The Black & White Minstrel Show 1978 - Part 5

[Loverboy19691]

This is when tv was indeed family entertainment, not the dreadful rubbish you get on saturday nights these days, bring this back, plus 321!

[TezlaCoils]

Has anything from 1978 dated quite so badly as this. I think even back in 1978 this seemed dated for it's time. This was really tacky television and this show should have finished production by the mid sixties at the latest!

[Strawberry7Lynn]

The perfect platform for the Paragon of Virtue brigade pontificate and call everyone (except themselves) a racist

[patriciael100]

i don't see what the harm in people wanting to put make up on their faces, which is only red makeup not black. it sure up has black when it is under the lights. so where does it harm any body to do it.

pat jackson

[smoogirl]

This may be racist, but it's actually pretty entertaining to watch haha :)

[Bhuidhe1]

I don't know if Gary Glitter is a racist, but he is a paedophile. Not nice.

[babaloula]

This is just so embarrassing.

[CelebrateDiversity1]

@babaloula

You probably think that all 'racists' should be hung-like mega evil Gary Glitter-and that black people can never be racist (says the UK Govt) because they're still such a minority (o course!)

[babaloula]

@CelebrateDiversity1 Actually, I like this music as I also like Gary Glitter's music. I just don't like to see people blacking up. I think it stems from a time when there was a lot of racism here in the UK. And yes, racism can be on all sides, but probably whites have been responsible for a great many travesties, e.g. Black slavery, Red Indian wipeout, Aboriginal maltreatment in Australia... but hang racists? No, educate them.

[K3KCT]

Poor girl (second from right) almost went on her cunt 2:58

[gettingahandle]

thats enough to make me projectile vomit

[onemoreturn]

No I don't. I like Caps Lock though.

[onemoreturn]

Good clean human fun, not like this nasty "hip-hop" business.

[locsman]

@onemoreturn YOU JUST DON'T GET IT DO YOU?

[ZwolfZki]

I've skipped through 5 parts of this gay song & dance shit... can't believe this is from the same era as the multicolour swap shop, tom baker as doctor who, life on earth, etc.

[sirtinycreep]

How times have changed. This looks like from about 1870!

[England5is5the5best]

I love this,The fact it winds up blacks and PC whites is a bonus.

[woodlandsteve]

Quality entertainment mate ,,, 7 people dislike this,,, go and stick your heads up your bottoms then and sit in the dark

[GoodByeKyle]

I really do like this kind of big show music, its such a shame the pictures have to be soo ghastly racist

[topclaw]

Racist/non-racist arguments aside, that "I remember' song with the old couple made me feel warm and fuzzy inside :)

[tghooker]

titties at 2:14

[Defjams1991]

They still did this shit in the 70's ?!?!? WTF!!! The 40's, 50's ok but damn the 70's wasn't even that long ago! SMH!!

[QuebeKop]

"Born Free". Pre-post-modern irony!

[olderthanyou]

I like all of the white people declaring that this isn't racist or degrading ... as if they get to be the arbiters as well as the perpetrators of racism.

[dilmx]

what a rubbish and tottally contemptible programme. I had never heard of this programme until Id read about it.

To anyone that likes it so much I ask this, if it was so good why didnt they get black people to play the black roles?

Absolutely disgusting and racist!

[Poiuse321]

@dilmx oh shit, it's the PC police

[dilmx]

@Poiuse321 no actually im nick griffins dad and ive come here to inform everyone what an tosser he is.

[ndbrown65]

Blackface performers are, "...the filthy scum of white society, who have stolen from us a complexion denied them by nature, in which to make money, and pander to the corrupt taste of their white fellow citizens." -- Frederick Douglass

[theidort]

@ndbrown65 Said by the Jessie Jackson of his time.

[25thNovember1970]

As a white person, I take offence at seeing a black man "whitened up" at the start of the clip.

[2010dispencer]

This programme was NOT racist or offensive in any way. It was great family entertainment. One of the most popular shows on British TV when there were very few black people in the Uk. There are still very few black people in the UK. There are a disproportionately high number of black presenters and actors on British TV which make it seem that half the country is black.

[JOCKATEO]

what the hell are black people saying this is wrong ok then white people might have done this but you had us back with a white michael jackson pedophile

[anita606]

what a silly show. black people didnt deserve this type of mockery they had it hard enough as it was!!

[lindsey2021]

so much hate, for what? what did blacks do to deserve this mockery and level of hate?

[Jamiep84]

@lindsey2021 it's neither mocking nor hateful though?

[JesterJukebox]

I particularly like this segment, where a white-faced Dai slips in what seems to be an 'ad lib'. Watch Margaret Savage's expression when he says, "Mags".

This must have been a sad occasion for the entire crew as it was their final TV show. Their loss is our loss.

[d4j3b]

Looking back I can't believe we thought this was alright. Not because it's racist but how stupid white people can be.

[cosmicjazzer]

it's better than x factor!

[mytonprop]

god dam it i dont know any black men that look like that,,these fellasjust look wierd..more like umpa lumpas of willy wonka

[AIexiusComnenos]

These people are performers; probably half the blokes are gay. They ain't fascists. Give it a rest.

[porridgeeveryday]

this lot should go before a firing squad and summarily disposed of.

[alexjonesfan]

Aah, the days before political correctness (aka cultural marxism). Although I never did understand why they had to 'black up'. I think Lenny Henry was the only black man who was ever part of the show.

[threecoloursblue1]

White women with black men? this is the most non-racist programme I've seen. What? They're not really black? Nasty!

[CNicol40]

If this is offensive to black people then it's right it was stopped. There's a story about a "Royal Variety" performance when Diana Ross refused to rehearse because a group of B&W minstrels were in the theatre. Her reaction is understandable.. but .. I'm offended by Black rappers using the "N" word in their music and demeaning women with lyrics in which they talk about "smacking my bitch" and "boning my ho' ". I hope there comes a time when that sort of offensive RAP is off the air as well.

[brainjesus]

well luckily this is not nazi germany, so you can't personally censor everything that you find to be offensive.

[caaamon]

Mmm.. tasty minstrels

[supercarXXX]

I hated this "saturday night entertainment" shit as a boy in the sixties. But it was nothing to do with racism, it was to do with crap programming, and boring TV channels.

[joehancock01]

this isnt a proper minstrel show .. lol ... this is just blackface....

[kenfig]

People BECOME affraid of 'racism' when they are constantly scared by it.Before that they dont even think 'this is racist ; that is racist' etc. its like brainwashing.Political correctness is the enemy ; most people are not racist & neither was this show

[hoodoozephyr]

I'm not sure if it's racist or clueless - seeing Gilbert & Sullivan performed in blackface certainly defies any conventional set of stereotypes I'm aware of - but it seems to come from a very troubling attitude that anyone who isn't English doesn't quite count as having cultural sensitivities. It's like wearing a Ganesh T-Shirt or Palestinian head scarf as a fashion statement writ incredibly large. So bizarre.

[Illnnn333]

I am a non-white person and spend a lot of time arguing with BNP types on the Internet, but I love the Black & White Minstrels, I think they were truly talented performers much better than a lot of the crap we get now a days. The guys look fascinating in their make-up and the women are all really hot, and they can all sing, dance and harmonize beautifully. A much more innocent time. Al Joleson was also a genius singer with an incredible voice, he is an inspiration.

[Illnnn333]

People should remember that audiences who watched these shows were not doing it out of hatred or ill feeling, the performances are graceful and dignifying and human, maybe some people just can't see it, which is understandable, given the history of slavery and segragation, but they should remember that ordinary commen people did as much as they could to end slavery and oppression as all the great men of history.

[Illnnn333]

To be honest I find gangsta rap a lot more degrading to black people than this ever could be.

[kenfig]

Youre a well balanced & sensible person Illnnn ; mature with common sense & sense of realism

[ann2shoes]

My parents used to love this show, but undoubtedly it would not be allowed on the TV now, if only for reasons of sheer boredom! I can't believe I had to watch this........

[xorberates]

The couple singing "I remember it well" are dear old Margaret Savage and good old Dai Francis, lead singers along with Tony Mercer And John Boulter.

[pixelbot2000]

Born freeee!!!!!

[tittetybumpety]

This was so much better than Stars On Sunday with Jess 'the bishop'Yates bashing it out with Noel Gordon and Hughie Green

[tittetybumpety]

This is the sort of show where Topo Gigio or Sherie Lewis and Lamb Chop might show up and when your five or six and had to watch this kind of variety show ,the puppet was a lifeline

[IrishHistory1952]

The male singer is Dai Francis. I cant remember the name of the woman. The main soloists were Dai Francis, Tony Mercer (bass) and John Boulter (tenor). It was more innocent...actually it was naive......IT WAS OFFENSIVE and inappropriate. Note that there are no Black women at all and I recall one of the singers saying he went with other cast members blacked up for a smoke and saw "real" black men and only at that point did the offence dawn on him.

[ElZomboFantasma]

It's minstrel tradition to have black-faced men and 'clean-faced' white women. What if it was the other way around, with black performers doing 'white-face'? Would you be screaming foul quite as loud?

It's just a traditional thing.

[andyg564]

Absoulutely. Well put. All you PC morons who think that this is racist have got no clues at all because you are all too stupid to see what it was about. you should all keep your retarded opinions to yourselves.

[fluffymitzi]

who r the couple singing : yes i remember it well, anyone know ?

[fluffymitzi]

No , we didnt feel superior , people r people regardless of colour. What right has anyone to think they r better than anyone else. This is the very point i was trying to make, you seeing something wrong in my comments, when all i was trying to say was that it was just something that black and white people enjoyed in a more innocent time .

[WONDAWOMAN]

Name ONE BLACK PERSON THAT ENJOYED THIS STUPIDITY! I ALMOSTCURSED YOUR COMMENT WAS SO STUPID!! Out of touch!

[goatpunch]

un-fscking-believable... a more innocent time when we could laugh at and feel superior to people because of their skin colour...

[cascove]

If you don't like it you don't have to watch it. Why insist on inflicting your bigotry on others? I am neither black nor white and neither are my parents. We are Chinese by descent and we enjoy the songs and dances.

[joeizhere]

It demonstrated how black and white could join together. Why don't white people (Esp British White) have free speech anymore?

[WONDAWOMAN]

Would you enjoy them as much if they were dressed up as Chinese people, w? big buck teeth implants in, their eyes pulled back tight and speaking in a manner like. "What cudda yo dwess, Yarrow?"... somehow I doubt you would find that entertaining.. So please don't act like you would enjoy it. Songs and dances my behind!!

[cascove]

Don't project your prejudice and lack of tolerance on others. The Mikado (Gilbert & Sullivan), Madama Butterfly (Pucini), The Land of Smiles (Lehar) all have terrible parodies of East Asian people. We don't take offence because no open-minded tolerant person believes that offence was meant. The same goes for the Black and White Minstrel show. If you are unduly sensitive, you will see insults where none exist. And lash out at anyone who does not share your view, attempting to silence them.

[WONDAWOMAN]

Don't project YOUR stupidity or ACCEPTANCE OF RACISM ON ME! INTOLERANT?! Yes, I happen to be intolerant of racist garbage created to degrade my people, as happy singing, tar black folks while in fact they were being kidnapped, burned, beaten, raped, intimidated, tortured, cheated, forced to work for free, humiliated and LEGALLY subjected to ALL that crap.And this country who was literally built on their forced labor has YET to make any reparations for it! YOU truly sound LIKE AN IMBECILE.

[cascove]

Your ranting does not advance your argument in the least. Your ancestors were treated badly and subjected to racism; so were mine. The difference is that we don't curse and swear and carry a perpetual chip on our shoulders because of it.

[WONDAWOMAN]

"The difference is that we don't curse and swear and carry a perpetual chip on our shoulders because of it." - whoever your ancestors were, IS NOT RELEVANT TO THIS VIDEO.. Your ancestors also were not subject to degradation for hundreds of years. If racism and hatred and oppression and injustice WERE NOT PERPETUAL and YET existing, PERHAPS everyone who STILL experiences it would be skiipping in butterfly meadows & candy cane lanes while smoking the same crack pipe you seem to be hitting. DONE!

[caseycove]

The point is just because you don't like it doesn't mean you have to flame everyone else who does not share your view. The way you respond reveals your character.

[fluffymitzi]

its people who just want everything to seem bad and want to make trouble and take offence when non was meant. I grew up with shows like this one and we never thought it was racist or bad, we didnt understand what being racist meant !! It was just something that we loved. Gill

[goatpunch]

not knowing the word or concept of racism doesn't make racism any less offensive.

[atlantic1952]

Hi, I'm afraid not, the BBC don't want to risk the PC brigade backlash, it could cause riots.

[malkhan23]

@atlantic1952

Hi! I wish you will produce a DVD, of this super show,& sell it to me. I love this show so much, I have been trying to get a DVD, but up to today, I have not been able to. I wish, I will get one soon. Lovely old songs & dances. SUPERB!

[cherrygub21]

@atlantic1952 The Whitehall Theatre in Dundee Scotland is having 12 shows featuring the return of the Black and White Minstrels throughout July 2010! So much for the riots, none so far! :D

[polpol468]

is there any way to get a hold of full episodes?

[paulnoonan41]

at last a show that as a child was part of my weekend viewing pity you have a part missing would like to keep this for great memorys

[atlantic1952]

Don't worry Paul, I have more parts of this episode to upload yet!

Glad you like it...

[cherrygub21]

@atlantic1952 I work in the Whitehall Theatre Dundee and we are having an entire summer season called "Those Variety Days" Featuring the return of the Black and White Minstrels!, being only 26 I thought if I was to promote the 12 shows throughout July, I better do my homework, thanks for the videos!

[NorthernStorm8]

It all seems so innocent.