BFM

A Portrait of Earl Cameron
by Linda Bellos

In the wake of the recent Windrush celebrations, one could be forgiven for believing that Caribbean actors only started to work here long after their arrival in the 1950s.

But nothing could be further from the truth, for Earl Carmeron started long before Norman Beaton,Errol John, Carmen Munroe, Rudolph Walker, Mona Hammond and Corinne Skinner-Carter began their careers in the 1960s. Without these pioneers, a more recent generation, including Cathy Tyson, Colin Salmon, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Paul Barber, might not have been given their breakthroughs.

Forever young in heart and spirit, today Earl Cameron is an actor with an impressive track record in British theatre, film, TV and radio from the '40s to the '90s. He made his acting debut in the West End stage in 1942, and most appearance on BBC television, August 1998 in Pauline Quirke's new detective series "Maisie Raine". Significantly, Earl is still acting after more than half a century in the profession, and there are few Black actors who can equal the length and breadth of his career. All this has been achieved against the odds.

Bermuda-born Earl had not intended to become an actor, but during the war he hated his job as a kitchen porter at the Strand Corner House so much that he seized an opportunity to play a 'walk on' part in a west End revival musical 'Chu Chin Chow'. From that start, Earl was given a small speaking role in 'The Petrified Forest' in 1942 and, though untrained, found little difficulty in finding regular work. Conscious of his limitations and inexperience, Earl took speech and singing training to improve his skills. There could be no greater demonstration of his connection to the tradition and legacy of Black actors than the fact that his teacher was Amanda Ira Aldridge, the daughter of the great Shakespearean actor Ira Aldridge who had began his acting career in Britain in 1825. Like many other actors of his generation, Earl gained valuable experience and perfected his acting skills in the repertory theatre, touring up and down the country. I asked him what the situation was like for Black actors at that time, and he explained that one of the problems he faced still remains today: few producers or directors will cast a Black person unless it is a role written specifically for them.

He also recalls that in the days of rep, provincial audiences were keen to see good drama and most of this was imported from the USA. One of the most famous American dramas to come to Britain in the post-war was Deep are the Roots, and this provided Earl with a dynamic role and over seventy rep productions in five years.

In 1951 Earl made his screen debut in Basil Dearden's Pool of London. Signing the contract meant he could quit the tour of "a terrible play I did for the money" called 13 Death Street, Harlem. In 'Pool of London' he played a Jamaican sailor on shore leave who befriends a white girl. Though tentatively handled, this was the first British film to show a mixed relationship. A few years later, Earl gave an impressive performance in a low-budget crime drama called The Heart Within (1957) which has just been reissued on video for the low-budget price of �4.99! However, his most famous screen roles were in two melodramas which attempted to confront the issue of racism in Britain: Sapphire (1959) and Flame in the Streets (1961). There were also numerous television appearances in landmark dramas like the BBC's 'A Man from the Sun' (1956) and cult favourites such as 'Danger man', 'Doctor Who' and 'The Prisoner'.

In the early years of his career, Earl Cameron worked a great deal, and with many great names in the Black British acting world. This must have meant that actors like Earl were performing at a time when Black audiences were relatively small in numbers. And yet, racism was often used as an issue in important plays and films like 'Deep are the Roots' and Sapphire, aimed at mainstream audiences. Earl agreed that, in some respects, white writers and directors, like the film director Basil Dearden, and the socialist Ted Willis who wrote Flame in the Streets were more socially conscious.

Finally, I asked Earl whether there was any advice he would like to give to the current generation in film and television. He says that Black writers have to find ways of producing realistic scripts that provide accurate parts for Black actors.

Earl approved the suggestion that scripts need to be written to show the best skills of, not only veteran actors such as himself, but wonderful women like Corinne Skinner-Carter, Carmen Munroe and Mona Hammond, as well as the up ans coming generation of Black actors who are not offered enough quality scripts. What a fitting tribute it would be if someone could offer Earl a part as good as some of those he had in the 1950s and 1960s!

EARL CAMERON FILMOGRAPHY

Pool of London (1951)
Emergency Call (1952
The Heart of the Matter (1953)
Simba (1955)
The Heart Within (1957)
Sapphire (1959)
Killers of Kilimanjaro (1959)
Tarzan the Magnificent (1960)
Flame in the Streets (1961)
Guns at Batasi (1964)
Thunderball (1965)
The Sandwich Man (1966)
Battle Beneath the Earth (1967)
Two a Penny (1967)
Two Gentlemen Sharing (1969)
The Revolutionary (1970
A Warm December (1973)
The Message (aka Mohammed Messenger of God) (1976)
Cuba (1979)

A full account of Earl Cameron's film and television career can be found in Stephen Bourne's invaluable source book 'Black in the British Frame'.




A Portrait of... Editorial Portrait of Earl Cameron Star of British Cinema Tribute to the late Djibril Diop Mambety, the "hyena "of Africa cinema Reviews of past film events and festivals Interview with Kasi Lemmons: Director of Eve's Bayou Finance: Big changes in little Soho (c)Black Filmmaker Publications 1998: All right reserved			A Portrait of Earl Cameron by Linda Bellos In the wake of the recent Windrush celebrations, one could be forgiven for believing that Caribbean actors only started to work here long after their arrival in the 1950s. But nothing could be further from the truth, for Earl Carmeron started long before Norman Beaton,Errol John, Carmen Munroe, Rudolph Walker, Mona Hammond and Corinne Skinner-Carter began their careers in the 1960s. Without these pioneers, a more recent generation, including Cathy Tyson, Colin Salmon, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Paul Barber, might not have been given their breakthroughs. Forever young in heart and spirit, today Earl Cameron is an actor with an impressive track record in British theatre, film, TV and radio from the '40s to the '90s. He made his acting debut in the West End stage in 1942, and most appearance on BBC television, August 1998 in Pauline Quirke's new detective series "Maisie Raine". Significantly, Earl is still acting after more than half a century in the profession, and there are few Black actors who can equal the length and breadth of his career. All this has been achieved against the odds. Bermuda-born Earl had not intended to become an actor, but during the war he hated his job as a kitchen porter at the Strand Corner House so much that he seized an opportunity to play a 'walk on' part in a west End revival musical 'Chu Chin Chow'. From that start, Earl was given a small speaking role in 'The Petrified Forest' in 1942 and, though untrained, found little difficulty in finding regular work. Conscious of his limitations and inexperience, Earl took speech and singing training to improve his skills. There could be no greater demonstration of his connection to the tradition and legacy of Black actors than the fact that his teacher was Amanda Ira Aldridge, the daughter of the great Shakespearean actor Ira Aldridge who had began his acting career in Britain in 1825. Like many other actors of his generation, Earl gained valuable experience and perfected his acting skills in the repertory theatre, touring up and down the country. I asked him what the situation was like for Black actors at that time, and he explained that one of the problems he faced still remains today: few producers or directors will cast a Black person unless it is a role written specifically for them. He also recalls that in the days of rep, provincial audiences were keen to see good drama and most of this was imported from the USA. One of the most famous American dramas to come to Britain in the post-war was Deep are the Roots, and this provided Earl with a dynamic role and over seventy rep productions in five years. In 1951 Earl made his screen debut in Basil Dearden's Pool of London. Signing the contract meant he could quit the tour of "a terrible play I did for the money" called 13 Death Street, Harlem. In 'Pool of London' he played a Jamaican sailor on shore leave who befriends a white girl. Though tentatively handled, this was the first British film to show a mixed relationship. A few years later, Earl gave an impressive performance in a low-budget crime drama called The Heart Within (1957) which has just been reissued on video for the low-budget price of �4.99! However, his most famous screen roles were in two melodramas which attempted to confront the issue of racism in Britain: Sapphire (1959) and Flame in the Streets (1961). There were also numerous television appearances in landmark dramas like the BBC's 'A Man from the Sun' (1956) and cult favourites such as 'Danger man', 'Doctor Who' and 'The Prisoner'. In the early years of his career, Earl Cameron worked a great deal, and with many great names in the Black British acting world. This must have meant that actors like Earl were performing at a time when Black audiences were relatively small in numbers. And yet, racism was often used as an issue in important plays and films like 'Deep are the Roots' and Sapphire, aimed at mainstream audiences. Earl agreed that, in some respects, white writers and directors, like the film director Basil Dearden, and the socialist Ted Willis who wrote Flame in the Streets were more socially conscious. Finally, I asked Earl whether there was any advice he would like to give to the current generation in film and television. He says that Black writers have to find ways of producing realistic scripts that provide accurate parts for Black actors. Earl approved the suggestion that scripts need to be written to show the best skills of, not only veteran actors such as himself, but wonderful women like Corinne Skinner-Carter, Carmen Munroe and Mona Hammond, as well as the up ans coming generation of Black actors who are not offered enough quality scripts. What a fitting tribute it would be if someone could offer Earl a part as good as some of those he had in the 1950s and 1960s! EARL CAMERON FILMOGRAPHY Pool of London (1951) Emergency Call (1952 The Heart of the Matter (1953) Simba (1955) The Heart Within (1957) Sapphire (1959) Killers of Kilimanjaro (1959) Tarzan the Magnificent (1960) Flame in the Streets (1961) Guns at Batasi (1964) Thunderball (1965) The Sandwich Man (1966) Battle Beneath the Earth (1967) Two a Penny (1967) Two Gentlemen Sharing (1969) The Revolutionary (1970 A Warm December (1973) The Message (aka Mohammed Messenger of God) (1976) Cuba (1979) A full account of Earl Cameron's film and television career can be found in Stephen Bourne's invaluable source book 'Black in the British Frame'.