Biographer Stephen Bourne talks about Butterfly McQueen's role as Prissy in Gone with the Wind and the effect it had on her life and career.
Butterfly McQueen will always be remembered for playing the part of the black maid, Prissy, in Gone with the Wind - and for her most famous line "I don’t know nuthin' 'bout birthin' babies!" Many people criticised her for playing a caricature of black womanhood, but in her own way, Butterfly did her best to humanise the character at a time when Hollywood was perpetuating racial stereotypes. Biographer Stephen Bourne joins Jane to explain why Butterfly eventually turned her back on Hollywood and the roles of "stupid maids" and the subsequent effect that had on her life and career.
Butterfly McQueen Remembered by Stephen Bourne is published by Scarecrow Press, ISBN: 978-0-8108-6018-6.
