SCREEN GEMS HAD THE IDEA AND ACTED ON IT...

RENE VALENTE WAS CASTING AT SCREEN GEMS BACK IN NEW YORK AND I HAD AN AUDITION TO READ THE PART OF THE FIRST BLACK "FIRST LADY" OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND SKOIE MITCHELLL (YES WITH THREE L'S) WAS THE PERSON DUE TO PORTRAY THE PRESIDENT. UNFORTUNATELY DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES CERTAINLY BEYOND MY CONTROL, HAVING TO DO WITH A LACK OF RESPECT BEING GIVEN FROM ONE MAN TO ANOTHER THE PROJECT WAS CANCELLED. I BELIEVE THAT JACKIE COOPER WAS PART OF SCREEN GEMS AT THE TIME, YET IT WAS RENE WHO I HAD READ FOR, ALONG WITH AN ACTING CLASS MATE OF MINE FROM HB STD. THERE WAS MORE DECEPTION HERE THAN MEETS THE EYE...THE INSULT WAS DELIBERATE TO HINDER THE PROGRESS OF HAVING A BLACK MAN AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IN FICTIONALIZED...IN MY OPINION...THE VISUAL ITSELF WAS TOO THREATENING FOR THOSE IN CONTROL. ONE OF THE REASONS PERHAPS THAT SKOIE WAS NOT GIVEN HIS PROPS WAS THAT WHEN HE FLEW IN FROM THE WEST COAST TO MEET WITH ME, HE WAS A PERFECT GENTLEMAN...REMEMBER, IN THE LAST PARADIGMS IT WASN'T THE SHOW, OR THE ENTERTAINMENT, IT WAS THE PRODUCT BEING SOLD, WHICH MEANS THERE WAS A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT AT SABOTAGE BECAUSE ALLEGEDLY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO DIFFICULT TO GET SPONSORS, AS IF PEOPLE OF COLOR WEREN'T CONSUMERS. LIKE THE FILM EDITOR HARRY HOWARD HAD STATED WHEN HE HAD TAKEN THE STILL PHOTOS OF RICHARD ROUNDTREE AND MYSELF ATOP OF A NEW YORK GARBAGE HEAP, HE SAID, "YOU TWO ARE ATOP THE GARBAGE DUMP"...FIGURATIVELY AND LITERALLY SPEAKING, WE WERE. THAT'S HOW HOLLYWOOD PERCEIVED MOST ALL PEOPLE OF COLOR AND NOT JUST HOLLYWOOD OF COURSE. (C)COPYRIGHTED BY GWENDOLYN MITCHELL ON FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016 AT 11:31 AM AT THE WEST HOLLYWOOD COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY, USA