After Eartha Kitt spoke out against the Vietnam War at a 1968 White House luncheon, she was virtually unhirable in the United States for a decade. A new short film reconstructs the event. Watch here.
In the film, Calonico captures the political niceties that border on the absurd.
Eartha Kitt didn’t want to attend the White House luncheon that wound up derailing her career: the 1968 Women Doers Luncheon, the First Lady Claudia Johnson called it. The topic of interest would be delinquency in the streets. Kitt didn’t put much stock in the gathering. “Those luncheons—what are they gonna mean?” she remembered thinking. “Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah, and that’s it.”
Kitt, in fact, had crashed a luncheon roughly a month earlier, playing Catwoman in an episode of “Batman,” the campy, Skittles-hued series that punctuated its punches with “Bam!”s, “Whack!”s, and family-friendly messages about how crime isn’t groovy. At the fictional luncheon—a celebration of Batgirl, Gotham City’s declared best-dressed woman—the ladies who lunch, coiffed and hatted, politely clap as they sit in front of tables that hardly have any lunch on them. Holy yawn fest, Batman.
, of the ordeal on many occasions—but Scott Calonico, the director of the documentary short “Catwoman vs. the White House,” presents a more comprehensive view. Calonico told me that he wanted to find out if he could unearth any firsthand recordings of the famous moment. Thus, with footage from the L.B.J.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
For Supreme Court Nominees, 'When's Your Birthday?' MattersPresident Joe Biden's search for a nominee to the Supreme Court isn't just limited by credentials, race and gender — youth is particularly prized.
Read more »
Sha'Carri Richardson Has Questions After a Figure Skater Will Compete in the Olympics Despite a Positive Drug Test'The only difference I see is I’m a black young lady.”
Read more »
See President Joe Biden and wife Jill’s vintage beach photo for Valentine’s DayThe first lady also wrote a sweet message to celebrate the romantic holiday.
Read more »
Phil Rosenthal Set to Launch His First Podcast, ‘Naked Lunch,’ With David Wild This Spring (EXCLUSIVE)Phil Rosenthal, creator of CBS’s “Everybody Loves Raymond” and host of Netflix’s “Somebody Feed Phil,” is about to get naked — metaphorically — for his first pod…
Read more »
Key US-Canada bridge reopens after police clear protestersThe busiest U.S.-Canada border crossing has reopened after protests against COVID-19 restrictions closed it for almost a week. The crossing normally carries 25% of all trade between the two countries.
Read more »
Canadian police arrest 11 with batch of weapons at trucker protest'The group was said to have a willingness to use force against the police if any attempts were made to disrupt the blockade,' police said in a statement.
Read more »