NOTE: Various share buttons are at the top, middle, and the bottom of this webpage. Please use them to share this site with others to encourage them to nominate Song of the South to the Library of Congress National Film Registry.
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When Disneyland celebrated its 67th Anniversary on July 17, 2022, they did not include a tradition, Walt Disney's July 17, 1955, opening day speech,
for the first time in decades; so I'm putting it here to honor Walt Disney and his accomplishments; and to honor the fact that he personally chose my father, Nick Stewart, to be the voice of Brer Bear in the movie, Song of the South.
(1946 radio show featuring Walt Disney and the cast)
PROGRAM: NATIONAL FILM PRESERVATION BOARD
Nominate Song of the South to be added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. The National Film Registry was established to preserve and safeguard U.S. films that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The National Film Registry selects 25 films each year showcasing the range and diversity of American film heritage to increase awareness for its preservation. The 2021 Additions to the Registry were Announced. 2022 nominations were announced in December. Nominations are now being accepted for the 2023 Registry submissions.
The 2022 deadline for nominations was August 15, 2022. Nominate for 2023 now.
Nominate Song of the South to the National Film Registry Now!!!
Nominations do not carry over from year to year, so if you nominated Song of the South previously, you should re-nominate each year until it is included in the Registry.
NICK AND EDNA STEWART
This photograph was included in the Los Angeles Public Library Exhibit: L.A. Landmarks - Lost and Almost Lost. It was originally published in the Los Angeles Herald Examiner newspaper.
Founded by Nick and Edna Stewart in 1950, the Ebony Showcase Theater was the first African American owned theater in Los Angeles, located at 4718-26 W. Washington Blvd. Nick Stewart, who was most famous for his portrayal of “Lightnin’” in the TV show Amos and Andy, and voicing Brer Brer in Disney’s Song of the South and the Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland, sought to build a place where African Americans and others could act in roles outside of the traditional stereotypes. The theater has been credited for starting the careers of many young actors of all races, including Michelle Nichols, John Amos and Isabel Sanford. It was taken in eminent domain by the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency and demolished in 1998.
Photograph caption dated October 16, 1981 reads, "Nick and Edna Stewart have done a lot to change black stereotypes in theater with their plays since the days when Nick had an act as a comedian."
The Ebony Showcase Theatre is a charity that was founded by Nick and Edna Stewart in 1950. My name is Valarie Stewart. I am their daughter and the WebWeaver of this webpage. Please contact me if you like the movie "Song of the South" and/or the Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland; and you don't consider them racist. Call or leave a message at 323.393.3744; or send me an email here: splashgate@ebonyshowcasetheatre.org .
If you have been complaining that you don't know what to do, click the icons below to tell others about this site:
Use these sharing links to send emails and to post our link on social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and more..
SONG OF THE SOUTH
is a censored movie, wrongly accused of being racist.
The cast of
“Song of the South” includes pioneers Hattie McDaniel, the “Gone With the Wind” star and first Black entertainer to win an Academy Award. In a 1947 interview, she told the American publication The Criterion, “If I had for one moment considered any part of the picture degrading or harmful to my people, I would not have appeared therein.” Her co-star James Baskett echoed her support of the film, saying, “I believe that certain groups are doing my race more harm in seeking to create dissension than can ever possibly come out of the ‘Song of the South.” James Baskett was the first Black man to win an Academy Award for his portrayal of Uncle Remus.
Miss Georgia
Uncle Remus Museum Etonton, Georgia
Miss Georgia is a very knowledgable woman who tells why Uncle Remus stories should be preserved and not erased: She gives her reasons as to why the Uncle Remus stories are so important. She is from the very same town the stories came from and her great, great grandmother was a slave.
Actors listed below are in Song of the South. Other films they appeared in are in the registry.
Nick Stewart films in the Registry:
-Carmen Jones
-Stormy Weather
-Cabin in the Sky
-Dumbo
Nick Stewart's parents were immigrants from Barbados, British West Indies. They were folowers of Marcus Garvey, who encouraged entrepenurship, and a business ethic, to his followers. As a child he was influenced by Marcus Garvey and the stories of Horatio Alger when he was put in reform school.
Marcus Garvey said, "A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots."
Hattie McDaniel films in the Registry:
-Gone with the Wind
-Imitation of Life (1934)
-Show Boat (1936)
Johnny Lee films in the Registry:
-Stormy Weather
James Baskett films in the Registry:
-Dumbo
James Baskett (February 16, 1904 – July 9, 1948) was an American actor known for his portrayal of Uncle Remus, singing the song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" in the 1946 Disney feature film Song of the South. In recognition of his warm portrayal of the famous black storyteller he was given an Honorary Academy Award, making him the first black male performer to receive an Oscar.
This is the only surviving film footage from the 1948 Academy Awards ceremony. James Baskett was the first African-American Man to win an Oscar, for his role in Disney's The Song Of The South. It is a misfortune that his speech was cut/not filmed, however, we do get a glimpse of him accepting the trophy as well as a few seconds to hear his actual speaking voice.
Some of the other SONG OF THE SOUTH cast members performed in movies that are in the Registry.
by Philip Kippel
Ruth Warrick movies in the Registry:
-Citizen Kane
Lucille Watson movies in the Registry:
-The Women (1939 film)
Mary Field movies in the Registry:
-The Bank Dick
-How Green Was My Valley
-Ball of Fire
-Now, Voyager
-Mrs. Miniver
-Miracle on 34th Street
-Out of the Past
Roy Glenn movies in the Registry:
-Carmen Jones
-Porgy and Bess
-A Raisin in the Sun (1961 film)
Glenn Leedy films in the Registry:
-Cabin in the Sky
Anita Brown films in the Registry:
-Twentieth Century
-Sullivan's Travels
Georgie Nokes films in the Registry:
-Going My Way
-Gaslight
-The Best Years of Our Lives
-It's a Wonderful Life
Ernestine Wade (who voiced one of the butterflies) films in the Registry:
-Cabin in the Sky
HERE ARE SOME OTHER PLACES WHERE YOU CAN POST AND SHARE LINKS TO SONG OF THE SOUTH AND SPLASH MOUNTAIN WEBSITES AND VIDEOS.:
Search for free classified ads sites and post on some of them.
Thank you, Philip Kippel, for doing a lot of research and providing a great deal of information. Thanks to Cassidy Dixson for keeping everyone's morale up, and completing many tasks without having been asked to perform them.Thanks to Em Ay for helping us create our new online radio station.Thanks to the many unnamed peope who have joined this movement and who work so hard to save the Song of the South movie and the Splash Mountain ride. We will name you later when you give us permission to do so; If you sent me any information or files in the past, please text me at 323.393.8744 with permission to add your name, otherwise I will keep your name anonymous.
