Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Barack Obama, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner will always be one of my favorite movies…if not THE favorite. For the young folk who haven’t seen it, it’s an absolute must, no exaggeration. There is a timeless quality about the film which transcends generations or culture. The specifics of eras may change, but the inherent tussle of one generation fighting to hold on to the status quo, while the up-and-comers fight to advance it, does not.
In Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Sidney Poitier plays a doctor who decides to marry a White woman after a whirlwind romance in Hawaii. (Coincidentally, Hawaii is the birthplace of President Obama. His parents met at the University of Hawaii in 1960.) During the film, both sets of elders try to talk “sense” into the minds of their children, hell-bent on marriage…conceivably in a world that likely would reject their union and their children.
To which, Sidney Poitier tells actor and future “father-in-law” Spencer Tracy that one day their children would all grow up to be president of the United States and have “colorful administrations.”
The movie was released in 1967; groundbreaking and a landmark in American cinema. Even considered scandalous by many accounts.
Forty-two years later…in astoundingly prophetic form, Poitier’s words are proven true. I can think of no better way to contextualize the significance of this moment in American history than by posting this clip. If you take your time and really digest its content, I suspect you will find yourself, your parents and/or your grandparents in this vignette.
What a wonderful Tuesday this shall be…guess who’s coming to the Inauguration Dinner…
The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published weekly at www.eurweb.com. It is meant to inform, infuse and incite meaningful discourse…as well as entertain. The Mo’Kelly Report is syndicated by Newstex and Blogburst. For more Mo’Kelly, http://mokellyreport.wordpress.com.
Morris W. O’Kelly can be reached at mokellyreport@sbcglobal.net and he welcomes all commentary.
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Mister Mo Kelly,
Thanks for this timely post. One of my favorite movies too, particularly because I am guilty of miscegenation myself (lol). It’s a great day to be alive. As always, I appreciate your writing and comments. Perhaps we can team up again in the future? Keep up the good work sire.
Comment by Sepehr Vakil 01.21.2009 @ 3:52 PM