By 1960, professional black-face minstrel show had all but disappeared as a form of entertainment. Still, there were those who seemed to long for the past and hope for its revival, particularly in amateur form. This commentary, written by Jim Haas for the Pottsville Republican and Herald of 22 April 1960 gives some of the history of the professional black-face minstrel in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, and concludes with the words “more power to them!” for the amateurs who were keeping the offensive and racist black-face entertainment alive.
__________________________________
Sounding Board
Professional black-face minstrel shows have long since run their course on the American entertainment scene but frequent mention of home-talent productions serve to recall that this particular medium has been amusing audiences in Schuylkill County for almost 120 years.
In all probability, the first professional Minstrel troupe performed in Pottsville’s Town Hall, near the present Capitol Theatre, during the 1840s. This historic regional cradle of entertainment was razed by fire in 1876.
We know a traveling company played Shenandoah as early as 1875, thanks to the well-preserved Evening Herald files.
This was the Simmons and Slocum Minstrels. Advance advertisements noted this outfit was coming to Shenandoah “direct from the Arch Street Opera House, Philadelphia.”
The company comprised 23 “first-class” performers.
The review of the performance appeared in the Evening Herald of September 4, 1875, and was most favorable even though the “house” proved quite disappointing.
Here’s what the Herald had to say:
“We were only sorry to see such a small audience in the Opera House last evening to witness the imimitable performance of Simmons and Slocum’s Minstrels. Sorry, because there was hardly encouragement for them to come again, and we would like to see them often.
“The performance was first-class in every particular. Welch and Rice, the kings of song and dance, well sustained their reputations as the best in the world. The audience could hardly believe that Gus Mills was not a lady, or that Billy Sweatman was not fresh from a plantation.”
The show took place in Shoemaker’s Opera House, southeast corner of Main and Oak Streets, which was consumed by flames during the great fire of 1883.
Originated in this country, the black-face minstrel show caught the public’s fancy as early as the 1840s. They popularized songs and ballads essentially as TV, radio and the recording industries do in our time.
Stephen Foster‘s great “My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night,” the original title, by the way – published in 1853, was a favorite with Christy’s Minstrels in New York. Many of Foster’s works were “plugged” by such troupes.
Dan Emmett, of course, wrote “Dixie” as a walk-around for Bryant’s Minstrels in New York back in 1859.
Minstrel shows as staged professionally reached their zenith in popularity from the 1870s to the turn of this century.
Ranking troupes of this period included Al G. Fields, Ward’s GAR Minstrels, the San Francisco Minstrels, Duprez and Benedict, Hague’s English Minstrels, Cleveland’s Minstrels and the Captain Jack Haverly show.
Later on emerged the celebrated Emmett Welch, Frank Dumont and Lew Dockstaders’ companies which included any number of talented Coal Region entertainers.
* * *
The “Tambo and Bones” routine in the old days never failed to get plenty of laughs. Indeed, local talent shows continue to exploit the same format to provoke the maximum amount of merriment.
Granddaddy of all Minstrel jokes is as enduring as ever; audiences would be disappointed not to hear some sort of variation of the most-backed gag.
“Who wuz dat lady I seed yo wit’ last night, Mistah Bones?”
“Day warn’t no lady, Tambo! That war’ mah wife!”
In fact, television entertainers made sure this oldie won’t be forgotten.
* * *
On the local scene, time was when the town awaited with keen interest the Elks Minstrel Show or those staged by other fraternal groups.
And of recent memory were the production put on by the Miners Minstrels and the annual St. Patrick’s Day Minstrel by members of the Annunciation Parish.
But such communities as Frackville, Ashland, Girardville and Mahanoy City still carry the torch in this respect by holding home-talent minstrel shows. Morever, this form of entertainment still clicks!
Minstrely, in short, has seen its day in a professional sense, butthe amateurs keep going, and more power to them!
____________________________________
Article transcribed from the Pottsville Reepublican and Herald, 22 April 1960, via Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.