Customer Reviews

Shuffling To Ignominy: The Tragedy Of Stepin Fetchit

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With this first rate piece of journalism and cultural history, Champ Clark has done a great service not just to cinemaphiles but to anyone curious about the dark paths we have traveled as a country. While Clark makes fine use of primary and secondary sources, what makes this book unique and truly invaluable are the extensive and exclusive interviews with the men and woman who knew Stepin Fetchit, some of whom passed since being interviewed by Clark. As the story unfurls, it becomes clear that the Stepin Fetchit story is indeed the tragedy of the title, but not simply in the way that we all know. Like so many who have come before since him, Fetchit was a victim of first fame, and his swelled head and inflated sense of self kept him from, among other things, starring in a series of Hal Roach shorts that would have undoubtedly propelled him to the first ranks of early cinema clowns. Instead, he became one of the saddest and most lasting symbols of Jim Crow America. The only thing missing here are more extensive citations so we could know what came from where and learn the full extent of Clark's interviews. Still, this is the one essential book needed for anyone who cares about Fetchit's story in specific and the history of African-Americans in pop culture in general.

This book was an eye-opener in many ways. It makes it possible to see beyond Stepin Fetchit's lazy slow-moving character to the talented black man who found a way to experience success in white men's movies. Here was a man who played the fool, while positioning himself center stage. Clark brings this man to life through synthesizing first-hand interviews with family and friends along with media and other accounts to give a well-rounded picture of the successes and the pain. More than that, it explores the relationship of the artist to his audience, the challenge of succeeding in a world where someone else makes all the rules, and the bigoted world as Stepin Fetchit experienced it. Plan to be enthralled by the story of the man and the richness of the descriptions of the settings and the people of the time.

This is a well-written book about a fascinating subject. Even if you've never heard of Stepin Fetchit -- or especially if you haven't heard of him -- you'll be glued to this one.

I had just finished reading this book when I learned Rosa Parks had died, and I couldn't help thinking that, much like Rosa, Lincoln Perry also paved the way for African-Americans, only sadly, his life wasn't as honored.

This is truly a wonderful book. I read it, and am just now purchasing a copy for my son because I think he should read it too. When Denzel Washington and Halle Berry won their Oscars, they owed a nod to Lincoln Perry. This book gives you a whole new perspective on race in Hollywood. V. Bane (Littleton, CO)

As a casual, curious reader, I found Champ Clark's selective recounting of Steppin Fetchit's life crisp, graceful and entertaining. Rather than bury the reader in a mountain of biographical facts, Clark presents only the key salient facts, plus many until-now unreported, unpublished stories and remembrances of many people still alive who knew the entertainer. In this sense the book is unique and quite moving emotionally.
-Ron Arias
Hermosa Beach, CA

Champ Clark has skillfully dug into the background of this fascinating figure and brought him to life as an intriguing human being who disguised his true humanity in his roles on the screen. I recommend it highly for anyone interested in the problems and progress of blacks in film. M. Phillips, Silver Spring, Md.