Exits and Entrances

While Every Step a Struggle recalled the performers who fought to give black artists a voice and a presence in film and on stage, this new groundbreaking book focuses on the personalities who replaced the pioneers and refused to abide by Jim Crow traditions. Presented against a detailed background of the revolutionary post-World War II era up to the mid-1970s, the individual views of Mae Mercer, Brock Peters, Jim Brown, Ivan Dixon, James Whitmore, William Marshall, and Ruby Dee in heretofore, unpublished conversations, from the past, reveal just how, tumultuous and extraordinary the technological, political, and social changes, were for the artists and the film industry. Using extensive documentation, hundreds of films, and fascinating private recollections, Dr. Manchel puts a human face both on popular culture and race relations.