A trailblazer who worked in more than 300 movies, Hattie McDaniel, was the first African-American to win an academy award for her role in “Gone with the Wind” in 1940. She was an actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian. Born on June 10th, 1895,to two former slaves, Hattie was the youngest of 13 children. As a child, Hattie loved performing and singing, and while still in high school she began performing professionally.
In 1925 she became one of the first African-American women to sing on the radio. In 1931, she came to Hollywood and started appearing in small, uncredited roles before landing a major role. In 1939, she took the role of mammy in the film Gone with the Wind and won Oscar for the same. McDaniel was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1952 and she succumbed to it in October 1952. She was later awarded two stars on the Hollywood walk of fame for her work, both in film and radio.
1. “I feel no great personal pride for my contribution to the world of art. Rather, I feel that the entire fourteen million or more Negroes have all been raised a few notches higher in the estimation of the world.”
This statement was quoted in the book- Hattie: The Life of Hattie McDaniel written by Carlton Jackson and it was so right. She paved a way for so many black people through her incredible work. People started getting more roles and recognition than they would have without her.
2. “I’d rather make $700 a week playing a maid than earn $7 a day being a maid.”
Hattie McDaniel received a lot of criticism for her playing the role of negro servants in movies and she countered it all by saying she would rather play a servant in a movie than be one in real life.
3. “To you young people who are aspiring to succeed in some line of endeavor, despite the troubles that many of us have experienced, let me say this: There is still room at the top.”
To all of us inspiring individual who wants to succeed in life, this saying by Hattie McDaniel is like a blessing. It gives hope and strength to continue working hard and to strive for the best.
4. “Always remember this: There are only eighteen inches between a pat on the back and a kick in the rump.”
In the day and age when black people were still abused by whites, Hattie managed to carve a way for herself and so many like her in the entertainment industry. No doubt, she was the pioneer for black people in Hollywood.
5. “I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and the motion picture industry.”
After winning her academy award for the supporting role in Gone with the Wind Hattie said the above-mentioned quote in her acceptance speech andshe could not have been more right. Today, people remember her for the work she had done in the entertainment industry and the way she inspired so many generations of people to come.
6. “The entire race is usually judged by the actions of one man or woman.”
This line was taken from the book Hattie: The Life of Hattie McDaniel a Book written by Carlton Jackson and it’s so true. To date, the actions of one human being, whether good or bad usually defines a whole race. People judge them for that and it’s good that Hattie left a nice legacy for her future generations.
7. “As for those grapefruit and buttermilk diets…I’ll take roast chicken and dumplings.”
When everyone around the world was obsessed with beauty standards and being slim, Hattie did not worry about calories and it would be clear in the above quote. She often spoke of wanting to open a fried chicken restaurant when she retired.
8. “When I Was 8 Years Old, I Knew What I Was Going to Be-an actress”
How many of us are sure of what we wanted to be when we were 8 years old? Not many have that clarity and yet, there she was, at the age of 8 and she already knew what she wanted to be in her life and she worked hard for it.
9. “Putting a little time aside for clean fun and good humor is very necessary to relieve the tensions of our time.”
We all have our fair share of troubles in our lives, but if only we spare some amount of time each day for fun and laughter then those troubles might look a little less heavy and we would have gained a little more courage to tackle them.
10. “In playing the part of Mammy, I tried to make her a living, breathing character, the way she appeared to me in the book.”
What are the common traits of a good actor? They live their roles and embody their character and habits. Her role as mammy in gone with the wind was so convincing, no wonder she won an Oscar for that.
11. “I don’t belong on this earth. I always feel out of place – like a visitor.”
No common man could have accomplished what she did in the time she got on this earth. Even since she was a child, she was extraordinary, different from the people who surrounded her. Her beliefs, ideas, and dreams were different from that of a common man and that is what made her stand out from the crowd.
12. “I did my best, and God did the rest.”
As it is mostly said- focus on your work, try to do your best and do not worry about the result, leave it to God. You will get what you rightly deserve. Hattie was a true believer as it was evident in many of her quotes. She never took the full credits of her work. Always humble, she said that she only did her part and then the rest was handled by God.
13. “You can best fight any existing evil from the inside.”
All the reforms come from the inside. Hattie believed that anything problematic or evil could be fought when we look into ourselves and fight the demons within us and it was also said by Mahatma Gandhi, “change begins with us”.
14. “What is the thing that Hollywood demands most? Sincerity. No place in the world will pay such a high price for this admirable trait.”
Your work speaks volumes and if you are true to it, it will be recognized eventually and that is what Hattiedid. She was true to her craft and it was eventually recognized by the whole world.
15. “When I was little, my mother taught me how to use a fork and knife. The trouble is that Mother forgets to teach me how to stop using them!”
No words of her better describe what a powerful lady she was! Having grown up in a family of little to no privilege she did not let that stop her from becoming what she was meant to be. She dreamed big, aimed for the skies, and eventually achieved it.
16. I did my best, and God did the rest.
Naturally, fate or chance would have philosophical support if there is no God, or if the Creator of the universe abandoned His creative activity and retired to Heaven, but the New Testament authors vehemently refuted the idea that certain things “simply happen” for Christians.
17. I always have the best of everything.
God has bestowed upon us this priceless life to enjoy. In life, we go through numerous stages. Sometimes we experience joyous occasions, other times we experience adversity, and even other times we experience depression. Everybody has gone through all of these phases once or more.
18. The entire race is usually judged by the actions of one man or woman.
In a group one man is only responsible for entire bunch of people. Whether it is a man or a women, if that person is responsible for entire group, he should take the entire responsibility and stand for the people.
19. I’ve played everything but a harp.
The harp is a plucked stringed instrument with a resonator, an arched or angled neck that may be supported by a post, and graduated-length strings that are parallel to the soundboard.
The Life & Legacy
Born to two slaves, in a time when African- American people were not at all respected, it was a remarkable feat that HattieMcDaniel managed to carve her way through difficulties and emerge as the pioneer for black people in Hollywood. Her life was not without her share of ups and downs.
She faced racism and racial segregation throughout her life and could not even attend the premiere of Gone with the Wind in LosAngeles because that was an all-white theatre. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and her only dying wish was to be buried in the Hollywood cemetery but that was also denied because the graveyard was only for white people then.
Even the people of her race criticized her, for her roles asa maid and slave in Hollywood movies. She was criticized for not taking part in civil rights protests and for staying away from politics. Her two husbands from her first two marriages died and her next two marriages could not work. She was speculated to be pregnant with her first child from the third marriage but that turned out to be a false pregnancy and she fell into depression; she never had a child after that but she did not let all of that bring her down.
She worked hard and reached the heights of success. She has two stars on the Hollywood walk of fame in her name. One on Hollywood boulevard for her contributions to radio and another one on Vine Street for motion pictures. In 1975, she was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. She was also the first African- American woman to be awarded, Oscar. She was a true role model for a lot of black people and a true example that one can achieve anything they want to, if only they put their best into it.