Sacheen Littlefeather gets apology 50 years later

[Daehawk]

This also diminishes my respect for John Wayne. I never knew this story. How horrible we were and and still are.

Academy Apologizes to Sacheen Littlefeather Nearly 50 Years After Infamous Oscars Incident

The Academy has apologized to Sacheen Littlefeather after an incident at the 1973 Oscars, which happened nearly 50 years ago. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 75-year-old Native American actress has been invited to an evening of reflection at the Academy Museum… and has been offered an official apology.

“I was stunned,” she said. “I never thought I’d live to see the day I would be hearing this, experiencing this. When I was at the podium in 1973, I stood there alone.”

The 1973 Oscars saw Littlefeather, then 26 years old, take to the stage in order to decline the award for Best Actor on behalf of Marlon Brando.

What she experienced that night included boos, mock ululations, and offensive gestures off-stage. She was threatened with arrest and even physical assault.

Now, the Academy has decided to set things right.

“[Brando] very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award,” said Littlefeather in an improvised speech that night. “And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry [the audience begins to boo] — excuse me — and on television in movie reruns, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee.”

She was given two instructions – the first, from Brando, not to touch the statuette.

The second, from Oscars producer Howard Koch, to not run over 60 seconds in her speech, or she would be arrested by security he ensured were on hand.

And following her 60-second plea for justice, she was booed, jeered, and even threatened by John Wayne, who she claims had to be restrained to stop him from storming the stage to assault her.

Downright shameful. And America is doing it's best to turn back and embrace those times .Yuck.

[McNutt]

This is actually lower on the list of reasons to have diminished respect for John Wayne. I'm a huge fan of Wayne as an actor. HUGE. But you have to look beyond a whole lot of old-white-guy ultra patriotic, racist mentality.

[LawBeefaroni]

Glad they're doing that for her but it's about 50 years late.

[Isgrimnur]

This is actually lower on the list of reasons to have diminished respect for John Wayne. I'm a huge fan of Wayne as an actor. HUGE. But you have to look beyond a whole lot of old-white-guy ultra patriotic, racist mentality.

You mean Marion Morrison?

Wayne was married three times and divorced twice. His three wives included one of Spanish American descent, Josephine Alicia Saenz, and two from Latin America, Esperanza Baur and Pilar Pallete.

Doesn't mean he still wasn't racist, of course.

[Blackhawk]

He was pretty openly racist and homophobic. Look up his Playboy interview from the 70s.

I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.

[Jaymann]

Hey, at least he believed in education! Effing cunt. But Sacheen is absolutely beautiful, physically, mentally and spiritually.

[Daehawk]

Extremely beautiful. Wow is what I said when I saw her pic. The 70s were cool.

[Isgrimnur]

[Scuzz]

This is actually lower on the list of reasons to have diminished respect for John Wayne. I'm a huge fan of Wayne as an actor. HUGE. But you have to look beyond a whole lot of old-white-guy ultra patriotic, racist mentality.

Yea, the more you read about John Wayne the less likable he is.

While there was no excuse for the way she was treated I also have to say I really dislike it when entertainment events are used for a political statements. It's not like anyone listens or cares.

[dbt1949]

I was a conservative back in those days and I found the whole incident rather distasteful. As there was no internet back then and I was in the service I never heard anything more about it.
I did not think the 70s were "cool".

[Daehawk]

This is actually lower on the list of reasons to have diminished respect for John Wayne. I'm a huge fan of Wayne as an actor. HUGE. But you have to look beyond a whole lot of old-white-guy ultra patriotic, racist mentality.

Yea, the more you read about John Wayne the less likable he is.

While there was no excuse for the way she was treated I also have to say I really dislike it when entertainment events are used for a political statements. It's not like anyone listens or cares.

Its not like you had any other chances as big to say something and be heard from your small voices that were held down by foot.

[Holman]

Her action was part of an important shift in how media culture treated Native Americans, whose voices were almost completely marginalized (and remain relatively so even today). LITTLE BIG MAN had come out just a couple of years earlier, and the first Native American novelists to reach a wider audience were still a few years away.

I don't mean this in terms of a general trend towards (what obnoxious critics would eventually come to call) "woke culture." African-Americans, for example, had already achieved cultural footholds in art and media from which to make critical statements. Natives, meanwhile, were still nearly invisible.

For all his obnoxious flaws, Brando lent his cultural capital to something important here.

[Daehawk]

When I was younger I took Brando as some weird guy with mental problems. But though he did suffer mental illness later in life I believe he was a damn smart and ahead thinking smart guy when he was young who wasn't afraid of the establishment.

[Blackhawk]

And yet it would be years before they started casting natives in most native roles (see also: Iron Eyes Cody.)

[Isgrimnur]

I don't mean this in terms of a general trend towards (what obnoxious critics would eventually come to call) "woke culture." African-Americans, for example, had already achieved cultural footholds in art and media from which to make critical statements. Natives, meanwhile, were still nearly invisible.

For all his obnoxious flaws, Brando lent his cultural capital to something important here.

The video I posted covers that in his interview.

[Holman]

The video I posted covers that in his interview.

Apologies. I hadn't watched that yet, and I've always been a big Dick Cavett fan.

It's really a shame that podcasts weren't yet available to him. Total creative control on his part would have been something amazing.

[Isgrimnur]

No worries. I know video clicks can be a pass for a lot of people, but when you mentioned something covered in it, I figured it would be a good time to point it out.

[McNutt]

Just in time it seems.
She just passed away at 75.

[Daehawk]

Awww. Sounds like cancer really gave her hell over her life. Im sorry to hear it. RIP.

[El Guapo]

Just in time it seems.
She just passed away at 75.

This has to be connected to the time of the apology, right? Guessing that someone passed word to the Academy, and the decision was made to make the apology rather than have a newscycle about her without an apology being out there.

[malchior]

Just in time it seems.
She just passed away at 75.

This has to be connected to the time of the apology, right? Guessing that someone passed word to the Academy, and the decision was made to make the apology rather than have a newscycle about her without an apology being out there.

This was my read as well.

[Alefroth]

Anyone know if the family have ever made these claims before?

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/o ... say-family

Sacheen Littlefeather, the activist who famously stood in for Marlon Brando to refuse the best actor Oscar in 1973, faked Native American ancestry, her family have said.

[Unagi]

I hate to say that I believe it.

[Alefroth]

There doesn't seem to be much evidence in Littlefeather's favor.

[Unagi]

I’m no expert, but she never really looked like a Native American to my eye. But I’m sure there are those that are that may also not look it to my eye. Hollywood “India”? yeah, sure.

[Daehawk]

What does it matter? People claim to be things they aren't all the time. Maybe she just loved the American Indians and wanted to be one so she was to her. I dont care.

[Unagi]

What does it matter? People claim to be things they aren't all the time. Maybe she just loved the American Indians and wanted to be one so she was to her. I dont care.

Well, dude. I mean I don’t know if you are following closely, but like the whole point of her going up there was Marlon Brando thought it was really important for a real Native American‘s voice be heard.

So. The message is still totally valid, but “the moment” is certainly a bit diminished, wouldn’t you say?

And who cares what you think? Or what I think?
I hand this one over to actual Native American’s to pass judgement on, and I support how ever they feel about it.

[LawBeefaroni]

Either way, it doesn't absolve the Academy or anyone that boo'd her because they believed she was Native American.

[gilraen]

I'd take this whole thing with a grain of salt, on both sides. There are also plenty of op-eds and tweets from other Native American activists and publications pointing out that Jacqueline Keeler is a problematic source, to say the least.

Also...

Spoiler:

In addition to what others have said about Keeler, this article (an opinion piece for the record) claims that this discovery was made by interviewing the sisters. One of the sisters has posted a week ago that she found out *from* Keeler. This seems ludicrously shoddy.

Either way, it doesn't absolve the Academy or anyone that boo'd her because they believed she was Native American.

And also this.

[El Guapo]

If she's obviously not native, how did this not come up until now? Or did it and just no one paid any attention to it?

[Daehawk]

Sounds like someone wants attention and some money and fame.

[Unagi]

Sounds like someone wants attention and some money and fame.

But who cares

[LawBeefaroni]

Sounds like someone wants attention and some money and fame.

But who cares

Everyone screaming "Gotcha!" and then everyone who doesn't want to be gotcha'd.

[Unagi]

I’m not sure ‘who’ we are talking about now. I was addressing the comment Daehawk made, about people after fame and money. I’m not sure who he’s taking about.

[dbt1949]

It is rather a surprise. Reminds of that NAACP officer who turned out to be white.