MovieChat Forums > Mandingo (1975) Discussion > Susan George blacklisted in Hollywood, a...

Susan George blacklisted in Hollywood, after love scene with Ken Norton

posted 19 years ago by chesterrodney
83 replies | jump to latest

It was the 1970's when "Mandingo" came out. Folks were just heeling from the rough 60's. A promising young actress named Susan George was on her way up the Hollywood ladder. She just did a movie called "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry". Then she agreed to do a movie about the old south called "Mandingo". In the film she has a love scene with a black boxer/actor named Ken Norton. She agrees and wants to do the love scene. When the movie was released in the summer of 1975. That love scene between her and Ken Norton shocked alot of white people back then. White men the worst!

Susan George couldn't get another major role in Hollywood after "Mandingo". She was reduced to "B' type movies and made for TV movies after that. Hollywood didn't want to see her in any major films or major acting roles after her love scene with Ken Norton in "Mandingo". Hollywood to this day is scared of showing black love. And they don't want to see a big muscular black man with a white woman! I read later on that this movie was not shown in certain areas of the south back in 1975. Don't know if that is true or not. But I do know this to be true. I was 15 years old when I first saw "Mandingo" at the movies in 1975. And remember hearing acouple people gasp when that love scene was shown.

[–] Suppressive_Person 19 years ago

She chose slutty roles. That's probably why people didn't accept her as an A-lister.

ARRRGG!

[–] chesterrodney 19 years ago

That's probably all Hollywood offered her after she did "Mandingo".

[–] mamamiasweetpeaches 19 years ago

A lot of people have said her performance was "lousy" or "over-the-top" (But then...wasnt the whole movie "over the top???" ) so that may be why.

My husband and I watched MANDINGO for the first time last night and he said "What was all the hoopla?" I said "You have to remember it was made in the 70s. At that time the whole black- white thing was taboo and the scenes were considered very violent." Nowadays everybody is so de-sensitized to sex and violence!

Visit My Website:
LIVING IN THE PAST
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6spdi/index.html

[–] dncndrsn 18 years ago

hi were did u purchase this movie? i would like a copy of it. also i have you seen drums with ken norton /its similar to mandingo

[–] mamamiasweetpeaches 18 years ago

Try eBay. I know he bought a whole lot of black videos at once in a lot from a company called BLAX : He got MANDINGO, its sequel DRUM and a few other ones like COOL BREEZE and stuff like that.

Visit My Website:
LIVING IN THE PAST
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6spdi/index.html

[–] mamamiasweetpeaches 18 years ago

................I just checked and eBay has it. They have a guy selling a lot, I think its the same guy who sold us our lot! he has COONSKIN, ABBEY and a few others, I think ten in all.

There is also people on eBay JUST selling MANDINGO by itself.

Visit My Website:
LIVING IN THE PAST
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6spdi/index.html

[–] joseph1 18 years ago

What about Perry King! Did actor Perry King got blacklist after his hot and steamy love making scene with black slave gal in the film? I am really curious.

[–] chesterrodney 18 years ago

No Perry King did not. He went on to do several movies and TV shows after "Mandingo". Look up his name on imdb and you'll see a list of everything he's done since "Mandingo".

[–] bilsnod 18 years ago

Raquel Welch did a Love scene with Jim Brown and she wasn't blacklisted. People were appalled but she wasn't black listed and this was before Mandingo. There has to be another reason. Maybe she was trouble on the set, or her acting was bad.

[–] ArmandoSerrano 18 years ago

Yeah, but Raquel Welch is part Latin. People are more comfortable seeing a black person kiss someone who has Latin ancestry.

[–] chemiche3 18 years ago

LOL! I think a lot of people consider Raquel to to a white woman even if she is part Latin. There was a huge uproar over the Jim Brown scene, some people wanted to lynch him! Times have certainly changed.

[–] ArmandoSerrano 18 years ago

Yeah, I'm not gonna say people don't consider her white or that there wasn't an uproar, but even today, look at movies like Hitch where they put a black actor and a Latino actress together rather than a white girl and a black guy. (Check out this article: http://www.urbanmecca.com/artman/publish/article_228.shtml) Another thing is that Raquel Welch was a lot more well known and popular than Susan George. She would've been harder to blacklist.

[–] secretive77 18 years ago

I Havn't read the article yet but I agree with you completely. This is seen by "white" audiences to be less of a blow.

But I dont think the "white" latinos appreoiate that fact none to much and neither do I. It shouldn't matter who's kissing who unless it is intrinsic to the storyline and if it is . . .it shouldn't matter to the audience.

Tell me your Secrets !

[–] jinx_malone 15 years ago

you are talking absolute stupidity, the majority of people don't even know that raquel welch is latina.

-------------------------
"It's better not to know so much about what things mean." David Lynch

[–] womackphotokcmo 18 years ago

WTF did she think was gonna happen? I STILL don't wanna see a "muscular" negro make sweet love to a white woman!

"The only person to celebrate Valentines Day the right way was Al Capone!". John Becker, M.D.

[–] chemiche3 18 years ago

bobw-17,

You may not want to see it, but nowadays its a common occurence. Times have changed. It's more open now.

In Mandingo, Blanche sure was enjoying that 'sweet' love....LOL! No question about it.

[–] yatman56 17 years ago

I am sorry, God fogive me, etc...but why doesn't anyone want to have sex with black women?

[–] mjohnso5 18 years ago

Why does it bother you? Jealousy? Or do you just like to keep white women safe from all us scary black men? Boooo.

[–] yatman56 15 years ago

mjohnso5, Do like to keep your black women safe from all us scary white men? I knew a white boy who was dating a black girl. They broke up because her brothers didn't like her dating a white boy. Hmmm, sounds kinda of racist to me.

[–] yalaclaus 14 years ago

lol, that doesn't "sound racist...that is racist.

Remember that a black guy told you so.

[–] secretive77 18 years ago

And muscular black guys make sweet love to white women. Its reality . . .it happens, and movies should reflect what happens . . .get over it!!

Tell me your Secrets !

[–] jg67 18 years ago

" I STILL don't wanna see a "muscular" negro make sweet love to a white woman!"

LOL You sure?

"Cue the sun." - Christof

[–] greendimension 17 years ago

'WTF did she think was gonna happen? I STILL don't wanna see a "muscular" negro make sweet love to a white woman! '

You are not only going to have dreams of it, but you'll get excited.

[–] chesterrodney 18 years ago

Hey Lance, I think I do remember hearing about something like that happening to the actor who played Tom Willis on "The Jeffersons". But I don't have any details on it.

As for Susan George, I never said she was blacklisted from "A" list status in Hollywood. I said she was blacklisted from getting roles in major Hollywood movies. That love scene with Ken Norton caused such an uproar in Hollywood. She was only offered low budget films and made for TV films after "Mandingo". She was no "A" list actress to begin with.

[–] yatman56 17 years ago

That does NOT sound too open-minded or liberal of Hollywood to take that attitude! Don't tell me Hollywood is full of hypocrites!!!!!!!!!!!

[–] chesterrodney 18 years ago

LOL! That is a funny post. That was all the kind of roles she was offered after "Mandingo". I remember reading about it back in the late 70's. She went after roles in major Hollywood films and was always turned down or they told her agent to tell her not to even show up for the part. She had to make a living and make some money. I remember reading in the article that she said some producers even told her to her face, that it was because of her role in "Mandingo" that this is happening to her. I wish I kept that magazine, but it was thrown in the trash after I moved away from home. But that article always stuck in my mind.

[–] chemiche3 18 years ago

Susan George was Typecast just like Adam West when he played Batman, George Reeves who played Superman!

I alwasy warn young actresses be careful in the roles they choose. Imagine being typecast as a slut, because you acted half naked for some money in a B-movie.

[–] chelnov 18 years ago

What i have learned from reading and hearing about Susan George is that in real life she is also a sex crazy person like in this movie. Ok if Ken Norton was black but he was a hunk and from CNDB site i read that Susan was glad to do that scene and Norton had some second thought. They both did sex offscreen to be ready for the scene in this movie, which was Susan's idea.

As far as Interracial sex go i bet this story reflected the true picture of that century and there are 100 percent chance that many White masters Male as well as Female were having affairs with their black servents.

I haven't seen this movie as it is not released in my country but hope to get it from my cousins living in UK.

[–] cwislovesq 18 years ago

Get real, do you really believe that mandingo is a realistic portrayal of the south or of the slave society. It's trash like this that fuels racism and makes young black men angry and disillusioned. This movie is a sick mix of violence and erotica aimed at shock factor, not at realism.If anyone should burn in hell its the writers who purvey this exploitative filth to make a few bucks. If you take this movie seriously maybe you should watch Deliverance, you are sure to be alarmed by the fact that all southerners are just dying to "make you squeal like a pig." It's another informative interpretation of southern culture and history.

[–] Thischarminglad 18 years ago

How would you know whats a real depiction of slavery, most slaves of the time were uneducated and probably went to their graves with tales of horror and depravity unable to transfer to print. As far I can recollect slavery in the Southern States began around the middle of the 17th century, and I would guess espiecially during the early years of slavery the horror and brutality would have been a lot worse than the later years of slavery. Also it is an excepted fact that some slave owners were less brutal with their slaves than others. My opinion on what was depicted in Mandingo, was that the film makers amalgamated the different brutalities and exploitations that were dished out to slaves over the centuries. So I believe that Mandingo had a certain ring of truth to it. I can't believe how any black people were offended, as to me the film depicted the white slave owners as sad pathetic hypocritical bigots. As for the use of the "N" world it is still used today with abandon, it would have been used in the slave years as often as they breathed in.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MariMcCabe 17 years ago

Considering the state of Hollywood right now, there'd be hardly any actors left if we were to blacklist actors and/or crappy movies lol..

I alwasy warn young actresses be careful in the roles they choose. Imagine being typecast as a slut, because you acted half naked for some money in a B-movie.

If only that could be applied to an actor. Can an actor be typecasted because he was naked in a b-movie?

I am sorry, God fogive me, etc...but why doesn't anyone want to have sex with black women?

What do you mean by that question? In real life, or in Hollywood? Well. Someone had to have sex with black women to create black people. lol It seemingly goes unnoticed if there is a black female/white male relations in film, I don't know... and I'm talking about casually, not the main focus of the movie.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] joseph1 18 years ago

Why hollywood made such a fuss at that time with actress Susan George for performing love scene with black man in the movie? What about actor Peter King? Why didn't hollywood made a same fuss than with that handsome,blue eyes blonde white actor Peter King who made passionate love sence with a black actress in the movie "Mandigo"? Please,somebody make me understand all these fusses! Thankx!

[–] tigeralisingh5 18 years ago

lol they weren't Scottish, the film was based in Cornwall