July 19, 2010

OBITUARY: Actress Vonetta McGee Passes Away at 65

The beautiful and talented actress Vonetta McGee passed away on July 9, 2010 in Berkeley, California, after being in a coma for two days due to a heart condition. Diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease while in her teens, the actress persevered and thrive in spite of the disease, which was not the cause of her death.

Despite her many appearances in film and television, she will probably be most remembered for her role as the eternal love interest of William Marshall’s “Blacula” character –a campy take on Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGfAAKj92Os&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Ms. McGee was a San Francisco-native and was known for her roles in local theater while attending City College of San Francisco and being a pre-law student at San Francisco State University. Her real name was Lawrence Vonetta McGee and was named after her father, Lawrence. She took her middle name for her stage name.

Ms. McGee starred in a number of films in Italy where she briefly relocated. She starred in “Faustina” and played the title role in “Il Grande Silenzio (The Great Silence).” Vonetta McGee was an integral part of the 1970′s blaxploitation cinema movement and was heavily involved with Max Julien, screenwriter (“Cleopatra Jones” and “Thomasine & Bushrod“) and star of the Oakland-based film “The Mack.”

Later in her career, she appeared in fewer, but more select films and television. She made an appearance in the cult punk movie “Repo Man” alongside Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton.

In 1986 she married fellow actor Carl Lumbly, who is more recently known for his television roles on “Alias,” “Chuck,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and voice overs on a number of animated superhero series.

According to the New York Times, “Ms. McGee is survived by their son, Brandon Lumbly; her mother, Alma McGee; three brothers, Donald, Richard and Ronald; and a sister, also named Alma McGee.”

September 18, 2009

The 10 Best Horror Movies Starring a Black Actress

When the economy is down in movie-land, movie makers turn to horror. Horror films are America’s obsession with the great unknowns that can hurt you. So it’s no wonder that horror films gain ground during difficult economic times. (Granted, who wants to be scared of the great unknown, and then drive home in a Hummer. )

For many African Americans, horror movies were a little too close to home.

Why battle a zombie when you can see a junkie on your neighbor’s steps? Why worry about ghosts when you’ve heard older people talk about the ghosts of relatives in your own house. A double-whammy is that Hollywood often featured Black people as a part of the “great, harmful unknown,” or a spook.

Movies like “I Walked with a Zombie” (1943) portrayed Black actors as slobbering zombies, or “voodoo” practitioners who could kill you with a doll.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT_JnFXC6UA[/youtube]

Or Black characters were seen as bumbling, superstitious buffoons who ran over each other while trying to run from a ghost, like Stepin Fetchit in “The Ghost Talks” (1929).

It wasn’t until the Black Power movement of the 1960′s and 1970′s that a new genre emerged: Black horror movies. This time, the Black actors were the central characters. They had a different relationship with voodoo, ghosts, and vampires. Now, they were the heroes and heroines to save the day.

Also, horror wasn’t found in the manicured lawns of exclusive neighborhoods, but they were in urban areas, especially in Black neighborhoods, like in “Blacula,” “Tales from the Hood,” and “J.D.’s Revenge.”

But what about Black women in these movies?

Unlike their white counterparts during the 60′s and 70′s, Black women found themselves as central characters in horror movies who weren’t always the cloy yet clueless victims. Some even perservered and turned the tables on their aggressors.

So how can we celebrate these women who were light years ahead of Hollywood?

With Halloween around the corner, now is the time to revel in these films! Plan a party to showcase one or more of these films. (You can pick them up at your local DVD rental store, or from Netflix, but remember, if you plan to show them in a theater or public venue, you’ll have to purchase a screening license.)

Throw a Movie Party

PICK YOUR FILM
Pick your film, or films, based on a theme. Make sure you have enough time for your party *and* for screening your film.

ASK GUESTS TO DRESS ACCORDING TO THE THEME
If it’s a zombie flick, there’s nothing better than a room full of zombies, dancing and eating non-humans. Think of it as a party and a tribute to “Thriller.” If it’s a vampire movie, offer free vampire teeth party favors. It’s like a costume that guests don’t have to splurge on.

HAVE MUSIC ACCORDING TO THE THEME
The late-Michael Jackson had many “scary” songs that can also rock a house full of zombies: “Thriller,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Smooth Criminal,” etc. For “voodoo” themed parties, plan New Orleans music by The Meters, Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, and more. Serve gumbo with your movie…and pray no one throws it up.

INCLUDE TRIVIA
Include trivia games to liven up your party and make the trivia about the stars of the film, or the theme. For example, “You can kill a vampire with a silver bullet. TRUE? FALSE? –False. You kill a werewolf with a silver bullet.” Offer prizes that you can buy from any 99-cent store. People don’t care about the prize. They care about winning.

Be sure to pick up these films for your next get together!