It's a little naive to have to mention that the black face scene with Hugh Herbert was racist. Trying to shame history is futile and silly at best. We can learn from our past but not change it. It's like still blaming the South for slavery which hasn't existed since the 1800s. The movies at the time reflected the social mores of our society and nothing more. They were never meant to be guidelines for the future. I, personally, am a big Jolson fan and anyone knows who has read his biographies that he was far from a racist and aided many black performers in furthering their careers. Black face was a performing art for its time and was even performed by many famous black performers including the great Bert Williams. The Hollywood Hotel is a very charming movie and well worth watching. It is loaded with great stars and especially those adorable Lane sisters. I hope that someday that critics of vintage movies will leave out their comments about the shame of a black face appearance as if it has anything to do with our current issues.
Review of Hollywood Hotel
