I guess I first encountered the fast-talking African-American comic Mantan Moreland as Charlie Chan's chauffeur but he was already a vaudeville veteran and, in fact, appeared in more than a few movies as the star! These low budget "race movies" were generally aimed at black audiences only and often gave the performers a chance to avoid the stereotyped characters they were forced to play in major films. Often...but not always. Mantan was always recognizably Mantan, smiling, charismatic and hilarious as always.
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