MOVIE REVIEW: Mahogany (1975). A rags-to-riches story hits very close…

Being a creative person of color continues to be an uphill battle at every level. Too often there are people who know less than you telling you how to do your job, based solely on the clash between skin colors. Many have been lost to this shade borne from a gulf of shades, but one was able to get through and make a difference: Motown singing sensation Diana Ross. She beat the odds and made a career of showing that IT CAN BE DONE. Proof of concept is her 1975 starring vehicle about one Black woman’s experience in the fashion industry with a banger of a theme song: Mahogany.

Diana Ross plays Tracy Chambers (The Wiz [1978], Double Platinum [1999]), an aspiring fashion designer living in 1970s Chicago. She works as a retail shopgirl by day, going to fashion school by night, and her Aunt Florence (Beah Richards, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? [1967], Beloved [1998]) makes her finished samples at the sweatshop. On the way home one night she meets Brian Walker (Billy Dee Williams, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi [1983], The Ladies’ Man [2000]), a community organizer trying to help people in the slums from being pushed out of their homes. Their first meeting does not go well, as Tracy is not interested in saving the neighborhood she is trying to escape. Their second results in a brawl with the construction workers tearing down the neighborhood because Tracy pranked Brian by putting milk in his megaphone. Once he is bailed out by Tracy, their romantic adventures begin in earnest as she flees to make it to work.
While working she is discovered by fashion photographer Sean McAvoy (Anthony Perkins, Psycho [1960], The Black Hole [1979]) — for her looks, not for her design skill. She doesn’t let it get her down, yet Sean is determined to get Tracy out to Rome to be part of the fashion world. The tone of the fashion world rubs Brian the wrong way, especially the way they use people of color to achieve their goals — Tracy included. She still tries to get her work seen, but industry types aren’t trying to work with her and then a fateful thing happens: she left her sketchbook at her last interview. When the interviewer phones Tracy’s job, her supervisor Miss Evans (Nina Foch, Cry of the Werewolf [1944], Skin Deep [1993]) is more than pleased to let Tracy go — especially since Tracy said her absence was for a doctor’s appointment. Oof.
Things turn around at the unemployment office as Brian reappears, and Tracy works the crowd to help him get the crowd to vote for him as alderman — while also asking for another chance. He accepts, but there’s a downside: Brian’s political career takes center stage in their relationship, leaving Tracy no time to chase her fashion dreams or any support from the man who said he loved her. She leaves for Rome the moment Sean calls — it’s all her career from this point onward — leaving Brian to his aspirations.

Rome is a whole other world for Tracy with uncluttered skies, incredible architecture and art, ancient history, fine food and culture— and opportunity galore. Thankfully Sean is there to help her adjust, and give her a new modeling name: “Mahogany” — a wood that’s rich, dark, and rare as Tracy. When they get to Gavina Agency where Tracy will be modeling, the advertising execs look at her as a piece of meat: commenting on her smaller frame and suggesting cosmetic enhancements for TV ads. Tracy’s not with the foolishness and threatens to walk out if all they want is tits, and offers the position to the only other woman in the room. That woman turns out to be Carlotta Gavina (Marisa Mell, Danger: Diabolik! [1968]), the namesake of the fashion house, who likes Tracy’s ability to push back and hires her immediately.

In short order Tracy become “Mahogany”, with every shoot under Sean becoming a swirling, windblown masterpiece under his direction as Tracy serves looks — even when he pushes her into a fountain and her soaking wet photos makes the billboards for Revlon “Touch & Glow” Extra Moisturizing Creme Makeup. It’s still an uphill battle in Rome for Tracy, as both she and Sean have to fight for the proper recognition with Gavina — for Tracy as a Black woman and Sean as a gay man. Their relationship comes to a head when Tracy can’t even wear her own designs for a photo shoot. Tracy’s gonna get her work shown no matter what — even if she has to start at charity auctions. Luck strikes again as wealthy benefactor Christian Rosetti (Jean-Pierre Aumont, Don’t Look in the Attic [1982], Hotel du Nord [1938]) is in the audience as Tracy breaks protocol and wears an Asian-themed outfit she designed — which was NOT approved! As the catty Sean trolls her and bids pocket change at an event that fetches millions on first bid, Mr. Rosetti bids a gentlemanly 20 million lira to stop the crowd’s ridicule.

Things get even better as Brian comes all the way to Rome to see Tracy (he lost the alderman’s race BTW) to get her back; now that he has support, he can try for bigger things. It starts getting complicated with Sean as he becomes obsessed with making life for Tracy hell — even going so far as to threaten Brian with a Luger from his gun collection. Brian taps out and leaves suddenly, and with good reason: Tracy’s world is too crazy for him and she’s bought into the power of the Mahogany persona, stripping for her party crowd and dripping hot wax on herself. They have it out when she gets home, and she refuses to confront what she has become. She calls herself — Mahogany — a success, a winner that everybody loves! Brian reminds her before he walks out the door that she’s not successful…without someone to share the success with. Screaming that he’s a loser and she hates him, Tracy curls up on her couch and cries herself to sleep. ALONE. But somebody does want her: Sean, whose obsession with making her life hell nearly gets her killed during an automobile photo shoot but gets him killed in the crash. Tracy heals from her injuries thanks to Mr. Rosetti and moves on to become a designer under Rosetti’s new acquisition from Gavina — Mahogany Creations!

Months pass and the debut of Tracy’s Asian collection is a hit, but then reality hits her: she has the success and adoration she’s always wanted but no one to share it with. Even though she essentially sold herself to Rosetti to get the money to make Mahogany Creations happen, there is no love there; there never would be. She abandons the powerful people with groping hands and lucrative offers from Paris to find Brian once more, leaving Mahogany behind and becoming who she always was — Tracy, no less than what she ever was and hope for the future as the wife of a future congressman.

Learning about Mahogany and Diana Ross’ life was very eye-opening, as the story parallels too closely to be just a story by Toni Amber turned into a screenplay by John Byrum. Indeed Tracy and Diana both went to fashion school, and both had incredible strokes of luck in life. While Tracy got with Rosetti to fund her ambitions, Miss Ross would meet Berry Gordy (of Motown fame) and they would work mutually to make the Supremes synonymous with success in the 1960s. She embodied Black excellence, even as she stumbled, and showed young Black people that they can be whatever they dream no matter their circumstances or origin.
As a Black creative, the movie resonates with me for so many reasons. Mahogany is one of the first films my mother saw when she came to this country in the 70’s from the Caribbean and it was inspirational. Like all her contemporaries, she is a creative without the label: singing, dress-making, cooking, and innovating ways to care. She passed that creative innovation to all of us — my sister, my brother, and I. But coming from the Caribbean where such talent is treasured, she came to America where you skin color matters first. Dismissed as a domestic maid for months before she could work in her field of thorough training, she remembers those days — and all the Miss Evanses she met — with a closed fist. To be stifled because you didn’t fit the existing mold was a running theme in Mahogany, and I saw it at almost every turn in my professional work and those of my contemporaries and peers.

Critics at the time had a field day dunking on this movie, saying Berry Gordy acting as director (after firing director Tony Richardson) squandered Diana Ross on-screen. The theme for the film — “Do You Know Where You’re Going To?” — was almost denied the chance at Best Original Song at 48th Academy Awards due to the Academy’s “quality standards” (read: veiled racism), but Berry Gordy fought to even get it nominated. The film sits at a 29% Rotten Tomatoes critics’ rating from who call it a messy soap opera that pushes the advances of feminism two steps back, yet has a 75% audience rating…because people LIKE the film. The level of mental gymnastics people have to make to disregard this amazing film is stunning. It seems the problems that plagued Tracy and all creatives on the outside still exists. Mahogany suffers from the same problem: it’s pearls cast before swine.

CHOICE CUTS:

• Diana Ross designed all the fashions worn in this film.

• PRICELESS QUOTES: “Help me get my old man back!” — Tracy, working the crowd for Brian while also asking for a second chance. It’s a beautiful and layered performance that keeps the audience and extras laughing. And when it comes back, it’s always welcome.
• CAMEO: Notable fashion designer Princess Irene Galitzine appears as herself as the sponsor for the charity event where Tracy reveals her first dress from her Asian-inspired collection.
• Shoutout to Lenard Norris (The Spook Who Sat By the Door [1973]) as Wil, one of Brian’s political workers, for being a real one in the movie and in real life for becoming a Christian missionary.
• PRICELESS QUOTES: “Mister, I’m a designer” — Tracy, when people keep pushing her to menial and clerical tasks.
• I hope the movie was a treat for Diana Ross’ daughter Tracee, who would have been about two years old when the film was released.
• Who is Toni Amber? I have tried to find out for this review, but all i know about her is she has this single credit to her name and the screenwriter John Byrum went on to make other films & television. If anyone knows or knew Toni Amber, please leave a message in this review.
• FUN FACT: “Mahogany” is the name of an African-American targeted greeting card brand by Hallmark, going strong since 1991.
• BURY YOUR GAYS: Sean was a VERY weird guy for sure, but once his sexual nature was revealed his premature death was assured to comfort the heterosexual dominance on Western culture. It was the 70’s; not everywhere was Studio 54 or Greenwich Village.
• PRICELESS QUOTES: “What are you trying to do? Kill me?” — Sean, after losing the tug-of-war with Brian over the Luger. Those crazy eyes were friggin’ PERFECT.

• CAMEO: A young Robert Townsend (The Meteor Man [1993], Hollywood Shuffle [1987], The Warriors [1979]) shows up as an uncredited extra.
• PRICELESS QUOTES: “Somebody’s gotta do the marching and politicking and protesting to make this a place to live.” — Brian’s speech to Tracy as they walk through a bulldozed neighborhood. Given how the world has changed for the worse, I feel that.
• Watching Miss Evans squirm under Sean’s gaze for trying to stop Tracy from becoming a model was awesome. “I really feel quite different!” she says as she runs off.
• CAMEO: Comedian Bruce Vilanch as a dressmaker really WORKS.
• PRICELESS QUOTES: “Success is nothing without someone you love to share it with.” — Brian dropping knowledge on Tracy when she really needs it.
• I don’t think I would have given into Sean’s demands to distract him long enough to get my hands on the steering wheel; good going, Tracy!
• NEEDLE DROP: The theme song “Do You Know Where You’re Going To?” can be found all over hip-hop, most notably in the hook on the 1998 Cam’ron track “Horse & Carriage (remix)”.