Tightly Closed Book My first blog. Be nice, darlings.

It is unbelievable that there was a time when actors were actually credited as “Black Man” on a regular basis. Poor Ernest Anderson was nominated for Best Actor by the National Board of Review in for his work in This Our Life, a part excised from prints of the film sent to the South for fear of upsetting their delicate sensibilities by portraying not only a man of color on film, but one who had actual lines and felt the cruel effects of racism. Sadly, this set the tone for the rest of Anderson’s career during which he played a series of porters, valets, elevator operators, and Black Men. His Take a look at his charming work in This Our Life and be happy it’s not 1942 anymore.