![]() “Messages against racism were virtually nonexistent in 1940s Hollywood,” Claude Jarman Jr. INTRUDER IN THE DUST was one of four movies dealing with racism released in 1949, but it was still unusual to highlight the issue in American films during this time. In order to be more welcome in the town, Clarence Brown had to charm the people of Oxford, cast some as extras and champion the economic development the picture would bring, according to Brown’s biographer Gwenda Young. Initially, the cast and crew were viewed with skepticism, because of the topic of the film. Hernandez also refused to go into any Oxford businesses that required only Black patrons to remove their hats when they entered. While author William Faulkner coached Puerto Rican-born Hernandez with his southern accent and appreciated his performance, Faulkner did not invite Hernandez to dinner at his home, Rowan Oak, with the rest of the cast and crew. Hernandez stayed with a local undertaker, according to a 1949 New York Times article. Hernandez and the other Black actors had to live in a separate area from the rest of the cast. The racism Lucas experiences onscreen was similar to what Hernandez experienced while making the film. INTRUDER IN THE DUST was filmed on location in segregated Oxford, Mississippi. This was a departure for Brown from the ultra-glamourous, glittering films that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was known for. According to producer Dore Schary’s autobiography, Mayer felt that Hernandez’s character was “too uppity.” Mayer also complained that “He ought to take off his hat when he talks to a white man” and “he didn’t even say thank you to the lawyer.” Mayer wasn’t keen on veteran director Clarence Brown’s project, but Schary championed it. White characters in INTRUDER IN THE DUST view Lucas as haughty, and MGM studio heads felt similarly about the character. He becomes a focal point for them, because he’s a Black man who will not play the role of one of their subservient figures.” He has so much pride that he doesn’t care to prove anything to the whites in his community. The character is proud and there is a kind of defiance he has. Reluctant to take the case, John says, “Has it ever occurred to you if you just said ‘mister’ to white people and said it like you meant it, you might not be sitting here now?” Lucas replies from his jail cell, “So I’m to commence now? I can start off by saying ‘mister’ to the folks that drags me out of here and builds a fire under me?”ĭuring an interview with Robert Osborne, Bogle said, “It is a highly distinctive character. But Lucas also asks Chick to help him and to convince his uncle John (David Brian) to act as his lawyer. He initially angers Chick because Lucas treats him like an equal. Lucas is proud and won’t act subservient. ![]() Historian Donald Bogle calls Hernandez’s Lucas “one of the strongest Black male characters you will see in Hollywood movies, up to that time.” As the confident Lucas, Hernandez walks proudly through the town wearing a long dark coat, black hat and toothpick hanging from his mouth. Released by MGM, INTRUDER IN THE DUST is a captivating film disguised as a whodunit crime drama, and it explores racism in a small town. Chick, his friend Aleck and elderly Miss Eunice Habersham help discover what really happened. Lucas says Chick is still uncluttered of the notions older white men have. Lucas looks to a white teenager, Chick Mallison, played by Claude Jarman Jr., for help. ![]() Hernandez plays Lucas Beauchamp, a Black man accused of shooting a white man in the back in a small southern town. INTRUDER IN THE DUST is a film adaptation of William Faulkner’s 1948 novel. INTRUDER IN THE DUST was his first film in nine years. From 1932 to 1940, Hernandez starred in four race films, some of which were directed by Oscar Micheaux. In the 1930s, Hernandez primarily starred in “race films” produced between 1914 and the 1950s outside of major Hollywood studios and starring all-Black casts for segregated audiences. Hernandez’s first credited film role came in 1932, but it was in 1949 when he had his breakout role with INTRUDER IN THE DUST, his first film with a major Hollywood studio. “Once you see him, you never forget him.” “He also has one of the great faces ever in films,” said the late Robert Osborne, former Turner Classic Movies host and historian. The Afro-Puerto Rican actor has a commanding presence, and the characters he portrayed are memorable long after the film ends. When Juano Hernandez is on screen, your eyes are on him.
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