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The Men of the Tenth Inc.
August 2012
“There Were Black Actresses Before Halle Berry” Nina Mae McKinney was the
Thus, she emerged as the first
that of both woman and girl,
first Black female motion picture
recognized Black actress of the
struggling between impulse and
star. She was born Nannie
silver screen. The energetic
self-discipline with an
Mayme McKinney in 1913 in
leading lady was an overnight
uncontrolled raunchiness. Metro
Lancaster, South Carolina. Her
sensation. As the tempting
Goldwyn Mayer signed her to a
family moved to New York and,
vamp, a role purportedly written
then unprecedented five-year
when she was only seventeen,
for Blackbirds’ star, Ethel
contact.
she appeared on Broadway in
Waters, she became the motion
the Lew Leslie musical review,
picture industry’s first Black love
Blackbirds of 1928. Kind Vidor,
goddess.
a motion picture producer, saw a performance and offered her the principal role of “Chick” in his motion picture, Hallelujah.
Although it was said that she was “one of the most beautiful women of her time,” and that
Nina Mae received rave reviews
she was “one of the greatest
for her performance. She
discoveries of the age,” her
became the epitome of exotic
success was short lived. MGM
sex object. Her creation was
failed to develop properties for