Kenneth Spencer
Kenneth Spencer had a commanding presence and a rich bass-baritone voice as evidenced in the two
stage productions of SHOWBOAT he appeared in which lead to an MGM contract. He appeared in
two A pictures at Metro: BATAAN, where he played a black soldier fighting alongside whites,
very rare for a contemporary WWII film, and CABIN IN THE SKY with an all-Black cast that
included Rex Ingram and Louis Armstrong.
Spencer didn't believe that there was a future for African-American actors in the U.S., and, like
Paul Robeson, went to Europe, where he appeared in ten German films, German television, and the
concert stage.
Clearly America's loss was Germany's gain. His lone American appearance during that long
self-imposed exile was in a TV production of THE EMPORER JONES.
Spencer felt that the atmosphere in Hollywood was changing, and he was returning to the US on
February 25, 1964 when the DC-8 he was traveling in crashed into Lake Pontchartrain, killing all 58
passengers and crew on board. It was the worst crash ever involving a DC-8.
Ironically, less than two months after the tragedy, Sidney Poitier would become the first Black
actor to win an Oscar. Kenneth Spencer was only 50 years old,.
Bill Walker
Although few movie fans will recognize his name, William
'Bill' Walker was one of the most familiar character actors of the 50s, 60s and 70s with over 170
credits. He was born in Pendleton, California in 1896, the son of a freed slave and was the first
black graduate of Pendleton High School.
After serving in France during World War I, he became a band leader and singer before breaking into
acting on Broadway. His most notable appearance on the Great White Way was in GOLDEN DAWN in
1929, a musical co-written by Oscar Hammerstein II.
Walker made his film debut at age 50 as Sam the Cook in the 1946 adaptation of Hemingway's THE
KILLERS and continued to play cooks, butlers, porters and servants. Although these roles were
subservient, he always played them with grace, dignity and a genteel manner.
In 1952 he was elected to the Screen Actors Guild Board of Directors. One of his first things he did
was join SAG President Ronald Reagan in presenting a report to the Producers' Guild entitled "More
and Better Roles for Negroes in Motion Pictures." This action was unprecedented for its time, and
though it didn't produce immediate results, Walker continued to crusade for improvements in the
casting of black actors. He joined the NAACP in 1963 in negotiating a non-discrimination clause in
SAG's theatrical agreement.
He left the Board in 1971 but in 1972 his tireless efforts produced an Ethnic Minorities Committee
within SAG as opportunities improved for minority actors throughout the industry.
Walker was married for fifty years to Peggy Cartwright, the last surviving member of the original
Our Gang group. It was the first successful interracial marriage between Hollywood actors and ended
with his 1992 death from cancer at age 95. He is buried alongside his wife in Riverside National
Cemetery in Riverside, California.
His most memorable role was undoubtedly that of Reverend Sykes in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
Gregory Peck credits Walker's line to his children about standing up as their father passes through
the courtroom as helping him win the Oscar."
-Gabe Taverney
