Comedies with slavery

Cafe Society
1

I was just reminded by a thread about horses about one of my favorite comic action westerns – The Scalphunters, with Burt Lancaster as a fur trapper who is forced to trade all his pelts for a black man played by Ossie Davis. Burt plans to sell Ossie off after, of course, Ossie helps him get his pelts back. Ossie is no fool and asks what’s in it for him …

But it struck me that humor and slavery are a kinda rough fit. I can’t think of many comedies with funny masters and slaves running around. In fact, the only other one that comes immediately to mind is A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum. I suppose you could count I Dream of Jeanie because she seems to consider herself Major Nelson’s slave.

But I’m sure I’m missing tons of them. Name me some and tell me something about them.

2

Blazing Saddles?

3

Set after slavery was abolished in the US. The line where the redneck says “When you was slaves, y’all sang like birds” clearly indicates past tense.

4

Skin Game

5

Are you counting comedies that were written and performed back when slavery was still socially acceptable? Greek comedies like Aristophanes’ Frogs, Roman comedies like Plautus’ Pseudolus, not to mention 19th-century American works?

6

For ancient Egyptian slavery comedy, there’s A Rugrats Passover, or the “Lisa’s Dream” segment of Simpsons Bible Stories.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia did a 1776-set episode called “The Gang Cracks the Liberty Bell” where Kaitlin Olson plays a “slave-witch.”

7

I remember that movie! Very enjoyable, and I’ve always been a big fan of James Garner.

8

Not really, I was thinking about things written since slavery ended, but WTF, the more the merrier! Just like slaves! :wink:

9

:confused:

I thought Pseudolus was one of the characters (the wily slave, that is) in Miles Gloriosus.

(checks wikipedia)

Huh, that was Palaestrio. Okay, I nominate Miles Gloriosus, also by Plautus.

10

There was Roman Scandals, with Eddie Cantor. I’m stuck for one set in the American South, though–excluding moments of slapstick or comic relief in dramatic movies.

11

Never mind me, I was just going to mention Forum.

12

Hattie McDaniel’s role as “Mammy” in “Gone With the Wind” was comedic. Yeah, the movie wasn’t a comedy…but the role and the performance were (to some degree, anyway.)

13

I remember a Little Rascals feature or short that took place during the civil war.

14

There was an episode of the Chappelle Show where he went back in time and confronted a slaveowner. And Django Unchained wasn’t a comedy, but it had some humor.

15

The Comedy of Errors

16

Carry On Cleo. Roman-time slavery.

I guess you could include Monty Python’s Meaning of Life for the galley slave scene at the start.

17

Though Monty Python’s Life of Brian is set in the Roman Empire, where 30 to 40% of the population were slaves, I can’t think of any speaking characters in the film who are slaves. I think the only slavery reference is when Brian’s mother Mandy mentions how his father, a centurion, promised to take her to Rome where she would have “a house by the forums, slaves, asses’ milk, [and] as much gold as I could eat”.

18

Year One (Though this may not be what you are looking for because 1. it doesn’t take itself seriously and 2. it’s not very funny)

“When do you get off?”

“Never. I’m a slave.”

19

Up Pompeii was a UK comedy series set in Roman times with a slave (Frankie Howard) as narrator/hero. It had a spin off film. Lots of double, indeed, single, entendres.

20

Mel Brooks’ History of the World: Part I.