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Expert: Barbara L. Baker - 3/3/2009


Question
Hi i hope you can help in the late 70s / early 8os i remember seeing a movie set in england and was about a white  man who was racist towards black men, only to his supprise one morning he awakes to find he is black i dont know why but i seem to think the film was called The Marrow Man but cant seem to find anything on the internet to vouch for this.
Dates places and names just guide lines because i was very young

Answer
Gavin, I'm sorry it took awhile to respond, but this is probably  the 1970 movie "The Watermelon Man" starring Geoffrey Cambridge.  I am pretty sure it wasn't set in England, but all the rest of your plot details fit.  It is available on DVD.  You can check out the plot description on the Internet Movie Data Base (imbd.com) to see if this is indeed the film you are looking for.

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Barbara L. Baker

Expertise

I am a professor of communication at a midwest university, who has expertise on subjects related to film. I can answer general questions on U.S. film comedy (especially satires of the 1960s and 1970s) and comic theory. I also could answer questions related to specific comic genres, such as comedian comedies, screwball comedies, "stupid" comedies, and so forth. The more specific you can make your question, the better (e.g. main plot details, main characters, possible character names, possible actors, how you viewed the show, etc.). I also need to have a release date (or range of dates, or at least the year you viewed the film). Plesase do not just provide a set of links to someplace else (e.g. imdb discussion threads). I am less able to answer questions about comedies from other countries, made-for-TV movies, and recent comic films and actors (although I would do my best to find out). I cannot answer questions about specific TV shows or series, "Our Gang" episodes, anime/magna or about film collectables. I generally cannot provide movie recommendations, since what I find funny others may not. Nor will I answer obvious homework (although I will point you to resources to help answer the question, if asked). I also can't help you find movie stars, or where to buy movie memorabilia, or tell you how to break into the business.

Experience

Course work in comedy films along with teaching about comedy films for several years; I've also conducted research into comedy films.

Education/Credentials
Ph.D. in Communication, emphasis in film and rhetoric

Awards and Honors
A dissertation award from a national organization plus various paper awards

Past/Present Clients
My students

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