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Popular Culture Review
The erasure of Othello’s race is by far the most obvious thing that separates
“Homicidal Ham” from the other Uncontrollable-Othello films. As previously
discussed, blackface makeup, as used in A Double Life, is often a clear symbolic
marker of the actor’s change in personality. While Derek McGrath, the actor
playing Andy, mimics many of Coleman’s mannerisms, particularly the widened
eyes, the racial element is forgotten.5 However, as we shall see, this apparent
racial ignorance masks a complex set of assumptions about the play and the
intended audience.
So far, the only critical work o