YOUR DAILY DOSE OF EUBIE!!!!! In the annals of theater history, there are many colorful characters among the actors, agents, producers, and critics who populate the Broadway scene. Lew Leslie was undoubtedly one of the most eccentric, with a meteoritic rise and fall worthy itself of a Broadway show. Leslie began his career as a …
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Will Morrissey’s Folies Bergere Revue
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF EUBIE!!! Blake was hired by producer Will Morrissey to provide music for his Folies Bergere Revue that premiered in Greenwich Village’s Gansevoort Theater in April 1930. Morrissey himself appeared in his revues, often in the audience, greeting the attendees while portraying an old-style Irish comedian. This mixed-race revue opened with a …
Happy Birthday Eubie!!!
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF EUBIE!!!! James Hubert Blake was born on February 7, 1887, in Baltimore, Maryland—not in 1883 as he would say through most of his life. Why Eubie added four years to his age is anyone’s guess, although his first wife, Avis, was older than him and he may wanted to make their …
Charles Cochran and the Lost London Production of Shuffle Along
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF EUBIE!!!!! After the New York run of Shuffle Along ended and the lead company took to the road, the plan originally was to go to London in April 1923 under the auspices of British producer Charles Cochran. Born in London, Cochran first established himself as an actor in American vaudeville in …
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Life on the Road
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF EUBIE!!!! It wasn’t easy to tour an all-black show during the days of Jim Crow—even when the show was playing Northern towns. The company had to find restaurants and lodgings that would accommodate black patrons. Getting accurate accountings from each theater for box office receipts was often tough, too. Eubie explained …
TALKIN’ BROADWAY REVIEWS EUBIE BLAKE: RAGS, RHYTHM, AND RACE
Hey Folks: Here’s another great review of our book, Eubie Blake: Rags, Rhythm, and Race: https://www.talkinbroadway.com/page/rialto/past/2021/eubie.html Some of you have asked how to order the book. Here’s a link to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Richard-Carlin/e/B001HO3A7S?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1611944681&sr=8-1 More cool posts coming next week!
Shuffle Along on Tour in the South
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF EUBIE!!! While the original Shuffle Along was a major success in New York and in Northern and Midwestern cities on tour, the show never ventured into the racially segregated south. This spot was taken by a “second company,” licensed by the original producers for touring more widely. Under the direction of …
The Shuffle Along Baseball Team
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF EUBIE!!!!! Here’s a unique item from Eubie’s scrapbooks: A photo of the Shuffle Along ball team at a game they played against a team led by white vaudevillians Van and Schenck. Life on the road was often boring and there were few opportunities for fun. Touring companies often formed ball teams …
Louis Mitchell’s Jazz Kings
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF EUBIE!!!!! Following World War I, James Reese Europe and his band played several concerts in Paris to celebrate the recent victory. They were entranced by the city, where they could move freely, be seated in any restaurant or bar with other patrons, and find work at the same or better pay …
Stage and Cinema Raves about EUBIE BLAKE: RAGS, RHYTHM, AND RACE
Here’s another great review for our book: https://www.stageandcinema.com/2021/01/18/eubie-blake-rags-rhythm-race/ Have you bought your copy yet?
