We're washing some men right out of hair on this week's episode, as we cover the 1958 Rodgers and Hammerstein musicalSouth Pacific! Based on a short story from a collection of the same name and the musical adaptation, PhD candidate in American History at the University of Cambridge Samantha Lane joins to discuss the history behind Rodgers and Hammerstein's depiction of racial relations in the WW2 Pacific. We discuss the movie's place in commenting on racial relations back home in the mid-century US, how its demonstration of stereotypes has held up over the years, interesting choices of color washing in key scenes, and more!
We've moved to bluesky! Please follow us there at @flashbackhistory.bsky.social
Flashback is graciously supported by the University of Oxford's Rothermere American Institute
Enjoy the show? Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice