Thanks to so-called political correctness, books/films/television shows once deemed acceptable have been idiotically re-branded 'casual racism from less enlightened times'. One such film is 'Watermelon Man'. This satirical farce was given two showings on B.B.C.-2 in the '70's, but none ( as far as I can ascertain ) since then. It is available on D.V.D. only in the States which is a shame as it is in my view one of the funniest films ever made.
The late Godfrey Cambridge is 'Jeff Gerber', an insurance agent, also a bigot and a fitness freak. He lives in a suburban neighbourhood with liberal wife Althea ( Estelle Parsons, so good in 'Bonnie & Clyde' ). He thinks of himself as a joker but colleagues and neighbours regard him as a pain. Each morning, he races the bus to work ( often beating it ). His son complains that his school friends have nicknamed him 'Son Of Speedy'! One night, Jeff goes to the toilet, only to find that his skin has changed colour. He is now a black man! No explanation is given for this peculiar turn of events. Jeff thinks it could be down to overuse of the sun lamp. When a delivery man calls with a new sun lamp, Jeff becomes angry and attacks him. Whatever the reason, he now has to adjust to a new way of life, becoming in effect the focus of his own bigotry. When he next chases the bus, the police think he is a thief. He receives abusive phone calls, he is fired from his job and neighbours pay him to move out of the area.
Herman Raucher's script is a bit 'one joke' to be honest, but the frantic exchanges as Jeff and Althea struggle to come to terms with the bizarre 'Twilight Zone'-style situation work better than the so-called satirical scenes in Jeff's workplace. Although he is shunned by his colleagues, there are compensations, such as him bedding a secretary ( Kay Kimberly ) with a penchant for black men ( and previously had wanted nothing to do with him ).
What makes the film a treat is Cambridge himself, who died incredibly young ( only 43 ) in 1976. As a comedian, he is easily the equal of Richard Pryor, and is brilliant as both the white and black versions of his character. Director Melvin Van Peebles originally intended to have a white man such as Alan Arkin or Jack Lemmon play 'Jeff' before realising - rightly in my view - that a black man would work better. Cambridge plays the first half of the film in white make-up, but when Jeff becomes black reverts to his natural colour. My favourite moment is when he loses his temper after all the skin creams and face packs he has bought fail to reverse his condition. "No wonder Negroes riot!", he bellows.
Van Peebles altered Raucher's ending ( Jeff was to wake up and find he dreamt the whole thing ) so that Jeff instead uses the money he got for his house to set up his own insurance company. If you get a chance to see 'Watermelon Man', do so. To enjoy it though you will need an open mind. It ridicules racism far more effectively than Sacha Baron Cohen's massively overpraised 'Borat'.
The late Godfrey Cambridge is 'Jeff Gerber', an insurance agent, also a bigot and a fitness freak. He lives in a suburban neighbourhood with liberal wife Althea ( Estelle Parsons, so good in 'Bonnie & Clyde' ). He thinks of himself as a joker but colleagues and neighbours regard him as a pain. Each morning, he races the bus to work ( often beating it ). His son complains that his school friends have nicknamed him 'Son Of Speedy'! One night, Jeff goes to the toilet, only to find that his skin has changed colour. He is now a black man! No explanation is given for this peculiar turn of events. Jeff thinks it could be down to overuse of the sun lamp. When a delivery man calls with a new sun lamp, Jeff becomes angry and attacks him. Whatever the reason, he now has to adjust to a new way of life, becoming in effect the focus of his own bigotry. When he next chases the bus, the police think he is a thief. He receives abusive phone calls, he is fired from his job and neighbours pay him to move out of the area.
Herman Raucher's script is a bit 'one joke' to be honest, but the frantic exchanges as Jeff and Althea struggle to come to terms with the bizarre 'Twilight Zone'-style situation work better than the so-called satirical scenes in Jeff's workplace. Although he is shunned by his colleagues, there are compensations, such as him bedding a secretary ( Kay Kimberly ) with a penchant for black men ( and previously had wanted nothing to do with him ).
What makes the film a treat is Cambridge himself, who died incredibly young ( only 43 ) in 1976. As a comedian, he is easily the equal of Richard Pryor, and is brilliant as both the white and black versions of his character. Director Melvin Van Peebles originally intended to have a white man such as Alan Arkin or Jack Lemmon play 'Jeff' before realising - rightly in my view - that a black man would work better. Cambridge plays the first half of the film in white make-up, but when Jeff becomes black reverts to his natural colour. My favourite moment is when he loses his temper after all the skin creams and face packs he has bought fail to reverse his condition. "No wonder Negroes riot!", he bellows.
Van Peebles altered Raucher's ending ( Jeff was to wake up and find he dreamt the whole thing ) so that Jeff instead uses the money he got for his house to set up his own insurance company. If you get a chance to see 'Watermelon Man', do so. To enjoy it though you will need an open mind. It ridicules racism far more effectively than Sacha Baron Cohen's massively overpraised 'Borat'.