The daughter of the original Bre’r Bear voice artist has reached out to That Park Place seeking help from readers by August 15th.
Recently we reached out to Mrs. Valarie Stewart, the daughter of Nick Stewart. Mr. Stewart was an early pioneer in voice work as one of the first African American men to pick up voice work in Hollywood. He was the voice of Bre’r Bear in the original movie Song of the South by Walt Disney.
Our reason for reaching out to his daughter, Mrs. Stewart, is because she has a movement and petition which she is actively engaged in promoting. Unlike some who want to see Song of the South and Splash Mountain erased from memory, Mrs. Stewart does not view the material as racist. Rather, she wants to save the material and have the movie and her parents’ work saved via the National Film Registry. We feel that’s definitely newsworthy and we were very pleased that she took the time to respond to our request. We hope to have further dialogue in the future, but for now she hopes that this article will reach those who might be interested in her endeavor.
The following is a message we received from Mrs. Stewart today:
My name is Valarie Stewart, I’m the daughter of Nick Stewart, the original voice of Brer Bear in Song of the South and in the Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland. I have a four-phase campaign. My first phase is the registry campaign at:
ebonyshowcase.org/nationalfilmre
It is self-explanatory. The deadline is Tuesday, August 15. Second phase is a petition and related website that I’ll publish asap. 3rd phase is devoted to song of the south and splash mountain. Fourth phase will be about my parents and their life’s work.
In order to share with you what Mrs. Stewart is working to save, we want to pull information from her website. We still recommend you visit the link provided above. What we have is nothing in comparison to all that is available there. We believe this is the beginning of a conversation we hope to have with Mrs. Stewart about her father’s work and its historical and cultural importance.
Here is a sample of what the Ebony Showcase is attempting to save:
SONG OF THE SOUTH
is a censored movie, wrongly accused of being racist.
The cast of “Song of the South” includes pioneers Hattie McDaniel, the “Gone With the Wind” star and first Black entertainer to win an Academy Award. In a 1947 interview, she told the American publication The Criterion, “If I had for one moment considered any part of the picture degrading or harmful to my people, I would not have appeared therein.” Her co-star James Baskett echoed her support of the film, saying, “I believe that certain groups are doing my race more harm in seeking to create dissension than can ever possibly come out of the ‘Song of the South.” James Baskett was the first Black man to win an Academy Award for his portrayal of Uncle Remus.
Miss Georgia
Uncle Remus Museum
Etonton, Georgia
Nick Stewart films in the Registry:
-Carmen Jones
-Stormy Weather
-Cabin in the Sky
-Dumbo
Nick Stewart’s parents were immigrants from Barbados, British West Indies. They were folowers of Marcus Garvey, who encouraged entrepenurship, and a business ethic, to his followers. As a child he was influenced by Marcus Garvey and the stories of Horatio Alger when he was put in reform school.
Marcus Garvey said, “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”
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For all the news that should be fun, and sometimes is worth preserving, make sure to keep reading That Park Place. As always, drop a comment down below and let us know your thoughts!
That Park Place has no vested interest in the subject(s) of this article nor receives any quid pro quo benefits for publishing this content. This article is provided on behalf of a daughter seeking to save her father’s film legacy and the historical significance of such a desire.
