History Main / UncleTomfoolery

* Shenzi one of the Hyenas in the {{TerribleTrio}}
in

* Shenzi one of the Hyenas in the {{TerribleTrio}}in

* Shenzi one of the Hyenas in the {{TerribleTrio}}in''Westernanimation/{{TheLionKing}}’’voiced by Creator/WhoopiGoldberg is a gender inverted characterization of this trope she the only character in the film that has an African American accent despite many characters being voiced by African Americans in that film.Addition to her accent many critics mentioned her character reminded them of minstrel characters and the reason behind that was her being goofy and slightly annoying and slightly incompetent.Despite those personality traits in the film she is shown to be {{Smarterthantheylook}} at times. Her affiliates in the {{TerribleTrio}} could be categorized fitting this trope as well especially Banzai but he has Mexican American accent and could be categorized into the{{ EthnicScrappy}} characterization.

* Shenzi one of the Hyenas in the {{TerribleTrio}} in ''Westernanimation/{{TheLionKing}}’’
voiced by Creator/WhoopiGoldberg is a gender inverted characterization of this trope she the only character in the film that has an African American accent despite many characters being voiced by African Americans in that film.Addition to her accent many critics mentioned her character reminded them of minstrel characters and the reason behind that was her being goofy and slightly annoying and slightly incompetent.Despite those personality traits in the film she is shown to be {{Smarterthantheylook}} at times. Her affiliates in the {{EvilTrio}} could be categorized fitting this trope as well especially Banzai but he has Mexican American accent and could be categorized into the{{ EthnicScrappy}} characterization.

* Shenzi one of the Hyenas in the {{EvilTrio}} in ''Westernanimation/{{TheLionKing}}’’

* Shenzi one of the Hyenas in the {{EvilTrio}}in ''Westernanimation/{{LionKing}}’’

* Oscar the protagonists of ''Westernanimation/{{SharkTale}} '', voiced by Creator/Will Smith displays stereotypical traits of a Black American male in a comical way despite being a fish addition to being a cowardly goofyball.

* Donkey from ''Westernanimation/{{Shrek}} '', another animated character that is voiced by Eddie Murphy that supports this trope.Even though Donkey is a [[{{TalkingAnimal}} he is the only character in the Shrek series who has an African American accent and has many traits of an Uncle Tomfoolery character especially with him being cowardly and rather annoying alongside of being the [[{{PluckyComicRelief}} of the Shrek film series.

* Donkey from ''Westernanimation/{{Shrek}} '', another animated character that is voiced by Eddie Murphy that supports this trope.Even though Donkey is a talking Donkey he is the only character in the Shrek series who has an African American accent and has all of the traits of an Uncle Tomfoolery character especially with him being cowardly and rather annoying.

* Spoofed in the comic ''Professor Thintwhistle and his Incredible Fying Aether Flyer,'' a ''Heavy Metal'' serialized AffectionateParody of Victorian adventure stories that is filled to the brim with DeliberateValuesDissonance, nowhere more than the Professor's manservant Jefferson Jackson Clay. Clay is an old-timey minstrel show stereotype, complete with lots of "Oh lawdy, I'se so skeered!" style dialogue and is constantly insulted, abused and talked down to by the Professor, his apprentice Herkimer and even the narrator! [[spoiler: [[ObfuscatingStupidity It's all an act.]] He's really an EvilGenius who plots to take over the ship...[[TheBadGuyWins and does.]]]]

* Oscar the fish voiced by Creator/WillSmith in the animated film ''WesternAnimation/SharkTale''.

* Creator/MarlonWayans has practically made a career out of this, some of his other examples being ''Film/MoMoney'', ''Film/LittleMan'', ''Film/{{Norbit}}'' and ''Film/DungeonsAndDragons''.

A black male comic relief character who makes the audience laugh by displaying the traits of a racist stereotype of black men. He'll usually be [[MilesGloriosus boastful out of danger]] (but a cringing wreck in the face of it), goofy, loud, annoying, and ultimately incompetent. These characteristics also serve to show the (usually white) protagonists as calm, brave, and adept.

This is a trope with a long history in Hollywood movies as far back as the [[TheRoaringTwenties '20s]]; in the very early days, it was often played by a white actor in {{blackface}}. No mystery or old-dark-house movie was complete without the stock character of the cringing black servant or chauffeur who was extremely superstitious ("Boss! Spooks!"). This stereotype was so popular that actors like Lincoln "Stepin Fetchit" Perry even made whole careers out of the role. This in turn was a shamelessly racist adaptation of the old melodrama and theatre trope of the incompetent domestic servant.

* Parodied in a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' sketch, with an exaggerated Music/LouisArmstrong type character (played by David Alan Grier) back in the 1940s, who openly sings about how he doesn't mind not being treated as an equal. The sketch ends with a historian noting that the character would go down in history as the first black man to ever be lynched by other blacks.

* ''Film/DjangoUnchained'' not only averts this trope with Django himself, but also {{Deconstructs}} it with Stephen, who is first introduced in a somewhat comical fashion as being {{Large Ham}}mily incredulous at Django being on a horse and being treated as a guest at the big house, and then spends most of dinner parroting his master (the BigBad of the film). However, he is considerably more observant and intelligent than the BigBad and when he is alone with the black slaves he becomes extremely sinister, suggesting that the Uncle Tomfoolery is his deliberately being sufficiently non-threatening to the whites that he is allowed to keep his position of power within the household and act as his master's [[TheDragon dragon]]. [[spoiler: He is also, at the very least, a DragonAscendant; he not only outlives his master but also gets dramatically killed while shouting curses in the film's violent climax, further suggesting that he is more of a BigBad than his [[TheFool Fool]] of a master.]]

* ''Film/DjangoUnchained'' not only averts this trope with Django himself, but also subverts it with Stephen, who is first introduced in a somewhat comical fashion as being {{Large Ham}}mily incredulous at Django being on a horse and being treated as a guest at the big house, and then spends most of dinner parroting his master (the BigBad of the film). However, he is considerably more observant and intelligent than the BigBad and when he is alone with the black slaves he becomes extremely sinister, suggesting that the Uncle Tomfoolery is his deliberately being sufficiently non-threatening to the whites that he is allowed to keep his position of power within the household and act as his master's [[TheDragon dragon]]. [[spoiler: He is also, at the very least, a DragonAscendant; he not only outlives his master but also gets dramatically killed while shouting curses in the film's violent climax, further suggesting that he is more of a BigBad than his [[TheFool Fool]] of a master.]]

* Use InUniverse in ''Film/TropicThunder'' with the character Lincoln Osiris, who is played by a white Australian actor in {{blackface}} doing this trope to a T -- much to the annoyance of the ''actually'' black actor Alpa Chino.

* Foul-mouthed L.J., the walking hip-hop stereotype from ''Film/ResidentEvilApocalypse''. As can be expected in a horror film: the cool, Peyton dies, while the offensively annoying L.J. ''doesn't''. [[spoiler:Until the sequel.]]

* An unusual example happens in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "The Burns and the Bees". [[ItMakesSenseInContext When an army of super strong and super violent Bees take over Springfield's new basketball stadium]], Bumblebee Man ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a man who dresses like a Bumblebee]]) tries to defend himself...

*** And the FBI agents who turn up to take over the scene are a white man and a black man who have the same last name and the same ''extremely'' by-the-book style. In fact, the bad guys are counting on it, as their plan only works if the FBI ''do'' go by-the-book.

---> "Just like fuckin' Saigon, hey, Slick?"
---> (Nodding, smiling) "I was in junior high, dickhead."

* Noogie the Ex-Con and Crockett and Tubbs' go to guy for information on criminal activities on the street in ''Series/MiamiVice''

* In the Tyler Perry T.V. series ''Series/MeetTheBrowns'' Mr.Brown displays a lot of characteristics and trait of this troupe. He is often the ''ButtMonkey'' of this series because he can be very dim-witted, and clumsy and sometimes cowardly he might remind some viewers of minstrel characters.

* ''Series/TheGoodies''. All black people have left South Africa for Britain, so the authorities institute the [[{{Pun}} Apart-height]] policy. As the shortest member of the group, Bill is now a second class citizen, and is given a 'rehearsal leaflet' on how to act.
-->'''Tim:''' Bopo, bring me the morning paper!
-->'''Bill:''' Yes boss, here come the morning paper!
-->'''Policeman:''' Boy, lick my boots!
-->'''Bill:''' Ma tongue is slavering for your boots!

-->'''Bumblebee Man:''' Stop, I am one of you!
-->'''Bee:''' ''(Buzzing) We hate you most of all, Uncle Tom.''

-->'''Cartman''': Token, give me a smooth bass line.
-->'''Token''': ...I don't know how to play bass.
-->'''Cartman''': *frustrated* Token, how many times do we have to go through this? You're black, you can play bass.
-->'''Token''': *angry* I'm getting sick of your stereotypes.
-->'''Cartman''': Be as sick as you want, just give me a goddamn bass line!
-->'''Token''': *picks up guitar and instantly is able to play a series of complicated riffs* Goddamnit.

** ''Film/LethalWeapon1987'' flipped the formula, with a suicidal and crazy white man partnered to a by-the-book family man. However, as the series continued, the white man got less suicidal and the black man got less uptight.

*** The character that fits the most, is actually Leo Getz, played by Creator/JoePesci.

--->'''Augustus Cole:'' "Do you ever feel like you're dead, but nobody ever told you?"

* ''Film/DjangoUnchained'' not only averts this trope with Django himself, but also subverts it with Stephen, who is first introduced in a somewhat comical fashion as being {{Large Ham}}mily incredulous at Django being on a horse and being treated as a guest at the big house, and then spends most of dinner parroting his master (the BigBad of the film). However, he is considerably more observant and intelligent than the BigBad and when he is alone with the black slaves he becomes extremely sinister, suggesting that the Uncle Tomfoolery is his [[GenreSavvy deliberately being]] sufficiently non-threatening to the whites that he is allowed to keep his position of power within the household and act as his master's [[TheDragon dragon]]. [[spoiler: He is also, at the very least, a DragonAscendant; he not only outlives his master but also gets dramatically killed while shouting curses in the film's violent climax, further suggesting that he is more of a BigBad than his [[TheFool Fool]] of a master.]]

->''"As much as I love to see Richard Roundtree getting work, there's no getting around it: the old junk-man who can produce anything you need because it '{{fell off the back of a truck}}' has got to be the most uncomfortable cliché in the entire film."''

* ''Lethal Weapon''
** The first ''Film/LethalWeapon'' flipped the formula, with a suicidal and crazy white man partnered to a by-the-book family man. However, as the series continued, the white man got less suicidal and the black man got less uptight.

* In TheSeventies TV show ''The Comedians'', which showcased the best stand-up comics of the day, Yorkshire-born stand-up Charlie Williams attracted criticism, even in the day, for being a black comic whose stand-up act was based on pandering to white expectations and prejudices concerning black British people. In fairness, he ''was'' appearing on the same bill as people like Bernard Manning. But later black stars like Creator/LennyHenry watched the show and vowed they were ''not'' going to do comedy this way, although Lenny went out of his way to befriend Charlie personally, and the two became good friends.

The trope's name is derived from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_tom "Uncle Tom,"]] a common slang term for a black person who is excessively subservient to white people. The original Uncle Tom (of ''Literature/UncleTomsCabin'') was anything but subservient, comic, or cowardly; however, the immensely popular stage adaptation of ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' replaced the novel's serious social commentary with melodrama and filled it out with comic interludes that were often heavy on ugly stereotypes. This led to some serious MisaimedFandom from racists who went to see black people mocked in what became known as "Tom Shows." Engaging in Uncle Tomfoolery is sometimes referred to as "Cooning."

This is a trope with a long history in Hollywood movies as far back as the [[TheRoaringTwenties '20s]]; in the very early days, it was often played by a white actor in {{blackface}}. No mystery or old-dark-house movie was complete without the stock character of the cringing black servant or chauffeur who was extremely superstitious ("Boss! Spooks!") This stereotype was so popular that actors like Lincoln "Stepin Fetchit" Perry even made whole careers out of the role. This in turn was a shamelessly racist adaptation of the old melodrama and theatre trope of the incompetent domestic servant.

The trope saw continued use into the 1990s but with the Uncle Tomfoolery character being a duo with the White character, but growing racial awareness and an increasing interest in [[ActionHero Action Heroes who just happen to be black]], such as Creator/DenzelWashington and Creator/SamuelLJackson, has caused it to gradually lose popularity. Accusations of Uncle Tomfoolery will continue, in part because there are plenty of black actors who happen to be good at comedy, though the 'hip' elements have decreased.