Sunday, March 18, 2012

Sunday, March 18, 1934

Mother and I went to Sunday school and church. In the evening Gweyn and I took a walk. Then went to church at 27th. Mother was there.
Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1895 – October 26, 1952)

Born in Wichita, Kansas to former slaves, Hattie McDaniel was the youngest
of 13 children. She graduated from Denver East High School after her family moved
to Colorado and went to work with her brother's minstrel show. In addition to performing,
Hattie was also a songwriter and singer who appeared with Professor George Morrison's
 Melody Hounds, a touring black ensemble. She also sang on radio.

In 1931, Hattie moved to Los Angeles, where she appeared in hundreds of films as an
extra, playing maids and mammies, roles she had lampooned on the vaudeville stage.
In 1934, McDaniel joined the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and began appearing in major
motion pictures. With competition stiff for the part of Mammy in "Gone With the Wind,"
McDaniel auditioned in an authentic maid's costume and won the role.

For the role of Mammy, Hattie McDaniel received an Academy Award for best supporting
actress, the first African-American to win an Oscar.

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