The Framing of the Shrew
The Framing of the Shrew is a 1929 American comedy film. It features an African American cast. It was produced by Al Christie and the story was by Octavus Roy Cohen.[1][2] It was directed by Arvid E. Gillstrom. The plot depicts a husband who gets the upper hand on his wife using various tactics.[3]
Framing of the Shrew was one in a series of films made from Cohen's stories featuring the same characters portrayed by established African American actors and vaudeville performers.[4]
Synopsis[edit]
Privacy Robson decides that he must be free of his wife, Clarry, as she has been pushing for him to find a job. His friend Florian Slappey advises him to go on a hunger strike to get even with her. Privacy takes this advice, however he is unable to resist sneaking some of his wife's cooking even after declining to eat supper. In the end Privacy wins out and is able to continue his daily routine.
Cast[edit]
- Evelyn Preer as Clarry Robson
- Edward Thompson as Privacy Robson
- Charles Olden as Florian Slappey
- Spencer Williams as Lawyer Evans Chew
- Roberta Hyson as Mallissie Cheese
Reception[edit]
In his book The First Hollywood Sound Shorts, 1926-1931, Edwin M. Bradley noted that the film "plays more overtly to the white vision of the shiftless black male".[5]
Further reading[edit]
- Araújo, Sofia de Melo (January 1, 2012), Carvalho Homem, Rui (ed.), "The Framing of the Shrew: How the Lens Looks upon William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew", Relational Designs in Literature and the Arts, Brill | Rodopi, pp. 57–69, doi:10.1163/9789401208567_007, ISBN 978-94-012-0856-7, retrieved October 16, 2020
References[edit]
- ^ Drew, Bernard A. (April 2, 2015). Black Stereotypes in Popular Series Fiction, 1851-1955: Jim Crow Era Authors and Their Characters. McFarland. pp. 136–137. ISBN 978-1-4766-1610-0.
- ^ Exhibitors Herald World. Quigley Publishing Company. 1929. pp. 29, 34.
- ^ "The Framing of the Shrew (1929)". www.cinematerial.com.
- ^ Crafton, Donald (November 22, 1999). The Talkies: American Cinema's Transition to Sound, 1926-1931. ISBN 9780520221284.
- ^ Bradley, Edwin M. (June 14, 2015). The First Hollywood Sound Shorts, 1926-1931. McFarland. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-4766-0684-2.