Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

In 1982, the black and white keys of the piano inspired a Paul McCartney to compose a song of the harmony that the both of them bring together. However, like music not everyone has an understanding or like for a particular song or genre. Trying to bridge the melody together, the motion picture Guess Who’s coming to Dinner focuses on the inter-racial relationships and their barriers. The movie does an excellent job of isolating the racial factor as the only disagreeable reason why anyone could object to a relationship.

Doctor John Wade Prentice is the perfect gentleman. He is a well-educated physician and humanitarian. He is an established member of the medical field and is a loving family man who has had the misfortune of losing his wife and child in an accident. However, being an African American in love with a Caucasian woman poses problems that arise between the family and society.

This film is based in the late 1960’s and opens with Dr. Prentice and Joanna Drayton arriving together at the San Francisco Airport from a vacation spent in Hawaii where the two unsuspected couple found love. Leaving the airport in the back of a taxi cab, the couple share a loving and embracing kiss while the driver views them with confusion. The question often arises, “Is everything alright?” upon introducing Dr. Prentice with employees of Mrs. Christina Drayton and her husband Matt Drayton because nobody would suspect Joanna Drayton of having a relationship with a Negro. Tillie, a black servant of the Drayton’s additionally accuses John Prentice of fooling around and being a “Black Power Nigger.”

The parents of John and Joanna are pleased to hear that their children have found love until they discover that their partner is not of the same race. Not wanting to cause emotional harm to Joey, Dr. Prentice confronts Mr. Drayton and tells him that without his approval, he will refuse to marry his daughter. Matt Drayton takes time to think about the couple and a scene in the movie suggest that something new can be good such as when Matt tries Fresh Oregon Boysenberry ice cream for the first time.

Essentially, inter-racial relationships aren’t such a big deal today as they were 40 years ago. Maybe part of the credit is owed to writer William Rose and director Stanley Kramer who helped revolutionize relationships through the media by opening the prejudicial eyes of their ignorance, worries, and fears. Therefore, like the beautiful music black with black keys make and white keys with white keys, it is not unusual to hear or see the melody of black and white keys together.