A black-face minstrel show was presented by the football team of the Upper Dauphin High School and the V. F. W. Post of Elizabethville on the evenings of February 27, 1959 and February 28, 1959, at the Upper Dauphin High School, Elizabethville, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The following articles appeared in the Elizabethville Echo, describing the event.
From the Echo, February 12, 1959:
Start Rehearsals For Minstrel Show
Rehearsals were started recently for presentation of a minstrel show in the new Upper Dauphin High School auditorium, Elizabethville, February 27-28, at 8:00 p.m.
Richard Grimm is director for the show. Appearing in the cast will be Theodore Lebo as interlocutor; and Charles Botts, Warren H. Daniel; Kermie Witmer, Marvin Troutman, Michael Margerum, and William Botts as end men.
The show will be co-sponsored by the football team of the Upper Dauphin High School, and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, Elizabethville.
From the Echo, February 19, 1959:
TO STAGE MINSTREL SHOW FEBRUARY 27-28
A minstrel show will be presented in the auditorium of the Upper Dauphin Joint High School, Elizabethville, Friday and Saturday, February 27-28 at 8:00 p.m.
The show will be co-sponsored by the football team of the Upper Dauphin High School, and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, Elizabethville.
From the Echo, February 26, 1959:
Minstrel Show Here Friday and Saturday
A minstrel show will be presented in the Upper Dauphin Joint High School auditorium, Elizabethville, Friday and Saturday, February 27-28 at 8:00 p.m.
The show will be presented under co-sponsorship of the football team of the Upper Dauphin High School and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, town. Richard Grimm is director.
Appearing in the cast are Theodore Lebo as interlocutor; Warren H. Daniel, Charles Botts, Kermit Witmer, Michael Margerum, William Botts, and Marvin Troutman as end men.
It did not have to be stated in the notices that the “end men” would be appearing in black-face.
White men and women, who blackened their faces, and performed emphasizing negative stereotypical behavior that they attributed to African Americans, for the purpose of getting laughs, were often the most prominent people in the community. In the case of this production it was supported by the football team of the area’s high school (approved by the Board of Education) and the local post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
This post is part of a series in which news articles, photographs and other “memorabilia” are presented to show how “black-face” was infused into the culture of the Lykens Valley area. Readers are invited to submit photos and recollections on how long this offensive “entertainment” lasted and what locals thought of it as part of the culture of the area.
________________________________________
News articles from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.