Native American actors quit Adam Sandler movie over names

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

BY RUSSELL CONTRERAS

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- A group of American Indian actors walked off the set of an Adam Sandler movie this week over complaints about stereotypes, offensive names and scenes they say disrespected Native American religious practices.

Actor Loren Anthony told The Associated Press on Thursday that he and eight others quit the production of the satirical Western "The Ridiculous Six" after producers ignored their concerns about its portrayal of Apache culture and the inappropriate use of props.

Anthony said the script included offensive names for Native American female characters and a scene where a Native American woman urinated while smoking a peace pipe. Another scene used chicken feathers on teepees, he said.

"Right from the get-go, it didn't feel right. But we it let it go," said Anthony, a Navajo actor who started work as an extra on the movie Monday. "Once we found out more about the script, we felt it was totally disrespectful to elders and Native women."

FULL story at link. X post in First Americans: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1191



FILE - In this Sept. 6, 2014 file photo, actor Adam Sander smiles during a news conference for "Men, Women, and Children" at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto. A group of American Indian actors have walked off the set of an Adam Sandler movie production following complaints over stereotypes and offensive names. Actor Loren Anthony told The Associated Press on Thursday, April 23, 2015, that he and eight others quit the production of the satirical western "The Ridiculous Six" after producers ignored their concerns about its portrayal of Apache culture. (Hannah Yoon/The Canadian Press via AP, File) MANDATORY CREDIT


Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_THE_RIDICULOUS_SIX_NATIVE_AMERICANS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-04-23-17-36-47

[whathehell]

1. Good for them. People have to learn to stop disrespecting others in the name of "funny" n/t

[Cleita]

2. Good for them. I never thought Sandler was funny to begin with. eom

[a kennedy]

16. Tell me about it.....NEVER thought he was funny.

[bvf]

18. Agreed.

Why this guy has a movie career at all is truly baffling.

[wordpix]

44. haha, I agree, too! Where's the talent?

Certainly not in Sandler's brain

[murielm99]

55. I have never found him funny.

I thought I was somewhat alone in that view. After reading through this thread, I find I am not. I am glad others see his tastelessness.

[wordpix]

47. of all the SNL comedians over the years, he was below par

[OnyxCollie]

54. He may have been above Rob Schneider.

[hughee99]

56. Janeane Garofalo has made a pretty good career out of not being funy.

I love her politics, but I have yet to see something I thought she was even mildly funny in.

[Tom Ripley]

60. I have to agree

Love her politics, but have yet to see comedic or acting chops.

[geek tragedy]

3. Good for them, but . . . what did they expect from an Adam Sandler movie? nt

[Cha]

28. Maybe they hadn't seen any?

[BillZBubb]

59. Lucky them!

[tazkcmo]

4. I'm shocked!

Adam Sandler is not known for his high brow comedy so this is no surprise. Mel Brooks pulls it off (Blazing Saddles) because he knows how. Time to go to school Mr. Sandler.

[Cooley Hurd]

8. Blazing Saddles nailed it...

They used stereotypes as a mechanism to expose the absurdity of racism very successfully.

[bvf]

17. "You know... morons!"

One of the funniest lines from a movie I've ever heard.

Even beats out, "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

[Scootaloo]

20. Best part about that line? Cleavon Little didn't know it was coming

So when he cracks the fuck up, it is completely genuine

[bvf]

22. Thanks for the visual.

I meant to mention it but never knew it was a spontaneous reaction on Cleavon Little's part.

Makes it even better!

[mucifer]

27. You mean he didn't have a script?

[awoke_in_2003]

40. I think Wilder ad libbed. nt

[wordpix]

45. that was a great ad lib, then

[Demonaut]

32. I love that!

[MosheFeingold]

63. The cynical me

Thinks this is all prearranged B.S. to get free publicity for a straight-to-Net-flicks movie.

None of us would have ever heard of it, but for this "controversy."

No actor would get into an Adam Sandler movie without knowing, full-well, it was full of stereotypes and lowest-brow humor.

Next up, they will hire Lindsey Lohan and get her drunk, show her privates getting out of a car at the wrap party, then have her get into a fender bender, and re-arrested.

[Plucketeer]

33. Time to school

the jerks that keep him making movies.

[Paladin]

64. Adam Sandler has maybe 1% of Mel Brooks' talent. And that's stretching it. (nt)

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

65. And maybe 1% of Brooks' intlligence, and even less of the empahy Brooks has for

the struggles of others.

[BlueStater]

5. Good for them.

Now they won't have to live with the shame of being in an Adam Sandler movie.

[tabasco]

6. Good!

Stop insulting the Native Americans.

[Beauregard]

7. Is Adam Sandler a moron, or does he just play one in the movies?

Either way, nothing he does strikes me as funny.

[JI7]

9. good for them

[VScott]

10. Boy, they are really going to be pissed when they use white actors to portray those roles.

[turbinetree]

11. Yeah

with heritage from mother side and having Cherokee blood from the Eastern Band running through my veins.
I applaud these men and woman that walked off-------good for them stereotypes get pretty old when it comes to culture

[Liberalagogo]

12. What do you expect?

He's a Republican. Or at least donates to them.

[zeemike]

13. Good for them.

That urinating while smoking a peace pipe was the most offensive thing I can think of.
The "peace pipe" as we call it is a sacred object and no native american would ever do such a thing.

I never liked Adam Sandler and this confirms just what jerk he is in real life.

[VScott]

25. NOTHING is sacred.

Bobbi Flekman: You put a *greased naked woman* on all fours with a dog collar around her neck, and a leash, and a man's arm extended out up to here, holding onto the leash, and pushing a black glove in her face to sniff it. You don't find that offensive? You don't find that sexist?

Ian Faith: This is *1982*, Bobbi, c'mon!

Bobbi Flekman: That's *right*, it's 1982! Get out of the '60s. We don't have this mentality anymore.

Ian Faith: Well, you should have seen the cover they *wanted* to do! It wasn't a glove, believe me.

[zeemike]

46. Well to some people that is true.

But to others not...and those to whom nothing is sacred don't get to tell others what is is not.
It is a matter of respect.

[bvf]

50. Correct, but there has to be some humor there.

Spinal Tap was making a statement about cultural sensibility and pop music.

What Adam Sandler movies are commenting on, I have not the slightest fucking clue.

[ClusterFreak]

14. I applaud those actors, good for them!

I'd walk off the set too, not to mention as soon as I realized the fact that I was in an Adam Sandler movie.

[Dont call me Shirley]

15. Good for the Native a Americans for speaking out! They don't deserve bigoted treatment.

Go home Adam Sandler and take your bigotry with you. Adam Sandler is a crass jerk. I rarely watch his movies anyway, now I won't watch any!

Apache people, Navajo people, Tewa people, Hopi people, Zuni people, are people who deserve respect and honor. They have been persecuted by European invaders for half a millennium. Let them live their lives with dignity.

[seveneyes]

19. Monoliths and religion

They go hand in hand to where ever their religion tells them in monolithic fashion.

[calimary]

21. Man, THERE's a poster boy for ill-gotten gain.

WHY is this man rich and famous? He's got about as much charisma as a pile of laundry.

[cheapdate]

26. Some people like him.

My ex-boss was crazy about Sandler's golf movie, Happy Gilmore. He was also a big fan of The Three Stooges. I didn't like him very much, but that's beside the point.

[cheapdate]

23. The first season of the tv show M*A*S*H had a black character nicknamed Spearchukker.

They're free to complain, but I doubt "The Ridiculous Six" is any worse than "The Three Amigos" or "Blazing Saddles".

[MrMickeysMom]

29. That came from the movie character… same name, plus sexist commentary...

Yes, MASH was funny, but when you see it today, it's not as funny.

[cheapdate]

31. I think it holds up.

We've been re-watching it at night lately, starting at season 1, episode 1. We're still in the Henry Blake - Trapper John era. It's still pretty good, I think.

[MrMickeysMom]

41. TV series… yes, but I was talking about the movie.

Actually, I liked the tv series much more.

[brush]

35. Pls don't compare "Blazing Saddles", a good example of Mel Brooks' comedic . . .

genius with Adam Sandler's sophomoric attempts at humor.

You're way off base with that.

[cheapdate]

36. Blazing saddles is a classic.

However, if you're easily offended by outrageous racial stereotypes, it might not be for you. Mel Brooks as Sioux war chief comes to mind.

[brush]

38. It was all tongue-in-cheek with Mel Brooks.

Last edited Thu Apr 23, 2015, 10:57 PM - Edit history (1)

I mean casting Cleavon Little, a handsome black man in a tailored buckskin outfit, as the old West sheriff riding a white stallion no less, and Brooks himself as the chief — the sheer outrageousness of all that is poking fun and ridiculing stereotypes not re-enforcing them.

[bvf]

48. Not to mention a Sioux war chief

exclaiming, "Schwartzers!..."

Mel Brooks is a national treasure, and I thank him for "The Elephant Man" as much as for his comedic genius.

I stopped thanking Adam Sandler after "Crazy Protractor Beard Man."

[phleshdef]

49. As hard as it seems to believe at times, our society has grown a lot since then.

[Half-Century Man]

58. That character comes from Richard Hooker's book "MASH"

Dr. Oliver Wendel Jones aka "spearchucker" ostensibly named because he threw the javelin in collage.
Brought to the 4077th because he played one year of pro-ball (Ram?) before completing his degree surgical medicine, specializing in cranial surgery; to beat the 5063d in a heavily wagered on football game.
One of the go to guys for medical reference by the main characters. 1/2 to 1/3 on one of the last chapters focuses on a severe head trauma and Dr. Jones.

I haven't read any of the MASH books since high school 40 years ago, I remembered all that because the treatment of the character struck such a cord in me.

[yuiyoshida]

24. A very good and special friend of mine

who is full Lakota and an actor, walked off a Hollywood set and refused pay, from a movie he was doing. It stemmed from a Racist Director, who made the comment, that at least in the movie, the Calvary did a great job wiping them (the Native Americans) out, and maybe the historic Calvary should have done the same.

My friend said he would from now on, only do movies, made by Native American directors, in small but local films.

[myrna minx]

30. K&R - Good for them.

[Cha]

34. Mahalo to Loren Anthony and his friends who walked off the Adam Sandler movie

because they and their culture were being insulted.

From you link, Steve, Mahlao..

"Goldie Tom, another extra who departed the set Wednesday, said producers told the group to leave if they felt offended and that script changes were not up for debate.

"This just shows that Hollywood has not changed at all," Tom said.

She added the production had a number of non-Native American actors portraying American Indians, a long-standing complaint about the movie industry.

The actors said a Native American consultant hired by the production also walked off the set.

The New Mexico Film Office said Thursday the dispute was a First Amendment issue and the office had no say over the movie's content"


Objibwa girl~1907~My tribe~

[Travis_0004]

71. Usually extras dont vote on script changes

They will find somebody else, and finish the movie. Maybe it will be great, most likely it will suck. Who knows.

[Inkfreak]

37. Sandler isn't exactly known for his highbrow comedy.

I get why they walked off and sure can appreciate why. But part of me says "they kinda shoulda known". This is the dude who made Billy Madison & Happy Gilmore...cinema shit of the highest order. Even with all the pot I smoke, they still blow big time. I don't get why my generation loves his crap so much. Good for them.

[truthisfreedom]

39. Shoulda hired Native American consultants first.

dipshit.

[MisterP]

42. Sandler movie #52: everything turns out great for a man-child bully who makes "funny voices"

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

66. Sad to see that this formula is so damn popular with Americans.

Of course, nearly half of them did vote for Romney, so we know they support man-child bullies.

[Dr. Strange]

43. Shortly after, several other actors quit...

after realizing they were in an Adam Sandler movie.

[wendylaroux]

53. ha!

good one,

[Scurrilous]

68. LOL

[okaawhatever]

69. LOL good one nt

[Lint Head]

51. Sandler is a right wing prick.

[Lodestar]

52. I think many people are pretty fed up with adolescent 'humor' in general.

This genre of humor may be on the way out....hope so.

[bvf]

57. Adolescent humor will be with us

as long as adolescents are.

There's no getting away from that.

[happyslug]

67. Reminds me of a quote about the Nazis pomp and cremony...Attractive to adolescents of all ages.

n/t

[Tom Ripley]

61. Opera Man was funny for about two minutes

then nothing...

[happyslug]

62. The worse part with good writers and a good knowledge of the west you could do a good comedy

For example the Native American Chief is on his horse and an Native American Scout comes up to him:

Scout: I spotted a wagon train of Farmers heading west, John Chisum has a large herd of cattle heading north and Colonel Ferguson and some buffalo soldiers heading east, who do we attack?

Assistant Chief: The farmers and their wagon train.

Chief: "Are you nuts, those farmers and their wives can shoot, they can start to pick us off a 400 yards AND all they have are those big heavy draft horses that are just grain eaters, they stave to death in three months on the diet we give out ponies and the cargo in the wagons are only good for farmers and the wagons need constant maintenance, which we do not have the black smiths to do. A lot of dead for nothing.

Assistant Chief. Then lets attack John Chisum!!!!

Chief, sorry that out, where do you think I obtain the ammunition for guns? Chisum pays a one a head, by the way if you see any of his cattle away from his herd, please return them to Chisum, he asked that we return any strays when he paid me.

Assistant Chief: That leave Ferguson and his 9th Cavalry.

Chief: I wish it was the Seventh, the Ammunition the Army buys for their troops are crap, but between Ferguson insanity and the fact he has made sure all of his troops can read and write they will stay together to the bitter end. On top of that I told Chisum's woman that I would not attack any of her people.

Assistant Chief: We could attack the buffalo hunters? maybe some of us MAY survive that 1000 yard fire they gave us the last we attack them.

Chief looks at the assistant in disgust and then he looks up and see a Coyote and says:

I see Father coyote, I see you are giving the best advice, another example of dogs being smarter then people.

Side note: When Colonel Ferguson, commander of the 9th US Cavalry was assigned the job of hunting down and destroying Quann Parker, he sent a message to Quanta telling him to surrender or he will destroy him and his whole tribe. Ferguson later when insane, but his Father had hung the son of the Secretary of the Army for munity in the 1830s, thus he had a reputation of being ruthless when he had to be. The Ninth, do to Ferguson policy of educating them for most of the African American Soldiers in his unit had been ex slaves and thus had been forbidden by law to be taught to read and write, loyalty to him was second to none, if he asked them to do genocide, they were capable of doing it. Thus when QUANNA Parker received the letter from Ferguson with the ultimatum in it, Parker knew what it meant. Parker discussed it with his chiefs and braves (and they is indication the women of his band were also involved). At the end of the debate, Parker spotted a Coyote walking in the direction of the Fort Ferguson was at, and told his Chief that Father Coyote had indicated his advice and Parker was going to follow it.

http://www.quanahparker.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanah_Parker

His Aunt is even more interesting. At age 17 she was captured in the same raid that saw the Comanches kidnap Quanah Parker's mother (then age 9). At age 20 she was ransomed in Sante Fe and returned to her father's family and wrote a book on her experiences with the Comanches. The book was a raging best seller, but came back to hunt Quanah's mother when she was recaptured and return to her family. Given the nature of the book, everybody wanted to see the sister that the Comanches kept. Between all the people who wanted to see her, the death of her brother at Shiloh (1862) who had taken both her and her then infant daughter in, and the death of her daughter in 1865, she became depressed and dead in 1871. Quanah's Aunt had died in 1839, in some ways having never recovered from her rough life under the Comanches. Sam Houston blamed her father for taking her out in bad weather to get away from some of his enemies, her father blamed her time with the Comanches (She had been a blond, but her hair had turned gray by the time she died at the age of 21).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Plummer

Another quick topic could be a ranch under attack by Native Americans, and they are shaved by Mexican Soldier who had cross the border to chase them (as permitted by an agreement between Mexico and the US during the Apaches Wars).

If you wanted to play a sex angle, show a Native American Woman leaving her husband and going back to her own people, because her husband is a Plains Indian who had adopted a very patriarchal society, while she was from the part of the tribe that stayed in the Woodlands and retained the traditional Matriarchal structure of most people when they first turn to agriculture (You could have a lot of fun with the report of Captain James Smith and his time with the Native Americans when he was made fun of for picking up a hoe, for farming was woman's work in Native American Society and thus men did NOT even touch such woman's tools).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Smith_(frontiersman)

James Smith book of his time with Native Americans from 1755 to 1760:

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89060403706;view=1up;seq=14

[olddots]

70. old Hollywood joke # 43

Who do I have to fuck to get off of this movie ?

Sandler has become so famous that he is boss and it will be his undoing not hsving to answer to wisdom .