Mantan Moreland
Mantan Moreland | |
---|---|
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
Resting place | Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery |
Other names | Man Tan Moreland Manton Moreland |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1933–1973 |
Spouse | Hazel Moreland |
Children | 1 |
Mantan Moreland (September 3, 1902 – September 28, 1973) was an American actor and comedian most popular in the 1930s and 1940s.[1] He starred in numerous films. His daughter Marcella Moreland appeared as a child actress in several films.
Early years
He was born in
Career
After "nearly ten years of working the small, small time", Moreland gained an opportunity in 1927 when he was hired as a comedian in Connie's Inn Frolics in Harlem.[5] He next worked in the musical revue Blackbirds of 1928, which ran for 518 performances.[5] By the late 1920s, Moreland had made his way through vaudeville, working with various shows and revues, performing on Broadway and touring Europe.
Following the death of
As his comedic talents became recognized, Moreland appeared in larger productions. At the height of his career, Moreland received steady work from major film studios, as well as from independent producers who starred Moreland in low-budget, all-African American-cast comedies. Monogram Pictures signed Moreland to appear opposite Frankie Darro in the studio's popular action pictures. Moreland, with his bulging eyes and cackling laugh, quickly became a favorite supporting player in Hollywood movies. In 1940's Drums of the Desert, Moreland played a more serious role as the sergeant in charge of a squad of Senegalese Tirailleurs in French colonial Algeria alongside Ralph Byrd, known for appearing in Republic Pictures' Dick Tracy serials. He is perhaps best known for his role as chauffeur Birmingham Brown in Monogram's Charlie Chan series.[5]
During the 1940s, he teamed up with
During the second half of the 1940s, the public attitudes toward the portrayals of African Americans in the cinema had changed. When filmmakers began to reassess roles given to black actors, Moreland's characterization in his film appearances was considered demeaning to the African-American community, resulting in his being offered fewer roles in the 1950s.[12][13] Financial difficulties forced Moreland to tour making personal appearances during the late 1940s and the early 1950s with Bud Harris, Tim Moore, Redd Foxx and Nipsey Russell as his straight men.[5][14]
Mantan's biographer, Michael Price, states Moreland was briefly considered as a possible addition to the
Later career and death
Moreland's last featured role was in the darkly humorous horror film
Moreland died of a
Recognition
In 2004, Moreland was inducted into the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum Hall of Fame.[17]
Selected filmography
- That's the Spirit (1933) as Night Watchman
- The Green Pastures (1936) as Angel Removing Hat (uncredited)
- Harlem on the Prairie (1937) as Mistletoe
- Spirit of Youth (1938) as Creighton 'Crickie' Fitzgibbons
- Two-Gun Man from Harlem(1938) as Bill Blake
- Frontier Scout (1938) as Norris Family Butler
- Next Time I Marry (1938) as Tilby
- Gang Smashers (1938) as Gloomy
- There's Always a Woman (1939) as Porter (uncredited)
- Tell No Tales (1939) as Sport Black at the Wake (uncredited)
- Riders of the Frontier (1939) as Chappie (Cookie in credits)
- Irish Luck (1939) as Jefferson
- One Dark Night (1939) as Samson Brown
- The Man Who Wouldn't Talk (1940) as Robbins (uncredited)
- City of Chance (1940) as Anxious Man (uncredited)
- Chasing Trouble (1940) as Thomas H. Jefferson
- Millionaire Playboy (1940) as Bellhop
- Viva Cisco Kid (1940) as Memphis - The Cook (uncredited)
- Star Dust (1940) as George, Dining Car Steward (uncredited)
- Girl in 313 (1940) as Porter
- On the Spot (1940) as Jefferson White
- Maryland (1940) (uncredited)
- Pier 13 (1940) as Sam - Elevator Operator (uncredited)
- Laughing at Danger (1940) as Jefferson
- Up in the Air (1940) as Jeff
- While Thousands Cheer (1940) as Nash
- Drums of the Desert (1940) as Sergeant 'Blue' Williams
- Four Shall Die (1940) as Beefus - Touissant's Chauffeur
- Lady from Louisiana (1941) as Servant (uncredited)
- You're Out of Luck (1941) as Jeff Jefferson
- Sleepers West (1941) as Porter (uncredited)
- Footlight Fever (1941) as Willie Hamsure - Elevator Operator (uncredited)
- Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery (1941) as Roy
- Sign of the Wolf (1941) as Ben
- Mr. Washington Goes to Town (1941) as Schenectady Jones
- King of the Zombies (1941) as Jeff
- Hello, Sucker (1941) as Elevator Boy
- Bachelor Daddy (1941) as Club Janitor (uncredited)
- The Gang's All Here (1941) as Jefferson 'Jeff' Smith
- Cracked Nuts (1941) as Burgess
- Accent on Love (1941) as Prisoner in Courtroom (uncredited)
- Dressed to Kill (1941) as Rusty
- World Premiere (1941) as Train Porter (uncredited)
- Let's Go Collegiate (1941) as Jeff
- It Started with Eve (1941) as Railway Porter (uncredited)
- Birth of the Blues (1941) as Black Trumpet Player (uncredited)
- Marry the Boss's Daughter (1941) as Cook (uncredited)
- Up Jumped the Devil(1941) as Washington
- Freckles Comes Home (1942) as Jeff - the Hotel Porter
- Treat 'Em Rough (1942) as 'Snake-Eyes'
- Four Jacks and a Jill (1942) as Cicero - Wash Room Attendant (uncredited)
- Law of the Jungle (1942) as Jefferson 'Jeff' Jones
- Lucky Ghost (1942) as Washington
- Professor Creeps (1942) as Washington
- The Strange Case of Doctor Rx (1942) as Horatio B.Fitz Washington
- Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942) as Sam, the Nightclub Janitor (uncredited)
- Mexican Spitfire Sees a Ghost (1942) as Lightnin'
- Footlight Serenade (1942) as Amos. Tommy's Dresser
- A-Haunting We Will Go (1942) as Porter (uncredited)
- Phantom Killer (1942) as Nicodemus
- Girl Trouble (1942) as Edward
- Eyes in the Night (1942) as Alistair
- The Palm Beach Story (1942) as Diner Waiter (uncredited)
- Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942) as Prentiss the Benedict Butler (uncredited)
- It Comes Up Love (1943) as Janitor (uncredited)
- The Crime Smasher (1943) as Eustace Smith
- Cabin in the Sky (1943) as First Idea Man
- Slightly Dangerous (1943) as Waiter at Swade's (uncredited)
- He Hired the Boss (1943) as Shoeshine Man (uncredited)
- Sarong Girl (1943) as Maxwell
- Hit the Ice (1943) as Porter with Snowshoes (uncredited)
- We've Never Been Licked (1943) as Willie
- Melody Parade (1943) as Skidmore
- Revenge of the Zombies (1943) as Jeff
- Hi'ya, Sailor (1943) as Sam
- You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith (1943) as Porter
- My Kingdom for a Cook (1943) as Train Porter (uncredited)
- Swing Fever (1943) as Woody, Nick's Valet (uncredited)
- She's for Me (1943) as Sam
- Chip Off the Old Block (1944) as Porter
- Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944) as Birmingham Brown
- See Here, Private Hargrove (1944) as Porter on Train (uncredited)
- Moon Over Las Vegas (1944) as Porter
- Pin-Up Girl (1944) as Red Cap #2 (uncredited)
- This Is the Life (1944) as Porter (uncredited)
- The Chinese Cat(1944) as Birmingham Brown
- South of Dixie (1944) as The Porter
- Black Magic (1944) as Birmingham Brown
- Mystery of the River Boat (1944, serial) as Napoleon the ship steerer
- Bowery to Broadway (1944) as Alabam
- The Jade Mask (1945) as Birmingham Brown
- The Scarlet Clue (1945) as Birmingham Brown
- The Shanghai Cobra (1945) as Birmingham Brown
- Captain Tugboat Annie (1945) as Pinto
- She Wouldn't Say Yes (1945) as porter (uncredited)
- The Spider (1945) as Henry
- Mantan Messes Up (1946) as Mantan
- Riverboat Rhythm (1946) as Mantan
- Dark Alibi (1946) as Birmingham Brown
- Shadows Over Chinatown (1946) as Birmingham Brown
- The Trap (1946) as Birmingham Brown
- Tall, Tan, and Terrific (1946) as Mantan Moreland
- Mantan Runs for Mayor (1946)
- The Chinese Ring (1947) as Birmingham Brown
- Ebony Parade (1947) as Mantan
- What a Guy (1947)
- The Dreamer (1947)[18]
- Docks of New Orleans (1948) as Birmingham Brown
- Best Man Wins (1948) as Ice Cream Vendor (uncredited)
- Shanghai Chest (1948) as Birmingham Brown
- The Golden Eye (1948) as Birmingham Brown
- The Feathered Serpent (1948) as Birmingham Brown
- The Return of Mandy's Husband (1948)
- She's Too Mean for Me (1948)
- Come on, Cowboy! (1948)
- Sky Dragon (1949) as Birmingham Brown
- Rock 'n' Roll Revue (1955) as Himself
- Rockin' the Blues (1956) as Himself [19]
- Basin Street Revue (1956) as Himself
- The Patsy (1964) as Barbershop Porter (uncredited)
- Spider Baby (filmed in 1964, released in 1968) as Messenger
- Alvarez Kelly (1966) as Bartender (uncredited)
- Enter Laughing (1967) as Subway Rider
- The Comic (1969) as Passerby at Billy's Funeral (uncredited)
- Watermelon Man (1970) as Counterman
- The Biscuit Eater (1972) as Waiter
- The Young Nurses (1973) as Old man (final film role)
- Television
- 1957 Hallmark Hall of Fame (1 episode)
- 1969 Julia (1 episode)
- 1969 Love, American Style (1 episode)
- 1970 The Bill Cosby Show (1 episode)
- 1970 Adam-12 (1 episode)
Recordings
- That Ain't My Finger (Laff Records)
- Elsie's Sportin' House (Laff Records)
- Tribute to the Man (Laff Records)
Cultural references
Robert B. Parker makes allusions to Moreland in A Catskill Eagle and Hush Money, both being part of his long-running series of Spenser novels.[20][non-primary source needed]
Bamboozled, a 2000 film directed by Spike Lee, centers around a fictional television show called Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show featuring stereotypes of minstrel theater and starring a tap dancing character, played by Savion Glover, named Mantan. Clips of Moreland are featured during the montage at the end of the film.
"B-Boys Makin with the Freak Freak", a song by Beastie Boys featured on their 1994 album Ill Communication, samples a line from Mantan's comedy album That Ain't My Finger, referencing a bit about a party and mashed potatoes.[21]
Further reading
- Michael H. Price - Mantan the Funnyman (2007), a biography of Moreland
Footnotes
Notes
- ^ For an example of the "indefinite talk" routine, see The Scarlet Clue at 39 minutes 25 seconds.
- ^ For an example of the "indefinite talk" routine, see Dark Alibi at 19 minutes 25 seconds,.
References
- ^ a b "Moreland, Actor Is Dead At 72. Played in Chan Films and in Black 'Codot'". The New York Times. September 29, 1973. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
Mantan Moreland, the comedian who played the chauffeur Birmingham Brown in the Charlie Chan movies, died today at the age of 72.
- ^ a b "Charlie Chan's Right-Hand Man - The Eyes Have It". Washington Afro-American. Washington, D.C. February 26, 1957. p. 5, Afro Magazine Section. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-88766-470-7.
- Pomona Progress-Bulletin. Pomona, California. September 29, 1973. p. A-2.
- ^ ISBN 9780415938532. Archivedfrom the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- ISBN 978-1-61703-249-3.
- ^ "New York Show Whirl". The Afro-American. Baltimore. March 17, 1945. p. 8, Theatre Section.
- ISBN 978-0-19022-538-4.
- ISBN 979-8849200880.
- ^ Dave Kehr (June 13, 2010). "Golly, Pop, You Always Get 'Em, Even on a Poverty Row Budget". The New York Times. p. AR12.
- ^ "Hundreds of Hollywood's Celebs Pay Final Tribute to Ben Carter". The Afro-American. Baltimore. December 28, 1946. p. 7.
- JSTOR 273665.
- ^ Thompson, Jennifer. "From Blackface to Blaxploitation: Representations Of African Americans In Film". Duke University Library. Duke University. Archived from the original on November 8, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-38549-279-9.
- ISBN 978-1-61374-074-3.
- ISBN 978-0-415-93853-2.
- ^ "2004 Hall of Fame Inductee". National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- ISBN 9781476639260. Archivedfrom the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049687/
- ^ Parker, Robert B. Hush Money, page 12, New York: Putnam
- ^ "B-Boys Makin' With the Freak Freak by Beastie Boys - Samples, Covers and Remixes | WhoSampled". Archived from the original on February 27, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2023.