. I guess there were a few hidden derisions of whites, and that counts for something. But still, overtly making fun of whites the way whites made fun of blacks wouldn't be tolerated.

[mylokaf]

@ikachina Do your research white people did black face with the purpose of hurting blacks. It was propaganda against racial equality, and mint to stoke the flames of hate and fear. So if salves where makeing fun of their master... how could they ....Im sure slaves were sooooo happy!!!! What you said is like comparing 1st degree murder to accidental homicide. Blackface had a vicious intent .....(White face) was not a whole industry created to humiliate white people.

[wawaH20]

@unfortunatebeam there called mimes

[unfortunatebeam]

@wawaH20 well they paint their faces white, don't mean it's a whiteface equivalent to blackface duh.

[pinkdusty]

@unfortunatebeam Actually they were... and black entertainers donned blackface as well. Look up the play Day of Absence by Douglas Turner Ward...

[pinkdusty]

@unfortunatebeam Actually they were... Look up the play Day of Absence by Douglas Turner Ward... Oh- and African American performers dressed in Black face and performed similar characters (Stepin Fetchit) and made millions off of it. Although now offensive, and rightly so, it was acceptable for the period and a style of entertainment; Romans watcehd people get attacked by bears and lions for popular entertainment, which obviously wouldn't fly today.

[pinkdusty]

@unfortunatebeam Actually they were... Look up the play Day of Absence by Douglas Turner Ward... Oh- and African American performers dressed in Black face and performed similar characters (Stepin Fetchit) and made millions off of it. Although now offensive, and rightly so, it was acceptable for the period and a style of entertainment; Romans watched people get attacked by bears and lions for popular entertainment, which obviously wouldn't fly today.

[THECHAMPdotCom]

@unfortunatebeam Ever seen "white chicks"? Black dudes dressed as white women. Did I care that it was stereotyping, racist? No cause I got balls and don't whine about every petty comedy bit. I say fuck it and make the best of it. The movie sucked, but the concept I liked.

[unfortunatebeam]

@THECHAMPdotCom You got balls? lol well bully for you! explain how informing me that you got "balls" (like I or anyone else needs to hear that stupid old shit) has any relevance or meaning at all to this discussion? you seem to be saying if one has a criticism or sees some fault in something, then one has no "balls". oh ok, then I guess only uncritical, passive, apathetic dullards have testes.

I think it's time you updated your vocabulary.

[THECHAMPdotCom]

@unfortunatebeam I think its time you not avoid the main point of my statement, which is all races are stereotyped in a variety of ways, so get over it.

[Nd4Spdr]

@unfortunatebeam Dave Chappelle does now and it is funny as hell. The Wayans brothers do some too.

[Galzara]

Its in black and white, so it can't be racist! This is fucking funny. Fuck you all.

[grinbaldus1]

I find it very interesting that all the racism i see i old black and white films and theater productions were produced in Hollywood and on Broadway and NOT in "The South" like todays hollywood likes to portray, i also find it interesting that some of the most racist elites of the past who supported these productions were the parents and grandparents of some of todays big names such as george clooney, anderson cooper, and glen close, even warner bros & the 3 stooges negatively portrayed blacks

[unfortunatebeam]

@grinbaldus1 I wouldn't say on Broadway, probably more like vaudville, or maybe off-broadway

[daytonville]

@unfortunatebeam This form of blackface "entertainment" was definitely on Broadway.

[HeavyMetalLinebacker]

Holy shit, can't believe this was only 50 years ago. See you in hell, Cotton Watts.

[LoneWolfHowl1]

Nice dancin' though

[maxwall7755]

Funny as fuck! Typical darkie though,afraid of work.

[tcw00]

Wow

[celticlord88]

i think this is funny because i know black people aren't like that. i'm black and this doesn't offend me

[Mindaslight]

unfuckingbelievable.



[Joeskeets]

rack em rack!

[TampAnonymous]

the clothes, intellect, mannerism, and ability of the black man to use english still haven't changed in almost 60 years. not surprised.

[shagingmaster35]

i is gonna dress likes that fou haloween!! yes sirreee!!

[pinworms70]

LOL HILARIOUS!

[Mindaslight]

@pinworms70 idiot.



[evxdaddy]

That's cruel! For shame!!!

[ikachina]

@evxdaddy

The real shame is that so many people in the 1950s still thought this stuff was funny.

[BJ10pt]

@ikachina 

[BJ10pt]

@ikachina

Hell this is funny now....

[joehancock01]

Sooo funnny

[bambizzoozled]

Most of this clip was also used in the movie "Jail Bait."

[ikachina]

@bambizzoozled

That's right. In "Jail Bait" (1954) Ed Wood originally had a segment with a stripper but replaced it with this blackface routine from "Yes Sir, Mr Bones" (1951). I wonder if this change was made to placate the censors or if Wood was going for greater shock value.

[unfortunatebeam]

@ikachina I doubt blackface would have been more shocking than a stripper in the early 50s.