Tallgrass Film Festival 2024 highlights Oscar winner and Wichitan Hattie McDaniel

It’s Tallgrass time!

The 22nd annual Tallgrass Film Festival will be held Oct. 24-27 in various venues in downtown Wichita. The festival has grown to become one of Wichita’s premier events, with screenings of more than 100 films culled from more than 1,000 submissions, gala parties, educational events, panels and much more.

You can see the complete schedule and ticketing package options at www.tallgrass.org.

There are many highlights of this year’s festival, but one of them is a tribute to actress Hattie McDaniel, “Honoring Hattie McDaniel: Past, Present and Future of Representation in Media Arts,” which will include a film retrospective, panel discussions and a special presentation from the city of Wichita.

McDaniel, who was from Wichita, was also a singer/songwriter and comedienne, and she was the first Black performer to win an Oscar, for best supporting actress for 1939’s “Gone With the Wind.” After her death in 1951, her Oscar was willed to Howard University. During the 1960s, though, the Oscar disappeared.

Tallgrass is partnering with the Kansas African American Museum to host an exhibition and talk with her great-grandnephew, Kevin John Goff, about the newly replaced Oscar statue and the personal life of McDaniel.

“Reflections on Hattie McDaniel” will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the corner of Eighth and Murdock, and will include a reading of Goff’s poem, which will kickoff the day’s festivities.

A screening of “In this Our Life,” the 1942 comedy in which McDaniel won the National Board of Review Best Acting Award in 1942, will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Orpheum Theatre, 200 N. Broadway.

I had a virtual chat with Goff recently. Here are excerpts:

Can you talk about what your relationship with Hattie McDaniel?

“Aunt Hattie passed away in 1952 before I was born, but her presence has always been around me via her amazing talent, love of community, and her mission to plant meaningful seeds for the generations to come. Hattie’s victories and challenges were important to my father (the late Edgar J. Goff Jr.). I remember as a young child, between the ages of 8 and 12 years old, watching all the classic black and white films of old Hollywood. I would see countless, classic Hollywood films and many of them would feature black performers in supporting or less than supporting roles. I had no idea at the time that those individuals were my aunt (Hattie McDaniel), my uncle (Sam McDaniel), and great-grandmother (Etta McDaniel Goff). It wasn’t until after graduating high school and reconnecting with my father that the picture became complete, a lot more clear.

How did Hattie McDaniel’s career and legacy influence your family’s values and aspirations?

“Hattie’s determination was incredibly strong and there is no doubt she was influenced by her parents and older siblings. Her father, Henry, was a Union soldier and he also experienced labor-intensive jobs such as working on the railroads. Also, imagine Henry’s wife (Susan) giving birth to thirteen kids with quite a few of them dying at birth and shortly after birth. You need a special type of resolve and a deep well of faith to endure. It’s all about enduring each and every day. So, Hattie witnessed courage on a daily basis and that prepared her for a career in vaudeville, music, film, civil rights and more. That made the word “no” to Hattie a challenge, not a setback. These are the examples of influence that I draw from. The values and the aspirations are solid. Her career and personal life were fueled by courage and a deep belief of something much bigger than her personal self. I am driven by the same set of beliefs.”

Are there any personal anecdotes or stories about Hattie that highlight her character and impact on those around her?

“Hattie mentored scores of younger individuals, inside and outside of Hollywood. She shared the “do’s” and the “don’ts” that come with just existing in this world. She entertained wounded soldiers during WWII, she donated her time and money to charities, and fought against “restrictive covenants,” which was an illegal, discriminatory tactic (but once-upon-a-time, a legal one). That fight sparked the Fair Housing Laws in California.”

How do you believe Hattie’s role in “Gone with the Wind” and her Oscar win have shaped the representation of Black actors in Hollywood?

“It opened the door for the next generation of black performers to have more opportunities. I think of it as her “biting-the-bullet” so to speak, so that others would have a broader path in the entertainment industry and more choices. During Hattie’s era, black performers, Asian performers, Hispanic performers, Native American performers and others were very limited by Hollywood. Many marginalized performers and performers that had greater access in the industry thank her to this day. She kicked that door open and I applaud her for her sacrifices.”

What challenges did Hattie face during her career, and how did she overcome them?

“Well, let’s remember that her entire existence was during the Jim Crow Era. Hattie never knew a life without discrimination. You can examine her life from birth (1893) to her passing (1952) and the barriers and disregard were always present. She played countless roles as a maid, but she also worked maid/domestic jobs in real life. She was denied so many things in her life. Hattie’s life was filled with racial slurs, denied entries into certain buildings, and being subjugated to film roles that never allowed her to completely flourish and tap into her vast well of talent. She was denied burial at Hollywood Memorial Cemetery because blacks were not allowed. She was not allowed to attend the “Gone With the Wind” premiere in Atlanta in December 1939. During the 12th Academy Awards of 1940, Hattie was able to be in the building, the Cocoanut Grove/Ambassador Hotel, only because of some pressure that David O. Selznick put on the hotel owners, but she still had to sit at a segregated table away from the rest of the cast of “Gone with the Wind.”

How did she overcome these challenges?

“She dusted herself off and moved on with her head held high. That is classic Hattie McDaniel!”

In what ways do you think Hattie’s legacy continues to inspire young Black actors and artists today?

“Hattie never wallowed in the indifference. She never stayed down for the count, she always rose to the occasion, the challenge. No adversary was going to defeat Hattie and she was molded to be tough, but always grounded. She never lost her compassion for others despite being treated less than she deserved on multiple occasions. Wow, what a woman!”

Are there any family traditions or values that you feel are a direct reflection of Hattie’s influence?

“I treat every person with respect. I don’t care if you’re homeless or a corporate VIP. I give what I expect and that gives me the mindset that I deserve to be treated with dignity. Hattie had those same values. Living in this world is not a cakewalk. If you are around long enough adversity will get around to you. How you handle it is the key.”

What advice or lessons from Hattie’s life would you want to pass on to future generations?

“Be kind and find your passion. Also, being able to discern what the priorities of life are is paramount. We should place more value on how we treat one another, how we connect, and find the beauty in learning from each other and the mistakes we make. If you have that as a foundation the rest will fall into place. Hattie said that while on the big screen she may have been Mammy, (but) at home she was Hattie McDaniel. She knew the reality from the fantasy.

How does it feel to have Tallgrass honoring your aunt? Can you talk about the events you’ll be participating in while in Wichita? Will anyone be accompanying you?

“The past few years have seen quite a few developments surrounding Hattie and her life. My late father wanted to see her Oscar replaced when it vanished after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Her Oscar was finally reissued after more than 50-plus years on October 1, 2023, at Howard University in Washington, D.C. There have been proclamations issued to acknowledge her and I have spoken domestically and internationally about her journey. Now, the Tallgrass Film Festival, under the leadership of Melanie Addington, has organized something amazingly special which will include a showing of one of Hattie’s films, “In This Our Life”. I will also have the honor to share the stage on a panel along with David Parks, son of the renowned photographer and film director, Gordon Parks. I also love that Denise Sherman and the Kansas African American Museum are involved as well. I will be reading a poem I composed back in 2021 for the marker dedication that was erected where Hattie’s family home formerly existed.”