Texas Times Weekly - A History-Making Showstopper From Texas

Op-Ed

Texas Times Weekly - A History-Making Showstopper From Texas

By: Sen. John Cornyn

The Hollywood career of singer-entertainer Etta Moten consisted of only two on-screen roles, but that was enough for the native Texan to make a dramatic breakthrough for African-American actors and establish her place in film history.

"Before Halle Berry and Dorothy Dandridge and even Lena Horne, there was Etta Moten, a black actress defying all the odds as an African-American woman and performer," an Ebony Magazine article stated.

Etta was born in Weimar, about halfway between San Antonio and Houston, where her father was an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) minister. Her vocal talent attracted attention in church choirs and led to a scholarship to the preparatory school of Paul Quinn College, then located in Waco.

After graduation and touring with national choral groups, she went to New York and landed a leading role in the Broadway musical "Zombie." Its success led to a national tour that took Etta to Los Angeles and provided a steppingstone for work there.

Etta's first on-screen role - portraying a World War I widow in "Gold Diggers of 1933" - seemed to be modest. Her name was not listed in the film's credits, but it was far from trivial.

She "became an instant heroine among African-Americans, in part because, unlike virtually every other black actress up to that time, she had portrayed an ordinary homemaker rather than a domestic servant and had performed a musical number that wasn't a spiritual," according to Current Biography Yearbook.

Later that year, she continued to bring down barriers, playing the role of an enchanting Brazilian singer in "Flying Down to Rio." The following year, Etta became the first African-American to perform at the White House where she sang one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's favorite songs, "Remember My Forgotten Man."

A shortage of gratifying film parts led Etta back to concert performances and Broadway. Her signature Broadway role came in the 1942 revival of "Porgy and Bess." Etta made a strong statement when she insisted that a racial epithet be removed from the production. Her performance as Bess, according to one writer, "placed the work in the pantheon of musical theater."

Success came with a price. The show's lengthy run on Broadway and two years on tour in the U.S. and Canada damaged her voice and led to throat surgery. This may have been a career-ending disappointment for others. However, as Etta's singing career began to wane in the 1950s, she delved into civic, cultural and educational activities.

"I've always said that the only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth, and I'm not ready for either one," Etta said later in life. She lived to the age of 102.

Etta Moten was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame and received the Living Legend Award from the National Black Arts Festival. She was named one of Texas' 100 most influential women of the 20th century by the Women's Chamber of Commerce in 1999.

The road that took her from Weimar to Broadway and Hollywood - and to the White House - is more than a story of incredible talent and a successful career. It is a lasting example of determination in the face of intimidating odds. Her accomplishments offer proof that obstacles can lead to breakthroughs and setbacks can produce success.

Etta thrilled audiences with many exhilarating performances. She also made an enduring imprint with her contributions to the greater good of the world around her. The sum of her work made Etta Moten a lifelong showstopper, representing the best of Texas.

Source