Paul Robeson

[Christiern]

Alberta Hunter and I were discussing Robeson and his politics one day. "I know what happened," Alberta said, "Lady Astor was always coming to see him, and she is the one who put those crazy ideas into his head."

Hmmmmm Could be that she planted the seed, but the ground had obviously been fertilized by Robeson's own experiences.

[maren]

Chris -- that booklet is amazing -- thank you so much for posting!

[Dmitry]

Robeson had a love affair with Soviet Russia, and as it turned out a somewhat misguided one.

Somewhat?! No s@#t!

PR was a poster-boy for the Soviets for many many years. Unlike many other people of the arts who were initially enamored by the comunist utopia, but came to see the light later on, Robeson didn't take off his rose-colored glasses till his death [i could be wrong, I'm not very familiar with his twilight years].

[Guest che]

Robeson had a love affair with Soviet Russia, and as it turned out a somewhat misguided one.

Somewhat?! No s@#t!

PR was a poster-boy for the Soviets for many many years. Unlike many other people of the arts who were initially enamored by the comunist utopia, but came to see the light later on, Robeson didn't take off his rose-colored glasses till his death [i could be wrong, I'm not very familiar with his twilight years].

It was one of the areas that devided those who are interested in Robeson. It is not clear how much he know or wanted to know about Stalin's terror, it would be hard to imagine that he new nothing.

He became friends with Nikita Khrushchev, who was no fan of Stalin and had a more open policy to the west. Robeson saw Khrushchev as a reformer, as the Soviet leader became critical of what Stalin had done.

To his end he remaind a communist and stuck to his principles. If Robeson had been active in the 60's perhaps he would have been considered in the same way we now consider Dr King and other Black Americans of the time?

Che

[ghost of miles]

CPUSA (the American Communist Party) was a very progressive force for civil rights in this country in the 1930s and 40s, at a time when even liberal groups were often wary of embracing civil-rights causes (somewhat akin to the dilemma that gays find themselves in today with the Democratic Party). The book STORIES OF SCOTTSBORO, for one example, touches on how CPUSA took up the plight of the Scottsboro defendants while the NAACP remained overly cautious and ambivalent. Given everything that the Party did to advance a civil-rights agenda, I, too, might have long remained loyal to communism if I'd grown up as a black man in this country in the first part of the 20th century. OTOH some black artists, such as Richard Wright, abandoned it relatively early on (Wright contributed an essay to the 1940 disillusionment-anthology THE GOD THAT FAILED.) In any case, I don't really see it as a blight upon Robeson's legacy.

Edited February 21, 2005 by ghost of miles

[Guest che]

CPUSA (the American Communist Party) was a very progressive force for civil rights in this country in the 1930s and 40s, at a time when even liberal groups were often wary of embracing civil-rights causes (somewhat akin to the dilemma that gays find themselves in today with the Democratic Party). The book STORIES OF SCOTTSBORO, for one example, touches on how CPUSA took up the plight of the Scottsboro defendants while the NAACP remained overly cautious and ambivalent. Given everything that the Party did to advance a civil-rights agenda, I, too, might have long remained loyal to communism if I'd grown up as a black man in this country in the first part of the 20th century. OTOH some black artists, such as Richard Wright, abandoned it relatively early on (Wright contributed an essay to the 1940 disillusionment-anthology THE GOD THAT FAILED.) In any case, I don't really see it as a blight upon Robeson's legacy.

Thanks for the interesting information, and I agree with you that I do not see his loyality to communism as one that detracts from his lagacy.

Towards the end of his life Robeson was very depressed, as he saw it, he had been forgotton by the black community which had become more radical. He would have liked to have been asked about his ideas on some of the issues of the day, like a kind elder father figure.

Che.

[Guest che]

I forgot that I had begun a thread of Robeson, I guess that is what happens when you post some much

Anyway I am curious as to why Robeson is not more celebrated in his home country. I mean Martin Luther King is celebrated nationally, so why not Robeson?

Che.

[ghost of miles]

Robeson singing "Ol' Man River" in the 1936 film version of SHOWBOAT

[Kalo]

Robeson singing "Ol' Man River" in the 1936 film version of SHOWBOAT

Hey, thanks for that! Still not available on DVD as far as I know. Directed by James Whale, of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein fame.

[ghost of miles]

It was apparently out on VHS in the 1990s, and also out as part of a laserdisc that included the 1929 and 1951 versions as well. Maybe we'll see it this fall/winter for the 80th anniversary? (Of its Broadway debut.) Supposedly the 1936 version is the one most faithful to the original production. I showed this scene to my class tonight, and they burst into applause when it was over.

[medjuck]

The 1936 film version also had some pretty good songs that were written especially for it. More important it has Helen Morgan and Irene Dunn as well as Robeson.

[ghost of miles]

In the meantime, the entire 1936 movie is posted in 17 parts on YouTube.