Spit-up On My Shoulder

What sounds like a fascinating documentary was released in DVD form for the first time on July 3rd. Mary Coley, an African American midwife who delivered almost 4,000 babies in Georgia from the 1930s through the 1960s, is the subject of the 1952 movie All My Babies.

Here is an abridged description from Amazon:

This beautiful film is the story of “Miss Mary” Coley, an African-American midwife more than half a century ago in rural Georgia. Conceived as a demonstration film for illiterate “granny” midwives, All My Babies quickly transcended its initial purpose. The film was written, produced, and directed by George C. Stoney in close collaboration with Mrs. Coley and local public health doctors and nurses. It shows the preparation for and home delivery of healthy babies in both relatively good and bad rural conditions among black families at that time.

The film is in addition both a deeply respectful portrait of “Miss Mary,” who is revealed as an inspiring human being, and a record of the actual living conditions of her patients. All My Babies was elected in 2002 by the Librarian of Congress as a “culturally, historically, and artistically significant work” for permanent preservation in the National Film Registry.

Melanie again: I also learned that an essay by Stoney that accompanies the DVD describes how segregation laws affected the filming. Stoney, a white man, and Dr. Willam Mason, an African American physician, worked closely together on the film, but were never allowed to eat together or stay in the same hotel. The local sheriff’s department came close to stopping filming because they weren’t comfortable with a white film crew’s presence in predominantly African American neighborhoods.

It may be hard to find All My Babies at video outlets, but I’m going to try! You can order it from Amazon and video stores or from Image Entertainment. If I do end up buying it, I’ll plan a time for a movie showing.