DUMBO (1941)
When Dumbo and Timothy Q. Mouse find themselves up a tree after a pink-elephant bender, they encounter five wisecracking blackbirds, who are clearly African-American caricatures from the period, right down to their flashy dress. The gang’s leader is even named … Jim Crow. You’d hope such crass depictions wouldn’t exist today, but then again, there was Jar Jar Binks. —Jeff Labrecque
BLAZING SADDLES (1974)
Mel Brooks’ wild, wild Western might be a four-alarm fire of politically correct outrage if it were made today. Where to begin? The fact that the sheriff is-a-near drives the entire plot? NAACP on line 1. The fact that small-town folk are portrayed as close-minded simpletons? Sarah Palin waiting on line 2. The fact that a Busby Berkeley dance number is dominated by hissing ”sissy Marys”? GLAAD on line 3. And let’s not forget that Mongo punches out a horse. Pretty sure that PETA wouldn’t be too pleased about that. —JL
THE BAD NEWS BEARS (1976)
Kids learn to play the national pastime. Huzzah! Girl beats the boys at their own game. Go, girl! Coach passes out drunk in front of his players. Right on? Kid cusses at adults and his teammates, calling them out using a plethora of racial and sexual epithets. Easy, Tanner. Kids are sore losers who celebrate by chugging beers. Totally, completely un-American. (Um, I can’t wait to watch this again.) —JL
TAXI DRIVER (1976)
Martin Scorsese’s rage-against-the-machine masterpiece came to life probably in the only period in Hollywood history — the Easy Rider/Raging Bull late 1970s-early 1980s — that it artistically could. Bleak and violent, it also featured a preteen prostitute played by a 12-year-old Jodie Foster. You might not believe it, but there are no Taxi Driver remakes in the works. —JL
THE JERK (1979)
Navin Johnson was born a poor black child, singing and dancing on his family’s porch down in Mississippi. Alas, pale-faced Steve Martin played rhythm-challenged Navin, and this hit film didn’t flinch from flirting with racial stereotypes.—JL
AIRPLANE! (1980)
Like Mel Brooks, the Zucker brothers mined uncomfortable stereotypes for comic effect, but modern audiences might not appreciate jive-talking African-Americans who require subtitles and African tribesmen who naturally excel at basketball. Moreover, would a pilot (Peter Graves) who likes gladiator movies a little too much be allowed near a young boy in a script today? —JL
CADDYSHACK (1980)
Rodney Dangerfield meant no offense when he introduced his soft-spoken golfing partner, but Mr. Wang wasn’t exactly building bridges to the Asian-American community, what with the clichéd portrayal of an Asian tourist who snaps multiple pictures of the parking lot. —JL
HISTORY OF THE WORLD — PART I (1981)
Mel Brooks painted man’s evolution with a series of comical vignettes spanning the Stone Age to the French Revolution. The Catholic League might be shaking in anger over the musical number where bathing beauties, dressed like Inquisition-era nuns, emerge from the swimming pool to form a menorah. Oy, the agony! Oy, the shame!—JL
SOUL MAN (1986)
”Guess who’s coming to college?” read this film’s movie poster, as if to conjure up goodwill and comparisons to the seminal Sidney Poitier film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Yes, because interracial marriage in 1967 is the same thing as donning blackface and Jheri curls to get into Harvard Law. —JL
A FISH CALLED WANDA (1988)
One of the funniest films of the 1980s made a ruthless running joke out of Michael Palin’s character’s paralyzing speech impediment. When he won’t or can’t reveal the secrets to the stolen diamonds, he must either be kissed (by Jamie Lee Curtis) or tortured (by Kevin Kline). But just when you’re feeling really sorry for him, stuttering Ken kills three defenseless lapdogs.—JL
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
Gay advocacy organizations threatened to disrupt the 1991 Oscars because they were unhappy with the depiction of homosexuals in Jonathan Demme’s blockbuster thriller, so you can imagine how today’s more-vocal groups would react to a gender-confused killer (Ted Levine) who was kind only to his beloved poodle, Precious. —JL
THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998)
The Farrelly brothers have included characters with physical disabilities in many of their films, but Mary introduced a conniving stalker (Lee Evans) whose very handicap — though it turns out to be fake — is played for laughs. Matt Dillon’s character’s treatment of special-needs students also rubbed some the wrong way. —JL
SONG OF THE SOUTH (1946)
Disney’s Song of the South may be impossible to see on home video — it’s locked up tight in the Disney vault, protected by steel doors, retinal scanners, and an army of sentient mops — but its influence can still be seen from the Song-inspired Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland to the film’s perennially hummed tune ”Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.” The 1946 live-action/animation hybrid was criticized by the NAACP upon release for its seemingly utopian depiction of the post-slavery South and the minstrel source of Uncle Remus’ stories. While some believe that pretending it never existed runs uncomfortably parallel to the film’s own revisionism, this Song of the South is still very out of tune. —Keith Staskiewicz
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S (1961)
When people think of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, they think of Audrey Hepburn in elbow-length gloves, coyly chomping a long, black cigarette holder. But while it gave us Golightly, when it came to portraying Japanese neighbor Mr. Yunioshi, the film went about as lightly as a lead-footed elephant. Played by an over-the-top Mickey Rooney in buck-toothed, supremely offensive yellowface, he is like a dead fly in the orange juice: the one thing that prevents Breakfast from being perfect. —KS
GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
The adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s historical romance became the iconic Hollywood classic. But the portrayal of the African-American characters is incredibly troubling. More than a few people have accused the characters of Mammy and Prissy of exemplifying ”Happy Slave” stereotypes. (Prissy especially has some lines that can’t help but make you wince: ”Lawzy, we got to have a doctor. I don’t know nothin’ ’bout birthin’ babies.”) You’ve also got the surprisingly brazen treatment of the nature of the Civil War: According to Wind, the Old South was a paradise unfairly ruined by the war. —Darren Franich
KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE (1977)
The first film from Airplane! parodists David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker would probably not get made today for two reasons. First of all, the episodic structure lends itself more to online sketch comedy. But more to the point, the film is relentlessly un-PC — you think parents would stand for Catholic High School Girls in Trouble? —DF
EARLY JAMES BOND MOVIES)
The James Bond movies were arguably the first globalized movie franchise, as 007 interacted with every far-flung culture around the (Cold War) world. The flip side of all that multiculturalism is that the early Bonds have a laundry list of offenses. In You Only Live Twice, Sean Connery goes ”undercover” as a Japanese man (a process that basically involves getting his chest hair waxed from skimpily dressed girls). The problems persisted into the Roger Moore era — see Live and Let Die, where pretty much every African-American character is in on the weird gangster/voodoo/island-dictator conspiracy. —DF
48 HRS. (1982)
The N-word gets tossed around pretty freely in this iconic buddy comedy — especially by Nick Nolte, who plays an unrepentantly racist cop. Eddie Murphy also became a star in the scene where he faces down a bar full of rednecks. It’s still funny almost 30 years later? but it’s hard to imagine the scene wouldn’t ignite serious controversy today, especially compared with the PG-13ified humor of later 48 HRS. imitators like Rush Hour.—DF
1
DUMBO (1941)
When Dumbo and Timothy Q. Mouse find themselves up a tree after a pink-elephant bender, they encounter five wisecracking blackbirds, who are clearly African-American caricatures from the period, right down to their flashy dress. The gang’s leader is even named … Jim Crow. You’d hope such crass depictions wouldn’t exist today, but then again, there was Jar Jar Binks. —Jeff Labrecque
2
BLAZING SADDLES (1974)
Mel Brooks’ wild, wild Western might be a four-alarm fire of politically correct outrage if it were made today. Where to begin? The fact that the sheriff is-a-near drives the entire plot? NAACP on line 1. The fact that small-town folk are portrayed as close-minded simpletons? Sarah Palin waiting on line 2. The fact that a Busby Berkeley dance number is dominated by hissing ”sissy Marys”? GLAAD on line 3. And let’s not forget that Mongo punches out a horse. Pretty sure that PETA wouldn’t be too pleased about that. —JL
3
THE BAD NEWS BEARS (1976)
Kids learn to play the national pastime. Huzzah! Girl beats the boys at their own game. Go, girl! Coach passes out drunk in front of his players. Right on? Kid cusses at adults and his teammates, calling them out using a plethora of racial and sexual epithets. Easy, Tanner. Kids are sore losers who celebrate by chugging beers. Totally, completely un-American. (Um, I can’t wait to watch this again.) —JL
4
TAXI DRIVER (1976)
Martin Scorsese’s rage-against-the-machine masterpiece came to life probably in the only period in Hollywood history — the Easy Rider/Raging Bull late 1970s-early 1980s — that it artistically could. Bleak and violent, it also featured a preteen prostitute played by a 12-year-old Jodie Foster. You might not believe it, but there are no Taxi Driver remakes in the works. —JL
5
THE JERK (1979)
Navin Johnson was born a poor black child, singing and dancing on his family’s porch down in Mississippi. Alas, pale-faced Steve Martin played rhythm-challenged Navin, and this hit film didn’t flinch from flirting with racial stereotypes.—JL
6
AIRPLANE! (1980)
Like Mel Brooks, the Zucker brothers mined uncomfortable stereotypes for comic effect, but modern audiences might not appreciate jive-talking African-Americans who require subtitles and African tribesmen who naturally excel at basketball. Moreover, would a pilot (Peter Graves) who likes gladiator movies a little too much be allowed near a young boy in a script today? —JL
7
CADDYSHACK (1980)
Rodney Dangerfield meant no offense when he introduced his soft-spoken golfing partner, but Mr. Wang wasn’t exactly building bridges to the Asian-American community, what with the clichéd portrayal of an Asian tourist who snaps multiple pictures of the parking lot. —JL
8
HISTORY OF THE WORLD — PART I (1981)
Mel Brooks painted man’s evolution with a series of comical vignettes spanning the Stone Age to the French Revolution. The Catholic League might be shaking in anger over the musical number where bathing beauties, dressed like Inquisition-era nuns, emerge from the swimming pool to form a menorah. Oy, the agony! Oy, the shame!—JL
9
SOUL MAN (1986)
”Guess who’s coming to college?” read this film’s movie poster, as if to conjure up goodwill and comparisons to the seminal Sidney Poitier film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Yes, because interracial marriage in 1967 is the same thing as donning blackface and Jheri curls to get into Harvard Law. —JL
10
A FISH CALLED WANDA (1988)
One of the funniest films of the 1980s made a ruthless running joke out of Michael Palin’s character’s paralyzing speech impediment. When he won’t or can’t reveal the secrets to the stolen diamonds, he must either be kissed (by Jamie Lee Curtis) or tortured (by Kevin Kline). But just when you’re feeling really sorry for him, stuttering Ken kills three defenseless lapdogs.—JL
11
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
Gay advocacy organizations threatened to disrupt the 1991 Oscars because they were unhappy with the depiction of homosexuals in Jonathan Demme’s blockbuster thriller, so you can imagine how today’s more-vocal groups would react to a gender-confused killer (Ted Levine) who was kind only to his beloved poodle, Precious. —JL
12
THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998)
The Farrelly brothers have included characters with physical disabilities in many of their films, but Mary introduced a conniving stalker (Lee Evans) whose very handicap — though it turns out to be fake — is played for laughs. Matt Dillon’s character’s treatment of special-needs students also rubbed some the wrong way. —JL
13
SONG OF THE SOUTH (1946)
Disney’s Song of the South may be impossible to see on home video — it’s locked up tight in the Disney vault, protected by steel doors, retinal scanners, and an army of sentient mops — but its influence can still be seen from the Song-inspired Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland to the film’s perennially hummed tune ”Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.” The 1946 live-action/animation hybrid was criticized by the NAACP upon release for its seemingly utopian depiction of the post-slavery South and the minstrel source of Uncle Remus’ stories. While some believe that pretending it never existed runs uncomfortably parallel to the film’s own revisionism, this Song of the South is still very out of tune. —Keith Staskiewicz
14
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S (1961)
When people think of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, they think of Audrey Hepburn in elbow-length gloves, coyly chomping a long, black cigarette holder. But while it gave us Golightly, when it came to portraying Japanese neighbor Mr. Yunioshi, the film went about as lightly as a lead-footed elephant. Played by an over-the-top Mickey Rooney in buck-toothed, supremely offensive yellowface, he is like a dead fly in the orange juice: the one thing that prevents Breakfast from being perfect. —KS
15
GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
The adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s historical romance became the iconic Hollywood classic. But the portrayal of the African-American characters is incredibly troubling. More than a few people have accused the characters of Mammy and Prissy of exemplifying ”Happy Slave” stereotypes. (Prissy especially has some lines that can’t help but make you wince: ”Lawzy, we got to have a doctor. I don’t know nothin’ ’bout birthin’ babies.”) You’ve also got the surprisingly brazen treatment of the nature of the Civil War: According to Wind, the Old South was a paradise unfairly ruined by the war. —Darren Franich
16
KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE (1977)
The first film from Airplane! parodists David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker would probably not get made today for two reasons. First of all, the episodic structure lends itself more to online sketch comedy. But more to the point, the film is relentlessly un-PC — you think parents would stand for Catholic High School Girls in Trouble? —DF
17
EARLY JAMES BOND MOVIES)
The James Bond movies were arguably the first globalized movie franchise, as 007 interacted with every far-flung culture around the (Cold War) world. The flip side of all that multiculturalism is that the early Bonds have a laundry list of offenses. In You Only Live Twice, Sean Connery goes ”undercover” as a Japanese man (a process that basically involves getting his chest hair waxed from skimpily dressed girls). The problems persisted into the Roger Moore era — see Live and Let Die, where pretty much every African-American character is in on the weird gangster/voodoo/island-dictator conspiracy. —DF
18
48 HRS. (1982)
The N-word gets tossed around pretty freely in this iconic buddy comedy — especially by Nick Nolte, who plays an unrepentantly racist cop. Eddie Murphy also became a star in the scene where he faces down a bar full of rednecks. It’s still funny almost 30 years later? but it’s hard to imagine the scene wouldn’t ignite serious controversy today, especially compared with the PG-13ified humor of later 48 HRS. imitators like Rush Hour.—DF
