As I pointed out time and again, in the original video of a March of 2004 school fundraiser, Tom Hanks’ claim of being “blindsided” for “an appalling few moments” never made sense. In that video you could clearly see Mr. Blackface standing in the back of the room plain as day.
How can you be blindsided when the guy is hovering that close to you long before he enters the auction spotlight?
New video released today by The Daily Caller pretty much proves that Academy Award-winner and Obama-supporter Hanks wasn’t being completely truthful about being “blindsided” for a “few moments.”
New video footage obtained by The Daily Caller indicates that movie star Tom Hanks was less than truthful when he claimed he was “blindsided” for “an appalling few moments” when a white man in blackface makeup joined him for part of a 2004 fundraising auction that benefited his children’s school. The man, investment banker Jamie Montgomery, also wore a costume including a giant Afro wig and a leopard-print toga. …
But additional footage from the 2004 event, obtained exclusively by TheDC, shows Montgomery in full view of Hanks beginning approximately ten minutes before he joined Hanks at the microphone to introduce the auction’s final item: a giant stuffed gorilla holding a “dowry” of 5,000 shares in a pharmaceutical company.
One portion of the video shows Montgomery, in full costume, slow-dancing with an unknown party guest between the dinner and the auction.
Which brings me to another question. What kind of school is St. Matthew’s Parish School? It’s located in the wealthy enclave of the Pacific Palisades, California, and if you look closely at the new video you won’t see any people of color — at least I didn’t. But what you will see is a room full of Caucasians, not only not appalled by investment banker Jamie Montgomery running around in blackface, but perfectly comfortable within the presence of one of the most racist stereotypes you’ll ever see.
Another factor worth noting is that like the original video, we again see the laughably boorish Glenn Frey running around non-stop making tired (even in 2004) Republican jokes. Which I think tells you a little bit about the political make up of those in the room — you know, those who are perfectly comfortable being wined and dined and seemingly unaffected by the vicious racial stereotype in their midst.
The moment when Mr. Blackface is slow dancing is like something out of a bad comedy, but it’s also a little chilling.
It is unthinkable to me that the school did not immediately demand Montgomery leave the fundraiser.