# Other Cringeworthy Blackface/Yellowface/Etc. movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [June 23, 2026, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135 "2026-06-23T15:04:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/201 "2026-07-01T15:01:33Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > (Khan Noonien Singh to be complete.) Probably not related to Dr. Noonien Soong, the inventor of Data (and Lore). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/202 "2026-07-01T15:05:12Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Probably not related to Dr. Noonien Soong, the inventor of Data (and Lore). But which just caused more fan speculation, of course. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > The character’s name is Khan, not Kahn. (Khan Noonien Singh to be complete.) I feel compelled to share this picture: [![](https://preview.redd.it/the-wrath-of-madeline-khan-v0-5l81tlqscguc1.jpeg?auto=webp&s=fff44b33e7b7e156f1a67b0c08a66b5b52e763d8) ](https://preview.redd.it/the-wrath-of-madeline-khan-v0-5l81tlqscguc1.jpeg?auto=webp&s=fff44b33e7b7e156f1a67b0c08a66b5b52e763d8) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/203 "2026-07-01T15:05:19Z")
You just _know_ that’s going to be some alternate reality someone’s going to explore/-ploit in a future series. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/204 "2026-07-01T15:05:43Z")
The relationship is that both are named for the same person, a friend of Gene Roddenberry. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/205 "2026-07-01T15:07:25Z")
Oh, _ **wrath** _ me, Maddy! 🎶 Sweet mystery of life… .🎵 ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/206 "2026-07-01T15:08:05Z")
I love that. At least her chest wasn’t a prosthetic. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/207 "2026-07-01T16:30:28Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > At least her chest wasn’t a prosthetic. Neither was Ricardo’s! > **['Star Trek: Wrath of Khan' director: Quit asking if Ricardo Montalban's chest...](https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2017/09/10/ricardo-montalbans-chest-real-or-fake-star-trek-wrath-of-khan/603958001/)** > > 'Wrath of Khan' director Nicholas Meyer is tired of being asked if his star's fantastic chest was real or 'Fantasy Island' fake. Here's the answer. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/208 "2026-07-01T16:32:55Z")
Whereas Dr. Seuss gave us General Genghis Kahn Schmitz. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/209 "2026-07-01T16:35:35Z")
There’s no other Kahn than the Titan! [![](https://cdn.prod.www.spiegel.de/images/044ad2b1-0001-0004-0000-000001503768_w798_r1.33_fpx64.19_fpy50.jpg) ](https://cdn.prod.www.spiegel.de/images/044ad2b1-0001-0004-0000-000001503768_w798_r1.33_fpx64.19_fpy50.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/210 "2026-07-01T16:39:03Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > But it should be noted that white people have a very poor track record of knowing what other races might consider disparaging. This is really at the heart of the ‘offensive/not offensive’ issue. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/211 "2026-07-01T16:40:11Z")
Khan, as in Genghis Khan, is a ruler or chief. Kahn = Cohen (Jewish priest), and is also a German name. So at least 2 or 3 similar names. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/212 "2026-07-01T16:41:56Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Kahn = Cohen (Jewish priest), and is also a German name. So at least 2 or 3 similar names. “Kahn” also means boat or barge in German. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/213 "2026-07-01T22:15:43Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Probably not related to Dr. Noonien Soong, the inventor of Data (and Lore). [Unlikely…they spell and pronounce their names differently!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfxN28kyZY) ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/214 "2026-07-02T16:45:50Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > also Charlton Heston as a Mexican (with brown face and fake mustache) in “Touch Of Evil” I just happened to run across this documentary about Touch of Evil on YouTube, and there are a few comments from Heston about how the character was presented. Not intended to justify anything, just more information (for example, he says he grew the mustache and dyed it to match his dyed hair, and that his make up was “at touch of olive”). There is also stuff about the character himself that we (I think) don’t get in the movie. The relevant part starts at 3:15. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/gBC3HClXelU/maxresdefault.jpg "Behind the Scenes: Touch of Evil (Welles, 1958) with Charlton Heston and Orson Welles") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBC3HClXelU) ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/215 "2026-07-04T03:08:55Z")
I just came across an old performance of Martha Raye in blackface, but what’s so wild about it is a special effect they used that I’ve never seen before. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/14tHkZhFVS4/hqdefault.jpg "Martha Raye sings in blackface in College Holiday (1936)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14tHkZhFVS4) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/216 "2026-07-04T11:59:36Z")
It’s some kind of makeup/lighting effect. The black face shows up under certain colors of light. The same effect was used in **Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde** on Fredric March; as the light was faded in/out, the makeup became more prominent and Hyde appeared. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/217 "2026-07-04T12:51:20Z")
A similar effect went viral a few years ago in a clip from a mostly forgotten mystery-comedy called _Sh! The Octopus_, from 1937, featuring actress Elspeth Dudgeon transforming from a sweet old lady to a horrific monster. What’s interesting about the Martha Raye clip is that it actually shows the guy switching the filters on the light. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/218 "2026-07-04T12:51:37Z")
For whatever reason, YouTube’s algorithm suggests episodes of _[Jeeves and Wooster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeeves_and_Wooster)_ to me. This is a British programme that aired between 1990-93, starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, and adapted some of P.G. Woodhouse’s Jeeves stories. The one I saw last night was called _[Kidnapped!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapped!_(Jeeves_and_Wooster))_ (though it’s also called The Mysterious Stranger) and featured a group of Bertie’s friends as a blackface minstrel show. Hugh Laurie even wears blackface at one point. The episode aired 35 years ago; I would have thought it was unacceptable even then. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/219 "2026-07-04T12:51:39Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > It’s some kind of makeup/lighting effect. The black face shows up under certain colors of light. The same effect was used in **Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde** on Fredric March; as the light was faded in/out, the makeup became more prominent and Hyde appeared. Yes. It only works in black and white films. You use contrasting colors – makeup that’s green, say, when illuminated with green light is effectively invisible. But illuminate it with red light and it becomes dark. The clip above shows a lighting engineer rotating a color wheel to turn Raye from black to white. The trick wasn’t realy quite that simple – you have to make sure that the illumination in both colors remains constant, even while you’re changingcolors. The effect was used in the 1924 _Thief of Bagdad_ and in an episode of the original _The Twilight Zone (“Long Live WAlter Jameson”)_, and in a lot of examples that have shown up on this Board over the years. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135/220 "2026-07-04T14:04:41Z")
It’s worth noting that the laugh-a-minute theme of that comedy with Martha Raye was…_eugenics_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-cringeworthy-blackface-yellowface-etc-movies/1031135.md?page=12)