Mammy (1951 film)

Mammy is a 1951 American drama film directed by Albert Kelley and starring Barbara Britton, Robert Lowery, and Tommy Farrell. It is a low-budget film, notable primarily for its title which alludes to the historical and often stereotypical depiction of Black women in American culture as "mammies."

The film's plot revolves around a white family and their relationship with their loyal, Black housekeeper. While the film attempts to portray the housekeeper, also named Mammy, in a sympathetic light, it inevitably engages with and reinforces many of the problematic tropes associated with the "mammy" archetype. These tropes often include an asexual, overweight, and perpetually cheerful Black woman devoted to the white family she serves, often to the detriment of her own family and needs. The film sanitizes and romanticizes the relationship between white employers and Black domestic workers, ignoring the history of slavery and racial inequality that underpinned these relationships.

The film received little critical attention and is primarily remembered today for its perpetuation of harmful racial stereotypes. Its release occurred during a period of increasing civil rights activism, highlighting the disconnect between Hollywood’s portrayal of race relations and the realities of racial discrimination faced by African Americans. The use of the title "Mammy" itself serves as a stark reminder of the prevalence of racial caricatures in American popular culture during that era.