Was Hollywood hypocritical tackling mixed relationships

[stuart.uk]

I had an interesting conversation with actor Francis Matthews on a British Forum about Bhowanii Junction. He said he was unhappy that America insisted that a kissing scene between him and Ava Gardner was cut out as they didn't want her kissing a black man. What made it even more crazy was that Francis was a white man blackened up to look like an Indian.

Hollywood seemed to tackle mixed relationships head on in the 1950s with the westerns Broken Arrow and White Feather, Showboat and Kings Go Forth. Now while all the actresses involved, Debra Paget in the westerns, Ava Gardner and Natalie Wood, were superb, they were all white skinned. Nataile was even a girl with Russian blood in her. It seems to me they were ready to tackle such issuse, but weren't prepared to cast an ethnic man or woman in such roles

In the case of Showboat, back in 1946 Lena Horne played Julie Laverne in musical skit from the stage show, but while Lena would have been ideal casting for the 1951 movie, MGM couldn't risk casting her, so the part went to the lovely Ava, who did such a great job.

I think it was Island In The Sun-1957 where Harry Belanfonte romanced Joan Fontaine in the late 50s that was the break through film in Hollywood and in the UK it was Sylvia Syms, who broke the ice, falling for a black man in Flame In The Streets in 1961

[charliechaplinfan]

It's funny you should bring up Showboat. I've just read an interview with Arthur Freed who told that Lena campaigned so much for the role of Julie in Showboat but Ava was chosen because Lena didn't look or act like a streetwalker whereas Ava could carry it off very well. I don't know if that was a compliment to either lady but I kind of know what he means.