TheLoop21.com

Black sidekicks? Aren't we Blacks portrayed in that manner enough already?
In the movies or on TV Blacks are far too often portrayed as the "sidekick" or the antagonist to the White character. The Black is often the really strange character or the really belligerent character or the one character that loses control at a critical point in the movie. This is when the White character (usually the star or headliner) uses their smooth demeanor to step in and restore the calm, the peace or the discipline. When this happens it’s usually just before the Black character is written out of the script. This means the Black character, he/she, is about to DIE. Many times the death of the Black character is portrayed in a surprising or brutal fashion.
The White character, he/she, will have some special intelligence or smarts or special talent or feature or special “power” that will keep them alive until the end credits roll. They are and will be the last one standing. But if they are written out of the script for some reason and their character does DIE, the heavens will open up and accept them graciously - right on the spot.
The background music and ambient lights always confirms that.
Am I right?

I know you're just having fun with your post. And I'm just having a little fun too.
But damn - the sidekick/black man gotta DIE/cookie cutter template scripts that these idiot studios finance and use to pay their writers and producers who call this lopsided crap entertainment - pssss's me off.

ahh, There. I'm better now. Let me go take a chill-pill. Or roll one.

I didn't view Marcel as a sidekick at all. I saw him as an equal co-conspirator in the plot.

He wasn't an equal co-conspirator, the plan was totally and entirely Shoshanna's plan. It was really personal to her since these Nazis had murdered her entire family. She ran the whole show.

She did run the whole show because she was the central character in the story. His character wasn't given the time for the backstory, but with a knowledge of history, it was implicitly understood (by me - a jewish woman ).

So that is my personal take on a powerful and in my opinion Marcel was a powerful character, not an afterthought.

Winston is the best Ghostbuster! No great lines?! How about:

"If there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say."

"That's a big twinkie!"

"I have seen SHIT that'll turn you WHITE!"

"Ray, when someone asks if you're a god, you say YES!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4uDAUEe7W0

Winston has no great lines?

"Ray, when someone asks you if you're a god, you say "YES"! "

"That's a big twinkie" (said perfectly though his cigarette)

from the world of Nickelodeon, i'd like to point to Rugrats' Susie Carmichael, and Hey Arnold's Gerald Johanssen. Fiercely loyal, with feet planted firmly on the ground.

Winston??? Winston is the straight man to the other three yahoos. He is the guy that makes sure the rent gets paid, because the dang lease is in his name. But, yeah, it's sad he has more lines in the new video game than in the first two movies combined.

Trying to respond, but comments are not being posted.

I sincerely did not see Marcel as a sidekick. Yes, Shoshanna had the plan, but don't forget that she was the central character in the story to begin with. So I must ask honestly, just because Marcel is black makes him a sidekick? I saw him as a valid character and given the time the story takes place, both characters' backgrounds don't need much explanation or backstory whatsoever.

Aykroyd originally wrote the part of Winston for Eddie Murphy. Maybe there was an expectation that Murphy's circa-84 energy and charisma would make the character worthwhile and memorable, but when Murphy didn't wanna do it, it just became an inert token role who doesn't exist for any particular reason. Which isn't Ernie Hudson's fault, he can't help it that he's not Eddie Murphy. They gave him more to do in the sequel, but then again, the sequel blows.

Did you ever notice how Ned's race is never actually brought up in Unforgiven? They mention that his wife is an "injun" but noone ever actually alludes to Ned's race. Even when he's torturing him, Little Bill never drops the N bomb. They're either the most culturally sensitive people in the 19th century or the character wasn't originally written as black but wasn't explicitly white either & Clint being Clint decided to just cast Morgan Freeman & magic ensued. It's actually kind of weak that this list equates an awesome character like Ned with glorified props like Winston from Ghostbusters & the black dude from Inglourious Basterds.

This article is lame for two reasons:

1. "Most Beloved" brings to mind a history of something, like black sidekicks. A history of black sidekicks doesn't include a movie made less than a year ago.

2. You're not digging deep enough. What about Miami Vice? What are you even looking back at?!

Unforgiven is the closest you've gotten. Please try again.

Marcel? i like Tarantino but sorry to rain on the parade...Inglorious Basterds was just that-inglorious. Its tongue in cheek premise gives the audience license to enjoy in cruel violence because of whom the violence is against-Nazis. I found it disingenuous. To call out Marcel as one sidekick amidst many sidekicks obviates Marcel as a sidekick because every major character in this movie is a sidekick...to violence.

Notice how Inglorious wallows in American stereotypes whether they are black, German, Jewish, French, or white. It needs to in order to justify its gratuitous mindless violence and make its victims deserving. You find that provoking? I found that cheap.

where the hell is RED?

You're wrong about Winston not having any good lines in Ghostbusters. I just quoted his (and one the movie's) best quotes yesterday:

"I'm Winston Zeddmore, Your Honor. I've only been with the company for a couple of weeks, but these things are real. Since I joined these men, I've seen shit that'll turn you white."

I am discouraged by your site that you do not print comments that offer a genuine discourse. I will no longer be reading your blog or following you on Twitter.

I offered 2 comments yesterday that did not get posted. If you don't want to hear from the community, don't offer this option.

Inglorious is a bad example.

Inglorious's raison d'être excuses categorical violence on a group of people because no one will complain about said group getting killed. Its tongue in cheek premise gives the audience license to enjoy in the violence because of whom the violence is against. I found it disingenuous. To call out Marcel as one sidekick amidst many sidekicks negates Marcel’s use as a sidekick because every character in this movie is a sidekick to violence.

It does more than present white stereotypes it presents American stereotypes of other cultures.

Winston did get one great line in ghostbusters when he told the mayor (who is white) " I have seen shit that would turn you white".

I agree with every one of your assessments of these sidekicks, except for Winston. To get Winston, you kind of have to understand the dynamic as it plays out between all four 'Busters'.

Remember, Ray, Egon, and Venkman are PHd certified, while Winston, is a blue collar brother. Where Ray and Egon are brainy, head in the clouds, science nerds, and Venkman utilizes his smarts more as an entrepreneurial hustler, Winston is the character with the capacity to keep them grounded. I might be stretching this a bit, but, translating this aspect of the characters visually, having a black man as that grounding influence seems - to me at least - to be the most logical choice. And, really, even from a sociological perspective, I like that!

One way or another, 'Bustin' will always make me feel good!'

I'ma second the popular opinion on Winston. That man was the coolest Ghostbuster, hands down.

I understand this list is supposed to be a 'joke' but still F--K Queerantino that racist ass shitwad!! BULLSHIT!! He doesn't care about 'pushing buttons' but being an obnoxious prick and I don't see how ANY self-respecting black person could be in his films but then again Whoopi did defend Mel Gibson so never mind.