I saw the biography. It was inspirational but definitely had its tragic side. While Soror McDaniel fought to make her roles as dignified as possible and even insisted on removal of the n-word from the Gone With the Wind scipt, she became a casualty of the civil rights movement. For her, she felt there were two alternatives, be a maid on film or be one in real life. Unfortunately, because of her popularity in the roles, she had to maintain a dangerous weight as part of her contract. This deeply affected her health in later years.
It is very sad that the NAACP director at the time felt it necessary to constantly and publicly humiliate and attack Hattie McDaniel while he pushed the interests of the "paper bag" coalition. Why not attack the studios and directors and the system which forced those who were not Lenas or Dorothys into the maid category?
Hattie McDaniel also won a landmark housing case in Los Angeles when white neighbors tried to force her and other blacks from their beautiful, expensive homes. She was a pioneer in many ways. She fought hard to advance the cause of her people, both onscreen and off.
The special was pretty detailed, but it just touched briefly on some aspects of her career and life. There was much more to her than Mammy. Yet the role and its consequences defined her image and haunted her for the rest of her life.
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