| Author Name: | Regester, Charlene |
|---|---|
| Date: | 2003, June |
| Journal: | Culture, Sport, Society |
| Volume: | |
| Topic: | Race and Film |
| Pages: | 269 |
The author shows that black athletes, who were a dominating force in sports such as boxing and football in the pre 1950s, used their physical prowess as a marketable commodity and managed to join the ranks of motion picture stars, whether or not they were talented actors. Because of their bodies, these athletes were transformed on the screen to provide representations of black masculinity. This essay examines selected black athletes who contributed to this early screen image and that include: Paul Robeson and Woody Strode in the sport of football with Joe Louis and Canada Lee representing the sport of boxing. Others athletes who similarly contributed to the Black screen image are noted in an historical overview in these two sports.