LISTEN to the lyrics: "Pardon me BOY, is that the Chatanooga CHoo Choo? Track 29, oh could you give me a SHINE." I know it's kinda innocent if you remember the time period. But it's interesting just how much race is embeded in the American concious, AND UNconcious. "Discuss among yourselves."
Well, in SUN VALLEY SERENADE, the Nicholas Brothers and Dorothy Dandridge perform the number in front of a fake caboose. In YOU'RE MY EVERYTHING, Dan Dailey does the number with the Berry Brothers, who are dressed like railway red caps. Suffice it to say that Mr. Dailey is not dressed like a red cap.
And the lyrics of "Choo Choo" are pretty benign compared with other songs from the good old days.
Try to find the original lyrics of "Shaking the Blues Away" or "Old Man River."
Forgive my ignorance but there were white children back then, correct? Maybe even white shoe-shiners? Just a thought...
shareThe boy in the movie who pretended to give the lady singer a shine was a young male from an all-white quintet. Sorry but I don't see any racism here and found it rather cute.
shareIf it's racism, at least it's polite. "Pardon me, boy," could have been, "Hey n-word," instead.
Anyway, the fact that the lyrics ask for a shoeshine, call someone "boy," and make you think about race is interesting. Imagine a poor young white shoeshine. He would shine shoes and properly be called boy. It's interesting how much race is embedded in YOUR conscious and unconscious.
Look, anyone over a certain age KNOWS what is meant when a lyric addresses a potential shoe shiner as "boy." Especially a lyric from the early 1940's.
"We're fighting for this woman's honor, which is more than she ever did."
"Pardon me boy, is this the Transylvania Station?"
"Ja!Ja! Track 29.Say, can I giff you a shine?"
"Er, no thanks!"
(Young Frankenstein).
MrPie7 is completely correct. At that time in the U.S.(particularly in the South, Chattanooga, Tennesee et. al.) rail and bus terminals had "boot-black stands" not a racist term, simply where you had your shoes blacked and shined.
Whites would never do this meanial work,as suggested by another reply, only black people, who were called "Boy"
To be called "Boy" in the 1970s was a real insult to black men, for they knew what subserviance it inferred.
In the entertainment industry blacks and whites could not be on the same stage together, great singers like Lena Horn had to leave by the "Coloured entrance" after their act.Sinatra being one of those early ones who invited black artists onto his show with whites.
Black and white troops in the forces could not serve together.
Fortunatly the changes came in the 1960s. Rosa Parkes, and the troops escorting children to school thru' the white mob are clear memories of those days. Yes it was in the U.S. subconciousness in the 1940s.
"Boy" is a generic term used, in previous eras, for ANY race of attendant, bellhop, steward, messenger, vendor, ball player, cowboy, etc. etc. Sanctimonious prigs like you want to show off your virtue by taking advantage of political correctness to smear something you know NOTHING about.
share