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Glenn Frey, Tom Hanks, Blackface: Duo Featured in Controversial Video
- Posted on Mar 20th 2012 12:30PM by Jason MacNeil
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According to Washington news site The Daily Caller (which obtained the footage that you can watch here), Frey and Hanks took part in the March 13, 2004 fundraiser at St. Matthews' Parish School in Pacific Palisades, LA. Both men had children who went to the school.
The clip, over two minutes long, shows Hanks and Frey acting as co-MCs and interacting with a man dressed in African garb, wearing an afro wig, carrying a stuffed gorilla and made-up in blackface. The man is identified as James Montgomery, the CEO of California investment firm Montgomery & Co. The theme of the auction was dubbed 'Castaways,' relating itself to the 2000 film 'Cast Away' starring Hanks.
"Ladies and gentleman, this is as close as we'll get to diversity at St. Matthews's," Frey says before later adding "Jamie Montgomery, just back from a Jerry Falwell sensitivity training seminar."
"Easy," Hanks says in response to Frey.
Hanks then states the large stuffed 'trophy gorilla' comes with a 'dowry' of 5,000 shares of soon to be IPO (Initial Public Offering) in 'Corus Pharm.' Corus Pharmaceuticals was a company whose Montgomery's family trust had a limited partnership in.
"All I know, Jamie, is that this school is so conservative that Jamie Montgomery was almost not allowed in," Frey says. "They stuck him in the parking lot, they let him in. These are the jokes, people."
Hanks then speaks again about the 5,000 shares before Frey adds: "Remember, Jamie Montgomery -- he handled the Idi Amin account back in the '80s which was good." (Amin was the brutal Ugandan military dictator from 1971 to 1979 responsible for a reported 500,000 deaths according to Amnesty International).
"Ouch, oh man," Hanks says in response to Frey.
After Hanks, reading from a cue card, tries to get the bidding started, Frey says: "See how boring money management and stock investment is, people? It's not nearly as much fun as like professional basketball."
Watch 'The Road We've Traveled' Ft. Tom Hanks Video
The backlash has already started with the Congress of Racial Equality national spokesperson Niger Innis asking President Barack Obama to remove Hanks' narration from a 17-minute campaign video entitled 'The Road We've Traveled.' The video was made for Obama's re-election campaign later this year but was posted on Obama's YouTube site on March 15. The video, directed by Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim, has received more than 1.6 million views so far.
"It is gross, it's coarse, and it is shocking that something like this would be done in California," Innis said. "Not Mississippi -- in California!"
As of Tuesday morning, the Daily Caller story has been retweeted by political pundits including Tucker Carlson, who provided a link to the article while noting the "obligatory professional basketball joke."
Neither Hanks nor Frey has commented on the news report or video.
Frey is set to release 'After Hours,' his first solo album in 20 years, on May 8, according to Ultimate Classic Rock.
UPDATE: Tom Hanks recently tweeted "Look out! Here comes a public apology over Social Media! Hanx!" Whether this is Hanks' actual apology or a joke remains unclear.
UPDATE 2: Hanks tweeted "The Red Wings are a great hockey team, but I root against them when the Kings are fighting for a playoff berth. Hanx!" Though this is also not a real apology, it is a knock at the greater Detroit area. So that's something.
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Add a Comment
Harven
There is a saying like this "Only one himself knows if the shoes match his feet or not “。If u really love her /him, age ain't nothing but a number for these loved-up A-Listers. My BF and I both think so! He is almost 10 years older than I .We met via~~--Ａgeｌｅｓｓ'date . ℃○M .~~ a nice place for younger women and oldermen, or older women and younger men, to interact with each other! ,Ever feel that you would best enjoy someone who is not in your age group? If u are really interested in it, maybe u wanna check it out or tell your friends.
March 27 2012 at 10:43 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply Harven
There is a saying like this "Only one himself knows if the shoes match his feet or not “。If u really love her /him, age ain't nothing but a number for these loved-up A-Listers. My BF and I both think so! He is almost 10 years older than I .We met via~~--Ａgeｌｅｓｓ'date . ℃○M .~~ a nice place for younger women and oldermen, or older women and younger men, to interact with each other! ,Ever feel that you would best enjoy someone who is not in your age group? If u are really interested in it, maybe u wanna check it out or tell your friends.
March 27 2012 at 10:43 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThe only issue is the double standard. If this were done by say Charlie Daniels and Gary Sinese or Ted Nugent and Tom Selleck, the left would be thumping them all over the place. In this case it is swept under the rug. (notice I didn't mention Gene Simmons and Mel Gibson, they've had enough trouble).
IMHO, humor is humor. You noticed people were laughing, right?
mlombard
Hanks is stupid is as stupid does, lets see how the left wing try to bury this or cover it up, maybe Caty Curic, Matt Lauer and all the lib media will have black face kind like when the Obama's did their fist bump for the following week all the left wing ass kissers were fist bumping, have to laugh we criticize third world countries in their governments controlling media this is not much better.
March 20 2012 at 6:36 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYes he pretended to care about the "greatest generation" and acted all patriotic, and then supports obama who is trying to destroy everything those guys fought and died for!!!
Liberals are idiots and hypocrites both, and stupid hanks is the worst of the worst.
Isn't it Robert DiNiro?
March 20 2012 at 5:54 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHanks has allowed himself to used as a propaganda tool. But he is a good actor, he got that line about Obama not, "dwelling on blame or idealism" out without choking. But then again, I don't know how many takes it took.
BTW - where's the missing three seconds of the video?
Any movie that Hanks is in is usually a good movie to watch. As far as these two films go, I saw nothing that offended me that would cause me to start an upstir.
March 20 2012 at 3:51 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyJoe Vs the Volcano???
March 20 2012 at 7:07 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThe cries of "racism" are sounding more silly by the day! Boycott Tom Hanks, not because of the black face but because he narrated the propaganda video.
March 20 2012 at 3:35 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down Replywhat bothers me about hank is this.
how is it hollywood ( the academy awards)
never award richard burton and peter 0'toole
oscars. but he has two. anybody who acts
could play forrest gump (he wasn't good, please)
and philadelphia award was given to him by the
politically correct.
36 Comments