{"id":8101,"date":"2018-11-27T13:37:44","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T18:37:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=8101"},"modified":"2018-11-28T11:20:58","modified_gmt":"2018-11-28T16:20:58","slug":"the-green-book-a-movie-and-a-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=8101","title":{"rendered":"Green Book: A Movie….and A Book"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Viggo Mortensen as Tonly Vallelonga (left) and Mahershala Ali as Dr. Donald Shirley (right) in Green Book<\/em>. Universal Pictures 2018. Accessed at: https:\/\/www.greenbookfilm.com\/gallery<\/p><\/div>\n

How does an African-American musician based in New York City navigate an eight-week tour which includes stops throughout the Jim Crow south in 1962? He hires a temporarily out-of-work night club bouncer and former trash truck operator as his driver. \u00a0And, along the way, they consult a small booklet called The Negro Motorist Green Book<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Negro Motorist Green-Book 1940 (facsimile), Victor Green, (2016)
Rare Books GV 1024 .N36 2016
Special Collections Research Center
George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n

Last weekend my family and I saw Green Book <\/em>at my local theater.\u00a0 Always interested in films featuring materials in our holdings, I jumped at the opportunity to see it. Besides, with most of the other movies offering CGI-enhanced martial arts, explosions, gunplay, and giant video game characters wrecking the Internet, I thought it would be a nice change of pace to see a more socially-redeeming piece. Green Book<\/em> fit the bill for our family night at the movies.<\/p>\n

The film features Mahershala Ali as piano virtuoso, Dr. Donald Shirley, and Viggo Mortensen as Tony Vallelonga, the tough Italian-American doorman at New York\u2019s Copacabana. Vallelonga has been hired by Shirley to drive and accompany him from performance to performance. Though their relationship is a bit tenuous in the beginning \u2013 Tony demonstrates some racist tendencies in his words and actions \u2013 they emerge as friends by the end of the film. Dr. Shirley encounters both subtle and overt racism in the towns and cities that are part of his concert tour. Tony witnesses this on several occasions and steps up to fight for him and protect him. For his part, Dr. Shirley helps Tony write meaningful love letters to his wife back home.<\/p>\n

So, at this point, you are probably wondering where the actual Green Book<\/em> appears in the film. It makes several subtle appearances throughout the story. \u00a0In my opinion it is referenced just enough to establish it as a key part of this story and the larger story of the difficulties some faced while travelling in the Deep South during the Civil Rights struggle without overusing it to the point of exploitation. As Tony and Dr. Shirley prepare to leave New York City, a representative from Shirley\u2019s record label hands Tony a copy of the The Negro Motorist Green Book<\/em>, saying: \u201cHere, you\u2019ll need this.\u201d For much of the film Tony\u2019s copy of the Green Book<\/em> is on the passenger seat beside him or on the nightstand in his motel room. \u00a0Tony and Dr. Shirley nearly always stay in different accommodations because most hotels and motels denied service to African American customers.\u00a0 While the motels suggested in the Green Book<\/em> as places where Dr. Shirley could stay were not always as inviting as those available to Tony, they were a place to stay.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Page from The Negro Motorist Green-Book 1940 (facsimile), Victor Green, (2016)
Rare Books GV 1024 .N36 2016
Special Collections Research Center
George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n

The Negro Motorist Green Book<\/em> was a small booklet started by New York City resident Victor Hugo Green in 1936 and published until 1966.\u00a0 It detailed places where travelers of color could stop for gas, food, lodging, or other services without threat of harm or denial of service. The Green Book<\/em> took the high road. The tone of the book was very elegant, gentle, almost matter-of-fact. There were no hints of militancy, concern, or fear for the safety of travelers, rather the publisher hoped to help African Americans avoid potential “inconveniences”. While racial discrimination was most prevalent and vicious in the Deep South, it existed nearly everywhere in the country during the publication of the Green Book<\/em>. Because of this, the publication covered all of the contiguous United States and was later expanded to include Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. \u00a0<\/em>The Standard Oil Company, later known as Esso, took out advertising in the Green Book.<\/em>\u00a0 Earlier versions of the publication could be purchased at Esso service stations for about a dollar, the final editions cost about two dollars.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Introduction to The Negro Motorist Green-Book 1940 (facsimile), Victor Green, (2016)
Rare Books GV 1024 .N36 2016
Special Collections Research Center
George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n

SCRC recently acquired a facsimile copy of the 1940 Negro Motorist Green Book<\/em> and is currently displaying it in its current exhibition: \u201cBefore and Beyond 1968: Three Civil Rights Movements in America\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Follow Special Collections Research Center on Social Media\u00a0at\u00a0our\u00a0Facebook,\u00a0Instagram, and\u00a0Twitter\u00a0accounts. To search the collections\u00a0held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our\u00a0website\u00a0and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail\u00a0us or call if you would like to\u00a0schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions. Appointments are not necessary to request and view collections.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How does an African-American musician based in New York City navigate an eight-week tour which includes stops throughout the Jim Crow south in 1962? He hires a temporarily out-of-work night club bouncer and former trash truck operator as his driver. \u00a0And, along the way, they consult a small booklet called The Negro Motorist Green Book. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":8109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,93,326],"tags":[171,22,727],"class_list":["post-8101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exhibits","category-miscellaneous","category-rare-books-2","tag-civil-rights","tag-exhibits","tag-green-book"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/gb_car.jpg?fit=1440%2C960&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-26F","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2503,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=2503","url_meta":{"origin":8101,"position":0},"title":"Notes from a Photograph Collection","author":"admin","date":"July 26, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Although the Oliver F. Atkins Photograph Collection contains tens of thousands of prints, negatives, and slides, there is also a small amount of papers that consist of handwritten notes, correspondence, and caption guidance forms.\u00a0 These documents assist with identification, such as the Ku Klux Klan photographs from December 1965 for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/Klavern.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6783,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6783","url_meta":{"origin":8101,"position":1},"title":"Travel Series: Hi’iaka","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"August 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello all! Amanda here. I was one of the curators of Special Collection Research Center\u2019s summer exhibition \u201cAround the World in (Almost) 80 Days,\u201d which although now closed, lingers on in this last Travel Series post. During the curation and building of this exhibit, my co-curator Brittney Falter and I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0007-e1503501278748.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0007-e1503501278748.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0007-e1503501278748.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0007-e1503501278748.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1950,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=1950","url_meta":{"origin":8101,"position":2},"title":"On Exhibit: The 1960s","author":"admin","date":"September 24, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The 1960s is regarded as one of the most turbulent times in recent history. 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The exhibit is divided into three parts: Popular Literature, American Life, and Politics\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/exhibit_banner_1960s.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5377,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=5377","url_meta":{"origin":8101,"position":3},"title":"Two New Exhibitions in SC&A Feature Items from Collection of Rare Books by Jan Morris and Oliver Atkins Photographs","author":"Bob Vay","date":"October 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"SC&A has completed two new exhibits of materials from its holdings. \u00a0On exhibit displays a group of books by historian and travel writer, Jan Morris, while the other features photographs from photographer, Oliver Atkins. Both exhibitions run through December 2015. \"Excerpts from a Life Well Traveled: The University Libraries' Jan\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jan Morris, as photographed in 1974. ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/janmorris_headshot_f423aeb0ce-238x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8182,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=8182","url_meta":{"origin":8101,"position":4},"title":"Before and Beyond 1968: Margaret Fuller","author":"admin","date":"January 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Emily Rusch, Research Services Assistant. Come visit Fenwick Library and check out our civil rights exhibit on the second floor! This exhibit highlights three different civil rights movements that took place in the United States. These three movements focused on equal rights for African-Americans, women,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Memoirs-of-Margaret-Fuller.jpg?fit=475%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7430,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7430","url_meta":{"origin":8101,"position":5},"title":"Preservation Week","author":"Amy Sullivan","date":"April 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Celebrate preservation awareness week by hosting a build-your-own-book-weight workshop! \u00a0 \u00a0 Book weights are filled fabric pouches that gently hold your books open while they\u2019re in use to avoid breaking the spines and free up your hands. Sure, you can buy them, but you can also make them. 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