MovieChat Forums > Hold That Ghost (1941) Discussion > DVD edited for Political Correctness?

DVD edited for Political Correctness?

posted 17 years ago by aryxus-2
27 replies | jump to latest

I watched Hold That Ghost with my daughter the other day and was surprised at a scene near the beginning of the movie where Ted Lewis dances with his 'shadow'. My 10-year-old daughter turned to me and said "isn't that kind of racist?"

At one point, Lewis turns to introduce(?) the other guy and the sound suddenly goes out of sync and it cuts to another scene right as the 'shadow' (wish I knew his name) starts talking. I'm wondering if this is something new to these DVDs, or has it always been this way? It was quite jarring, and brought to mind the cuts that were made to some of the Tom & Jerry and Looney Toons cartoons.

[–] mike.mail 17 years ago

yes as soon as i saw this 'shadow' routine i thought this just isnt right but i guess back then nobody thought anything wrong of it at all.

but yes i would agree with your daughter and say it is racist. makes me cringe everytime i watch the movie now to be honest to see it.

i guess we now live in a very different world to back then.

[–] 16mmRay 17 years ago

Lewis' "shadow", Charles "Snowball" Whittier, was a talented tap and soft-shoe dancer and he worked with Ted Lewis for almost 40 years. When he passed away, Lewis payed emotional tribute to him as an entertainer and as a human being. In the 1941 short IS EVERYBODY HAPPY (which uses numbers cut from HOLD THAT GHOST), Whittier is given the spotlight to do his stuff.

Sure, looking at this 1941 film today it's easy to say "that's racist." But, in fact, Ted and Snowball were a show business tradition for more than a generation and it is because of that very number - "Me and My Shadow" and its popularity that Whittier enjoyed a lengthy, prosperous career with one of the great headliners in the entertainment industry.

America has come a long way as far as being cognizant of racial and ethnic offenses. But it is a mistake to judge history entirely through the prism of today's standards.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] novastar_6 17 years ago

That it is...I mean look at that woman Hattie McDaniel who was always playing maids and the such...and even for HER time people got mad at her for playing up the stereotype of a big black woman as a maid or a housekeeper, but she said she's rather PLAY one than BE one...and for that she made $700 in the 30's and 40's as oppossed to the $7 that REAL maids got.

And if people were to look at the fact today that she played maids in over 300 movies, they might consider that racist too, but she was just showing off her talent and making a good living for herself, and becoming somebody. And Charles Whittier was somebody too, and working the way HE did in showbusiness, it gave him a chance to show off his amazing talent as well.

[–] Robert_Wagner62 17 years ago

yeah they would have to delete half of the entire movie Gone With the Wind...

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS IS THE DEVIL!!!

[–] holbrookp 16 years ago

Ted Lewis was once reported to have refused to stay at a hotel that excluded Whittier from staying there with the rest of Lewis' entourage. I don't know whether that's true, but Lewis was Jewish and was very likely sensitive to the mistreatment of all minorities. (He wasn't Lewis' only shadow either. There was another before Whittier whose name I forget.) I've seen many photos in the archive of the Ted Lewis Museum in Ted's hometown of Circleville, Ohio that show Whittier being a close friend of Ted's offstage. I'm sure that Whittier would have not put up with any racism if Lewis had had any. He was not just some lucky guy who got a job being Ted's shadow. He had a long career in vaudeville before Ted and could have found good-paying work elsewhere if he wanted. So don't think of Whittier as some sad guy tolerating mistreatment just to earn a living. In those times nobody gave that shadow dance any regard as racism. Lewis was enormously popular since the 1920s and even into the 1940s sold out everywhere he and his band were booked. Note that he's given higher billing, both in the credits and it the size of the letters on the marquee, than the Andrews Sisters, who were the most successful recording group in America right up to the time they finally lost that position due to the Beatles arrival.

[–] MrBlondNYC 12 years ago

Nobody is saying that Ted Lewis was a horrible man but the routine itself was racially insensitive. Even Whittier's nickname "Snowball" was a joke about his skin color. "Snowball" was an ironic nickname for black people back then and that is a fact. Like how the sargeant called the black private "Snowball" in Full Metal Jacket. Whittier didn't seem to mind the nickname but he did what he had to do to survive in that world.

George Carlin: It's all bullsh-t and it's bad for ya.

[–] Bobby_Dupea 11 years ago

Well so what. Does that mean the rest of us can't view the film because you're offended and you look at the past through a 2012 prism?

We should never censor things. Offensive or not, let people see it and judge for themselves.

[–] MrBlondNYC 11 years ago

No. I love Abbott & Costello and I love this movie and I never said that I was offended nor did I say that it should be censored or that no one should watch this movie. Where you're getting all of this from, I don't know. (your ass) I said it was "racially insensitive" as a lot of things were at that time. I'm just saying the truth of how it was for Snowball and other African-Americans at that time. It should not be glossed over or forgotten. That is exactly why it should not be censored and the history behind should be discussed openly. "Those who cannot remember the past...", etc. my good man.

George Carlin: It's all bullsh-t and it's bad for ya.

[–] Bobby_Dupea 11 years ago

That's a good backtrack. I'm impressed.

[–] MrBlondNYC 11 years ago

"Backtrack"? Show me where I said all of those things you think I said. Give me direct quotes. I said the "Me and My Shadow" routine was "racially insensitive" - direct quote - the nickname Snowball was "ironic" - another direct quote - in regards to his race and he accepted it because "he did what he had to do". Nothing more. I said absolutely nothing about being "offended" or "censor"-ing the movie - direct quotes of you. You conjured that up yourself.

George Carlin: It's all bullsh-t and it's bad for ya.

[–] Coog30 13 years ago

Thank you Ray. Good information about Lewis' act.

And thank you for saying this:

"America has come a long way as far as being cognizant of racial and ethnic offenses. But it is a mistake to judge history entirely through the prism of today's standards."

I couldn't agree with that more.

http://politicalpalaverblog.blogspot.com/

[–] Emerg0 15 years ago

That cut appears to be on my VHS copy as well. Does anybody know for sure if this is the way it's always been?

[–] Hyman_Flomax 14 years ago

I'm fairly sure that's the way it's always been. The strange cut in the middle of the scene is hardly an anomaly in this film. The editing is very rough throughout and as I watched it today, I noticed it's full of missing transitions and awkward cutaways. Keep in mind that the Andrews Sisters numbers were added after filming had wrapped, and the bookended nightclub scenes were restructured accordingly to fit them in. The Sisters had wider mass appeal than Ted Lewis and his darkie routine unquestionably, and the opening would have run on far too long with two full songs in the first 10 minutes interrupting the action.

If I could drop dead right now, I'd be the happiest man alive.

[–] joeann_21 13 years ago

I have a VHS copy and that Ted Lewis scene is intact and also the scene which is probably deleted in DVD copies today is when the boys are back in the gas station after getting fired from the restaurant and Lou gets oil on Bud's face, then Bud slaps Lou and gets oil on his face and then Lou says "Now we look like a couple of shadows".

[–] Hyman_Flomax 13 years ago

I doubt any of that was deleted on the DVD. If Universal is bold enough to release Ride 'Em Cowboy in its entirety, it's doubtful they would have any reservations about the racial stuff in this movie.

If I could drop dead right now, I'd be the happiest man alive.

[–] mgconlan-1 12 years ago

I don't know about other editions of this film, but I just watched it on the version in the complete Abbott and Costello at Universal boxed set and the "Now we look like a couple of shadows" line IS in that version.

[–] Strazdamonas 14 years ago

Your daughter has problems.

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"Common sense is not so common."
- Voltaire

[–] dmnemaine 13 years ago

Your daughter was right. That is kind of racist. It's good that your daughter is thinking. On the other hand, "Me And My Shadow" also showcases real talent. I think we can and should look at scenes like this on film and let it raise our consciousness about race relations, yet still enjoy the performance. And no, the DVD wasn't edited for PC reasons. Even as a kid in the '70s watching this on TV, that scene always jumped like that.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] Trioxin_Zombie 13 years ago

The version I watched less than an hour ago had both of them doing a small dance onstage. Mostly focusing on Lewis and not his partner. But we did get to see his partner a little bit. It's only in the past twenty odd years or so that this politically correct nonsence has REALLY got out of control. You can't say boo to anyone for fear of being sexist or racist or any other kind of ist. It's pathetic. And no one will tell me what I can and can't do. You make the decisions FOR YOU AND YOU ALONE, NOT FOR ME. This goes for anyone who thinks politically correctness is a good thing. I am not racist and I never will be. But I refuse to conform to anyone elses way of thinking. They don't tell me what to say and think. That job is mine and mine alone!. And I am not wrong for thinking differently to you (whom ever you might be reading this that disagrees). And only an arrogant self righteous person will say otherwise.

"I've decided to have Breast Implants!." - Maccer

[–] holbrookp 12 years ago

Right, Trioxin, I fully agree. There's an awful lot going wrong in American society today, a kind of social tyranny I never dreamed could ever exist in this country.

"Truth is its own evidence." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

[–] WarpedRecord 11 years ago

I have the VHS, which I bought for a buck, and the full "shadow" scene is there. This is a crucial chapter in American history, and to deny it is to ignore our difficult history.

[–] cold_sky 9 years ago

If anything would've been edited for PC, it'd've been Lou's use of the gun when he finds a stash of them in Moose's car. He takes the gun, points it at his head and clicks off two empty rounds. He says, "Hm, it's not loaded" and then the gun goes off.

I was laughing more because of how racy that scene is.