tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23011532.post3340442401392452044..comments2023-10-22T17:28:42.278-04:00Comments on Old Smiley: Guess Who’s Coming to DinnerHugh Ruppersburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13754821511543584868noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23011532.post-57173972569835052452014-07-13T15:38:03.926-04:002014-07-13T15:38:03.926-04:00I watched this movie repeatedly to try and see the...I watched this movie repeatedly to try and see the good in it, but I can't. I agree, Joey is a ninny that Sidney Poitier's character would never be attracted to unless he only wanted a White woman. I highly doubt he would be attracted to such a simple, childish Black woman. This, in and of itself makes the movie hard to watch. makes me wonder what Poitier was thinking of to be a part of this movie. I 'get" what they were trying to say, but it all it said was it doesn't matter what Black parents think as long as the White parents are good with it. Such total disrespect. He has no concern for HIS parent's feelings, only HER parent's feelings and approval.<br /><br />I was born in 1966 so I didn't experience the racism that my parents did, but I am well aware of it.<br /><br />My uncle's wife is White, and my brother in-law is White, so I don't have an issue with interracial marriage, just how this movie puts such emphasis solely on the approval of the White parents, and that the Black parent's opinion is that of people who are "stuck".<br /><br />I Googled the title to see what people really thought about the movie. I'm glad to see I'm not alone in seeing the foolishness in it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23011532.post-51810599186959570642011-08-16T12:58:26.922-04:002011-08-16T12:58:26.922-04:00I googled "Guess who's coming to dinner d...I googled "Guess who's coming to dinner daughter ninny," looking for anyone else who found Joey to be a ninny, a totally improbable partner for Sidney Poitier's character. Eureka, I found you! Back then, Sidney Poitier was considered a vastly talented actor (I remember well, I was a white teenager with a bit of a crush on him and his ultimate coolness), and I thought she was a silly choice for his love interest. I wondered what in the hell he could talk about with her. It almost appears that she was the injection of cotton candy that the producers thought was needed by the audience to help them swallow this premise. Maybe it was needed, but I didn't think so then or now. I venture to say now that she even seems like one of the innocent white southern belles that racists were most protective about when assuming the lascivious motives of black men. Hmmm....<br /><br />I do remember, however, that the adults around me back then, in the latter part of the 'sixties, thought it was a droll, witty, and rather daring movie. They talked about it a lot, with a tone of bravado, waiting to find out their conversational partner's racial leanings before venturing whether it was "brilliant," or "shameless."<br /><br />Either way, the movie did SOMETHING. Just the fact that such major players of the time were used in the leading roles speaks to the efforts of the producers to create something...epic?...respectful?... anyway, something to do with racial equality and civil rights... or something. Before that, there was nothing this mainstream. So... Even though Joey was a ninny, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a real part of all of our heritage. We'll never know exactly what part it played in the efforts of reconciliation between America's blacks and whites, but we can assume it did something, which is better than nothing, which is what was there before.<br /><br />All my respect,<br />Barb, born 1951Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23011532.post-10418572917000960772011-08-16T12:57:30.649-04:002011-08-16T12:57:30.649-04:00I googled "Guess who's coming to dinner d...I googled "Guess who's coming to dinner daughter ninny," looking for anyone else who found Joey to be a ninny, a totally improbable partner for Sidney Poitier's character. Eureka, I found you! Back then, Sidney Poitier was considered a vastly talented actor (I remember well, I was a white teenager with a bit of a crush on him and his ultimate coolness), and I thought she was a silly choice for his love interest. I wondered what in the hell he could talk about with her. It almost appears that she was the injection of cotton candy that the producers thought was needed by the audience to help them swallow this premise. Maybe it was needed, but I didn't think so then or now. I venture to say now that she even seems like one of the innocent white southern belles that racists were most protective about when assuming the lascivious motives of black men. Hmmm....<br /><br />I do remember, however, that the adults around me back then, in the latter part of the 'sixties, thought it was a droll, witty, and rather daring movie. They talked about it a lot, with a tone of bravado, waiting to find out their conversational partner's racial leanings before venturing whether it was "brilliant," or "shameless."<br />Either way, the movie did SOMETHING. Just the fact that such major players of the time were used in the leading roles speaks to the efforts of the producers to create something...epic?...respectful?... anyway, something to do with racial equality and civil rights... or something. Before that, there was nothing this mainstream. So... Even though Joey was a ninny, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a real part of all of our heritage. We'll never know exactly what part it played in the efforts of reconciliation between America's blacks and whites, but we can assume it did something, which is better than nothing, which is what was there before.<br /><br />All my respect,<br />Barb, born 1951Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com