HOLLYWOOD -- Hattie Winston is an African-American actress- singer who abandoned her career in New York to attend what she calls the 'University of Los Angeles' to study how to make good in Lala Land.
'I call it going to school,' Winston said. 'I've been here a year studying and observing what makes this town tick and how the industry works.'
It's not that Winston hasn't already attained a modicom of success. She is one of the stars of ABC-TV's 'Homefront' series.
She isn't content picking up a weekly check for her role as housekeeper Gloria Davis on the show and letting it go at that. An acomplished, award-winning actress, she's determined to change misconceptions about African-Americans in the context of weekly TV shows.
She has come a long way herself. Winston was born in Lexington, Miss. , and grew up in the town of Greenville. As a 12-year-old she tried to earn money in the cotton fields, but fainted in the heat and dust on her very first day.
At 14, seeking a good education, she packed off to New York, where she has spent most of her life with time out to attend Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Back in Manhattan, Hattie became active in the theater and TV; she was an original member of the Negro Ensemble Company in New York.
Her movie, TV and stage credits run from 'Two Gentleman of Verona' to 'Panic in Needle Park.' She won two Obie Awards in one season for roles in 'Mother Courage' and 'The Michigan.'
She is married to composer-conductor Harold Wheeler who helped develop 'The Wiz,' 'The Tap Dance Kid' and 'Dream Girls' among others.
'This whole town is a learning experience for me,' said Winston during lunch in a Beverly Hills restaurant.
'In New York I know the rules and who the players are, where the power lies, where to go and what to do. In L.A. I'm still learning that stuff.
'Everyone thinks the New York pace is very fast compared to L.A. But people get ten times as much done here. In L.A. there's no mistaking the shakers from the hustlers. If you learn the game, you can become a shaker, and that's what I want.'
If a cheerful countenance, infectious laugh and a sense of humor count for anything, Winston should find herself at the head of the class when she graduates from the 'University of L.A.'
'I wanted to do a TV series here,' she said. 'I'd done 'Nurse' and 'The Electric Company' in New York. When I got 'Homefront' we decided to move here and put down some roots. My husband and my daughter Samantha (9) love it.
'This time around I'm going for it, because nobody's told me we ever get a second or third chance in life.
'Fifty years ago it would have been unthinkable for a black girl to leave rural Mississippi, go to New York on her own and make a reputation for herself in the theater, TV and movies.
'I'd never thought of myself as an example for African-American girls. I just did the best I could to educate myself and learn about show business. It's not a matter of acclaim, it has to do with just being in the race.'
She hopes 'Homefront' presents a positive and objective picture of contemporary life among African-Americans.
'I'm waiting for our TV family to venture out more into the community,' she said. 'In a TV show with black characters you rarely get a chance to see them outside of the workplace or in their home.
'It's a rare black TV family that is complete with a mother, father and children. Usually black homes are shown as single-parent families.
'We are not saving the universe here. We're a TV show, but it's important to avoid cliche images, especially among minorities. I have a rule never to do a role my daughter can't be proud of.
'People wanted to know why I agreed to play a maid in 'Homefront.' I say being a maid is what Gloria Davis does. It's not who she is.
'I'm working on projects that will help present African-Americans in a truthful, realistic light. It hasn't really been accomplished in television.
'One of the reasons for so much racial separation in this country is due to images TV presents. If you lived in Iowa and the only contact you had with black people were what you saw on the news and TV shows, I wouldn't want to be around them either. The image is that false.
'To help break down those misleading images there must be different, truer stories, and that's why I'm studying here at the University of Los Angeles. I want to be in a position to help make those changes.'NEWLN:
