Posted on 05/21/2005 9:15:41 PM PDT by Rastus
GLENELG, Md. - A black Huck Finn and a white Jim might be OK for a high school production of Mark Twain's classic tale but those performances had to be edited out of a C-Span talent show after the copyright holder objected to the cross-casting.
Jay Frisby, a black student who played Huck, and Nick Lehan, a white student who played Jim, taped their performance of the song "Muddy Water" for "Close Up," a weekly show that highlights high school excellence.
When the program aired Friday, the two Glenelg Country School seniors were introduced, but viewers were told that "Close Up" could not show their performance because of "copyright restrictions."
Lehan and Frisby had played the roles of Jim and Huck in the school's production of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" without complaint. But when the show's executive producer asked for the right to air the students' performance, permission was denied.
Bert Fink, a spokesman for R&H Theatricals the Rodgers & Hammerstein organization, which holds the license to the play said his organization is not against cross-casting in general.
"But when you're dealing with a theatrical work and race or ethnicity is a key factor, many authors or playwrights feel strongly that ethnicity has to be reflected in the actors who portray the characters," he said.
"In the books, Jim is a runaway slave. He is clearly in the novel an African-American man. And Huck is a free white man that is central to the story. To ignore that component or to comment on it by switching is not faithful to the story."
Frisby's father, Washington attorney Russell Frisby, said he was appalled by the decision.
"The only rationale for it is that someone in New York believes Huck Finn can't be played by an African-American. I thought we were past the days of 'whites only' clauses," the elder Frisby said.
Telly Savalas as Kojak
Ving Rhames as Kojak
"Who loves ya, baby?"
Didn't Jim Nabors already do Porgy?
What disney manipulates the system to extend forever is the copyright on 'Steamboat Willie' the first Mickey film.
too bad there isn't some purist who owns shakespeare copyrights.
then we'd be spared seeing "hip" and "modern" interpretations of his plays with female julius caesers, gay romeo and julius, macbeth set in the board room of a fortune 500 company, albino midget othellos etc. (well I've never seen any productions like this, but they're not far off from what "clever" people have done.
so is jim going to be refered to as white n**ger jim in the play or will they just airbrush that whole aspect of the story out to make it more palitable for the pc masses? I would have denied them the rights too just for being pc weenies
OK, thanks for the clarification.
I heard about that. Is that unreal or what? I also heard the melody is from an old German folk song, but even if it isn`t, you can tell the thing is over 200 years old just by listening to formal waltz music from the 1700`s. But noooooooo, just because some idiot claims he or she wrote it, and I bet you that copyright claim was made in the early 1900`s, let`s give the next 9 gazillion generations of his family money if you want to sell Happy birthday stuff that plays it.
"White trash Jim".
Was it Othello?
Just because they have a copyright, he can't be appalled, or think they are idiots? I never knew copyright meant you weren't entitled to your own opinon.
They made a good story into a cartoonish waste of celluloid.
I don't think it has been more than 90 days ago..
And don't get me started on Disney's abuse of copyright law and plagiarism, like "The Lion King".. and others...
No, don't get me started..
Two words: Karaoke
LOL!
Damn, and I was just about to bust out with my sick vocals!
I agree!
It seems strange that patents still have a term of 28 years (IIRC), but copyrights have almost become perpetual. I think a non-renewable term of 20 to thirty years for both seems fair.
Why is "Happy Birthday to You" (copyright) worthy of more protection than a life-saving medicine (patent)?
As a sidebar, I really hate the term "intellectual property". Patents and copyrights are temporary monopoly privileges granted by governments.
Haven't see the new Kojak, but from the descriptions here it sounds like I haven't missed anything. Kojak without Telly Savalas sounds like Bozo the Clown starring Howard Dean.... wait a minute!!
"I think a non-renewable term of 20 to thirty years for both seems fair."
Yeah, and one thing I neglected to mention in my previous note is that the Constitution specifically refers to authors and inventors. It doesn't say anything about corporations that had nothing to do with the act of creation.
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