(EDITOR’S NOTE: I first saw “Band of Angels” in the late 1950s and have seen it many times since then, including last night. Sidney Poitier’s superb performance clearly foreshadowed why he became a mega acting superstar about a decade after “Band of Angels” was released in 1957.”
GUEST COMMENTARY
BLACK FILM HISTORY: “Band of Angels” (1957) is a romance drama set before and during the Civil War. Warner Brothers Inc. is responsible for the production and distribution of the film, which they based on the novel by Robert Penn Warren under the same title. The movie stars Clark Gable, Yvonne De Carlo, and Sidney Poitier, and Raoul Walsh is responsible for the direction. In addition, John Twist, Ivan Goff, and Ben Roberts wrote the screenplay, in which Walsh shot most of the film in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and rural Louisiana because Warren set his novel in those locations. The story revolves around a white woman who unexpectantly discovers she is black after returning home from school due to her father’s death. She learns her father was in debt and that her mother was negro and immediately sold into slavery along with the rest of her father’s enslaved people.
This movie was a tremendous Hollywood production that featured a big cast, which called for several parts for black actors in significant roles. The main three were Carolle Drake, Tommie Moore, and Russ Evans. Drake played the role of one of the mistresses to Hamish Bond (Clarke Gable), Moore was a maid on the plantation, and Evans played a loyal servant even though he left to fight for the Union. In addition, Drake and Moore had several scenes with De Carlo and significant speaking parts as they helped her understand her new identity as negro woman.
From the perspective of Black actors, these large Hollywood productions were big deals, especially if they could secure speaking parts. Unfortunately, these roles came with stereotypes and political incorrectness as the film trivializes slavery, adding to plagued moments of affliction. For context, African-Americans were not producing films in the 1950s. If they were, they received little attention. The Race Film era was over, so black actors had to find work in theater, TV Shows, or Hollywood movies. And while Hollywood was addressing their race disparity and characterization issues of minorities, they still struggled. Nevertheless, a grand opportunity was available for Southern University (historically black college or university) students in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Since the film occurred during slavery, the production called for black actors as the backdrop as enslaved people, and Southern U’s 75-member choir under the direction of Jester Hairston earned the part. Southern U’s drama director, Rhoda Jordan Carmichael, also had a speaking role with Drake and Moore in the film. Before the arrival of Sidney Poitier, two students auditioned for the part of Rau-Ru. While neither student got the role, one played as a stand-in for Poitier in certain scenes. Poitier and the rest of the black cast members stayed at Southern U during filming since Jim Crow laws were still in effect in the South.
Poiter had four films released in 1957, which included “Bands of Angels.” The other three were “Edge of the City,” “Something of Value,” and “Mark of the Hawk.” He was a prominent Black Hollywood star acting in over ten films and TV shows between 1950 and 1957. Carolle Drake earned her first acting part in “Band of Angels.” Before, she was a model for the Brandford Modeling Agency, the first Black modeling agency founded by Edward Brandford. Director Raoul Walsh found her picture in a newspaper. For four weeks, Miss Drake studied at Warner Bros. dramatic school under the suggestion of Walsh. After training, she tested for the role and secured her part in the movie. However, as well as she did, she did not act in any other film.
The film’s premises may seem absurd to some who need help understanding the consequence of the ‘One Drop Rule.’ But unfortunately, biracial people didn’t get to decide who they were by societal standards, especially when black people had no voice in their human rights. While Warner Bros. further romanticized Warren’s novel, “Band of Angels,” Warren did base his accounts on actual events while researching for his Pulitzer Prize-winning book “All the King’s Men.” However, the film didn’t do as well as they would hope, as Warner Bros. aimed for “Band of Angels” to be as big as “Gone with the Wind.” It was not well-received by critics, and from a historical perspective, “Gone with the Wind” was made 18 years prior. That ship sailed long ago, and Hollywood filmmaking had moved away from the poor characterization of black people and the romanticism of enslaved people. At least not until the Blaxploitation Era came roaring in with “Mandingo” in 1975.
I recommend this movie with discretion. However, the story is fascinating, and Poitier, Drake, and Moore did an excellent job in the parts. In addition, Clarke Gable and Yvonne De Carlo performed well, especially De Carlo in a highly complex role.
Director: Raoul Walsh
Writers: Robert Penn Warren (novel “Band of Angels”), John Twist (screenplay), Ivan Goff (screenplay), Ben Roberts (screenplay)
Starring Clark Gable, Yvonne De Carlo, Sidney Poitier, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Carolle Drake, Rex Reason, Patric Knowles, Torin Thatcher, Andrea King, Ray Teal, Russell Evans, Tommie Moore, Juanita Moore, Rhoda Jordan Carmichael
Storyline
Living in Kentucky before the Civil War, Amantha Starr (Yvonne De Carlo) is a privileged young woman living with her widower father. Her father is a wealthy plantation owner known to be kind to the people he enslaves. He sends Amantha away to school, where she is to receive the best education available. While at school, Amantha’s father dies unexpectedly, and she returns home for his funeral. At his funeral, she learns that her father was in debt and that her biological mother was black due to her father’s infidelities. Due to state laws, Amantha is considered an enslaved person and property and sold off to repay her father’s debt. Wealthy Louisiana plantation owner Hamish Bond (Clark Gable) purchases Amantha at a nearby auction. Over time, the pair begins to love each other, but the truth about Hamish’s past, which includes the upbringing of a slave named Rau-Ru (Sidney Poitier), threatens Hamish’s way of life and the relationship he has with Amantha.
https://www.daaracarchive.org/…/band-of-angels-1957.html
Available on DVD and streaming services.
https://www.amazon.com/Band-Angels-John-Twist/dp/B00005JP4J
