Not that it applies for Ms. Noel’s posing for reference art for “Fantasia” anyway, because there was no direct performance, but for her performance in “Irene”, she wouldn’t have been eligible for residuals, since it came out in 1940. So neither she nor her heirs would be collecting residuals.

I would be saddened but completely unsurprised if she was paid less for her performance and rehearsal time in “Irene” than the white dancers of lesser caliber and lower screen time – black performers of that era, and women, were discriminated against quite blatantly in matters of pay. Even in the unlikely event that she and the other performers in the “Harlem” scene were fairly recompensed, there’s a lot of discomfiting subtext and stereotype in that scene. Do you feel “squeegy” about the Fantasia scenes, too? (They’re not hard to find at Youtube – search fantasia elephant ballet and you’ll get them.) It’s actually a surprisingly dignified piece, considering that it’s a bunch of dancing animals.

*sigh*

I’m multiracial, and one of the races compounding my “multi” is white — there are others, but I try to assume nothing goes without saying — so I feel OK saying this to y’all well-meaning people.

Please start here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=l4gCH1bF5awC&pg=PA103&lpg=PA103&dq=%22a+black+person%22+%22a+white+person%22+constitutional+impact&source=web&ots=yLtQB4aclF&sig=hdnzafDgU28kgyxyzdFsUUjGZ3A&hl=en#PPA103,M1

at page 103.

(You may have to pump the magnifying glass twice, depending on screen size and/or visual acuity.)

If that doesn’t give you a little more context for why some folks might feel a touch squeegy about the program’s *ahem* presentation, Google “white privilege” and see what you come back with.

If you’re still having trouble after that, then the best I can do is suggest you be MUCH less exasperated the next time some gym rat lunkhead or size 00 person who never struggled with her weight squeaks/bellows at you:

“Weight loss and maintenance is all the same for all people! Just eat less and move more!”

*smh*

As many women have had to say to many men:

Just because YOU don’t see/feel/hear/otherwise witness something happening DOES NOT mean it isn’t happening.

And, Yellowhammer? If you think the situation is so much much much better now, please feel free to read the first five sentences of the comment I made prior to your making such a cheery statement.

‘Cause right now I’m feeling like that whistled right on by you and you didn’t even feel the breeze.

She sure doesn’t look happy in the posed reference photos, though, which makes me wonder how much she was the butt of the Fantasia joke. (Fantasia is still hands-down my favorite Disney musical.) Of course, the ballet in Fantasia isn’t just hippos – ostriches, alligators and elephants are all played for laughs.

The video of the audience laughing at Hattie’s performance looked like it could be taken two ways, though.

Take a look at the video: there’s a really big sister dancing her ass off center stage, taking a back seat to no one, just tearing up the joint. Then look at the stills; she’s obviously being directed by the artists to give them the sense of movement they want for the character. Dozens of actors have, over the decades, served as models for animated characters, both bi-and multi-peds, and it’s rare to know their names or what they really looked like.

So – lay off the pc bs & take this at face value as a great footnote moment in Hollywood’s hysterical history. If you can’t do that, well, maybe you just need to go to the movies more often.