Hidden Figures: Nina Mae McKinney #BlackHERstoryMonth 9/28 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Nina Mae McKinney #BlackHERstoryMonth 9/29

If you enjoy my work, please consider supporting! CashApp: $SerenSensei Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei All Patrons get access to the Discord server! NEW MERCH SHOP: https://the-bheezebake-project.creator-spring.com Nina Mae McKinney (June 12, 1912 – May 3, 1967) was an American actress. Dubbed 'The Black [Greta] Garbo', McKinney was one of the first Black American film stars in the United States, as well as one of the first Black Americans to appear on British television. Nina was born Nannie Mayme McKinney on June 12, 1912 in Lancaster, South Carolina. After the death of her grandmother, Nannie was shuffled between relatives, working for a time as a domestic, teaching herself to dance, and discovering a talent for acting in small productions at the Lancaster Training School. Around 1925, at age 13, she moved to Manhattan to stay with her mother and stepfather, and in mid-1927, began dancing and singing at Harlem speakeasies. She eventually was brought on the ‘Blackbirds of 1928’ theatre review as a chorus girl, now going by the name Nina Mae McKinney. Early October 1928, during Blackbird's last weeks at the Liberty Theatre, a director named King Vidor arrived in New York searching for actors for his upcoming all-Black sound film, "Hallelujah!". After seeing McKinney, he cast her in the film. On December 5, 1928, after the lead, Honey Brown, was injured, 16-year-old McKinney was chosen to replace her as the new star of ‘Hallelujah!’, making her the first Black American woman to lead a major motion picture production. In May 1929, McKinney signed a five-year contract with MGM, making her the first Black American major Hollywood film star. "Hallelujah!" was an immediate success, and secured her place as America's latest Hollywood star. In the fall of 1930, "Allelujah!" opened in Europe with immense crossover success. McKinney worked non-stop for the rest of 1930s, headlining, touring, and filming several movies. Becoming bi-continental due to her success overseas with ‘Allelujah!’ became a top performer in the United States and Europe. Nicknamed ‘The Black Garbo’ for her talent and beauty, she continued her string of immensely successful engagements for several years: headlining at the most popular nightclubs, restaurants, theaters, and cabarets across London, Paris, Prague, Athens, and Budapest. She also hosted BBC radio broadcasts, and even performed on national television, making her the first Black woman to ever appear on British tv. McKinney continued working through 1949, when she starred in the film ‘Pinky,’ which became one of her best known roles. In 1950 she semi-retired from the stage, appearing in only a few shows a year. Fully retiring in 1960, McKinney lived out the rest of her days in New York City. On May 3, 1967, she died of a heart attack at the age of 54 at the Metropolitan Hospital in Manhattan. In 1978, McKinney was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame and, in 2008 she was honored with a U.S. Postal Service stamp highlighting “vintage black cinema.” #NinaMaeMcKinney #HiddenFigures ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren https://www.shophouseof950.com/embroidery-tees/theblackamericans https://www.shophouseof950.com/embroidery-tees/dacs?rq=d.a.c.s Follow me on social media! Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: 'The Glory of Nina Mae McKinney, an Early Black Star in White Hollywood:' https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/10/movies/nina-mae-mckinney.html 'Nina Mae McKinney:' https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/obituaries/nina-mae-mckinney-overlooked.html 'Portraits of Nina Mae McKinney, the First African-American Actress to Hold a Principal Role in a Major Hollywood Film:' https://www.vintag.es/2016/06/nina-mae-mckinney-one-of-first-african.html 'History of The Black Pinup: Nina Mae McKinney:' https://www.coffeerhetoric.com/2013/02/history-of-black-pinup-black-history.html 'Harlem’s Fabulous Nina Mae ‘The Black Garbo’ McKinney 1912 – 1967:' https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com/harlems-fabulous-nina-mae-black-garbo-mckinney-1912-1967-video/ 'Remembering Those We've 'Overlooked:' https://www.ctpublic.org/arts-and-culture/2019-02-12/remembering-those-weve-overlooked Nina Mae McKinney: https://blackhistorynow.com/nina-mae-mckinney/ Black in the British frame - black people in British film and television: https://archive.org/details/blackbritishfram00bour