Harry Connick Jr.: hero or hypocrite? Aussie TV show black face skit

By April MacIntyre Oct 8, 2009, 1:32 GMT

The performance of singing group, the "Jackson Jive" pushed Harry Connick Jr to speak out and reason with the host that black-faced performers were insulting in this day and age.

Australian TV show, "Hey Hey It's Saturday," had a bizarro Gong Show skit where Harry Connick Jr. sat as judge with three others, and witnessed a dated black-face skit that featured real doctors dressed as the Jackson Five.

The performance of singing group, the "Jackson Jive" pushed Harry Connick Jr to speak out and reason with the host that black-faced performers were insulting in this day and age.

Connick Jr. asked host Daryl Somers to rethink airing an act that made buffoons out of blacks.

"If I knew that was going to be part of the show I definitely wouldn't have done it," he said.

Michael K of DListed posted the news item, sourcing AdelaideNow.com which ran a poll asking readers if they thought the skit was racist.

The talkback on their site showed Aussies overwhelmingly didn't much care for Connick Jr's remarks:

"Honestly, if they were making a skit about a white singing group/band, would it be racist? No, so get over it. Just because it's a send up, doesn't make it racist."
-Posted by: Melissa of Unley 11:19am today

"The only part of Hey Hey that I found offensive and cringeworthy was Harry Connick's singing. I'm no musician but I'm sure he was singing out of tune. And why does he rip other people's song off? It is unfortunate that Hey Hey had to end this way, I actually thought that Daryl was joking when he appeared with Harry at the end of the show. Go home Yank and fix up your own sorry country!"
-Posted by: Jan of Happy Valley 11:17am today

"Harry has every right to his comments, because Americans have a proud history of racial tolerance and equality don't they?"
-Posted by: Michael Jackson of 11:15am today

"I seriously can not believe the people who got offended at this! All they were doing was impersonating the Jackson Five, in tribute to Michael Jackson. It had no bearing on being racist at all!! The fact that they had black faces was not to insult to Black Americans, but to the contrary a tribute to the King of Pop and the master of pop music! Those who can not see that need to have another look at what racism actually means." - Posted by: Roa of Adelaide 11:13am today

"As a black person who was not offended by the skit, i am curious at to whether white people think mimes are racist?  Posted by: Joe of Adelaide 12:04pm today

"The world's gone crazy, when Hey Hey was on, this wouldn't have raised any attention at all, Harry get a life  - Posted by: Sue of 12:03pm today

"Toughen up Harry, this was not racist. It's pathetic that he actually thought it was racist. It was fun and there was no mean spirit intended."  - Posted by: Andy of Warhol 11:59am today

"So what wasn't racist 20 years ago when they appeared on Hey Hey is suddenly racist now in 2009!! - Posted by: Deano of West Beach 11:58am today

"A don't know what all the fuss is about. Australia has had a long proud history of treating the indigenous people respectfully. They have been given the vote since 1962 and all around me I see them being accepted as equals with society. Nobody looks twice when a black person walks into a store. They are now a part of the family. Nobody is going to get the wrong message from a few silly jokes." -Posted by: It's all good of Adelaide 11:56am today

"How is imitating life Racist? The Jackson 5 are black people except for 1 of the Jacksons who became white. Michael Jackson is obviously an African American except the colour of his skin somehow became white. How is it racist. Get a life!"- Posted by: Samantha of 9:20am today

"Wake up to yourself and get over it, Harry Conick Jr you politically correct w**ker. Typical Yank." Posted by: Murray Smith of Qld 9:17am today

"What about White Chicks the movie done by the Waynes Brothers, where they painted their faces white and dressed up as girls, is that Rascits or even sexist? It didnt offend me, i just thought it was a crappy premise for a movie. I mean really it looks to me that racisim seems to be only a one way street. Any other race can say and do what ever they want to portray and mimic White/Anglosaxion people. Why is rascim one way? Posted by: One way of Adelaide 9:13am today

Harry is a native New Orleans resident who often works with musicians of every race. According to AdelaideNow, Dr Anand Deva, who played Michael Jackson in the skit, said the act was meant to be a tribute to Michael Jackson. "It certainly was not meant to be racist in any way at all," Dr Deva said. "I think he (Connick) is taking it the wrong way." Dr Diva said the group had tried to find Connick after the show to set him straight and apologize. "I suspect things are probably a bit different in America in terms of what that (black-face) means," he said. "I understand the history of the black face but certainly it was not construed in that way at all."

Video has been unearthed that shows Harry Connick Jr. also donning black face in a comedy skit, posted below.

Watch and talk back, was our Harry overreacting, or was this dated and dumb?  Is Harry a total hypocrite?