Just saw this today and cried. We lost a great one today in Sidney Poitier. Easliy the most influential black actor during my youth in the sixties and seventies.
A trailblazer for other black actors who followed in his footsteps winning either the Best Actor ot or Best Actor in a Supporting Role back when the Oscar Show was really a thing.
Forest Whitaker, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Jaime Fox, Mahershala Ali, Louis Gossett, Cuban Gooding Jr. and others followed his trail.
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner was made in 1967. I was ten years old when this movie was made being the darkest kid at both my elementary school and then at my all-white junior high school before I was introduced to black people at John Marshall High School.
My dad was worried about me making the move to John Marshall. He was worried I wouldn’t be able to assimilate. That’s when I said, ” Have you lost your mind? I’m finally going to be with people more like me.”
This movie and this scene in particular had an everlasting life imprint on me.
Until you’ve been called a nigger or in my case a half nigger you really have no idea what that can do to a young person’s perception of themself.
Sidney Poitier was always an inspiration for me. This scene from above was my favorite Sidney scene of all-time.
Sidney Poitier, god bless you.
OMG- your comment to your dad is priceless.
love you,
Jan