Saturday, April 30, 2011

From Jack Ryan


rabbit_foot, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Buckles,

Here's a photo I took of the Rabbit Foot Minstrels' historic marker in Port Gibson, Mississippi last fall.

I remember the show well. My father, who would go to see ANY show under canvas, took us regularly. We were often the only Caucasian family in the tent and always treated with great courtesy.

Jack

Posted by Buckles at 4/30/2011 05:30:00 AM

5 comments:

Whitey said...

These are great great photos. Many thanks, Jack and Buckles.

30 April, 2011 05:36
Anonymous said...

great photos buckles
very historic look at mid 20th century entertainment
from the looks of the trucks this seems to be in the early to mid 1950 era

bill powell

30 April, 2011 07:58
Bud said...

DITO Whitey !

To Any Other BLUES Enthuiasts -
PLEASE Check Out ;
"PORTRATES IN BLUE" on WBGO.ORG
Friday evenings 7 to 8 PM
repeated ;
Saturday mornings 7 to 8 AM
A weekly , One Hour Show usually decated to One Performer or Group a week , Very Well Done & Quite Informative with Rare & Detailed Information Accompaning the Music .

Folowing the Saturdays Show is another wonderfull show ;
"SATUDRDAY MORNING FUNCTION'
by Bob Porter ; 8am to 10am -
Rare Early Rock & Roll Music
also with Informative Documentation

And Then ( My Favorate )
Felix Hernandez's "RYTHEM REVIEW"
from 10 AM through 2 PM
A mix of RARE 50s, 60s, 70s & 80s DANCE MUSIC - He also hosts a Dance Party at "ROSELAND BALLROOM" in NYC 4 times a year where one can showoff there Moves & Tallents with many equally Spirited People .

Hea - As I'm typing
" OH What a Night is Playing "
by The DELLS -
making me often Recall being with Mike & Janice Aria & especially when A Temptations Song pops up on the Radio - and they would Start Singing ( In Harmony ) Togeather .

Always Fun Times & Memories just from hearing these type of songs -

Thanks for THESE Rare Photos .

30 April, 2011 09:16
Dick Flint said...

The show was started by Pat Chappelle in 1900. He was a black man and early vaudeville theatre owner in the mixed-race town of LaVilla, a suburb of Jacksonville, FL. White carnival man F.S. Wolcott purchased it in 1912 from the Chappelle estate and about 1950 Earl Hendrin bought the show but it was later sold in 1956 to Eddie Moran. All but the founder were white.

Its 90-minute show bore little resemblance to the old-time minstrel show. It featured opening and closing musical specs and a long “olio” (a hold-out term from a minstrel past) of a dozen or more song, dance, variety, and comedy numbers backed by a 10-12 piece band. In its last decade, it generally carried about 50 people, an 80-ft round top with up to 30-ft middles, 18 lengths of blues 10-high and more than 1000 reserved chairs. It moved daily, circus-style, on 14 vehicles including five semis, a concession truck, passenger bus, 35-ft combination office and living trailer, sound truck, generator, and three billing trucks. It toured at least as late as 1957.

The only other tent minstrel show in the 1950s was "Silas Green from New Orleans" founded by circus showman Eph Williams (of Wisconsin and Florida) and later owned for a long period by Charles Collier, of Macon. Ga., both black men. Collier's widow continued the show in the mid-1940s and later Charmin Dudley had it. It ended up being sold in the later 1950s to Gooding’s carnival and ended its days as a back-end unit sometime after 1960.

Both the Rabbit and Green shows got their unique names from the original tab or play they presented their first years out.

Dick Flint
Baltimore

30 April, 2011 17:27
clownron said...

Great stuff... thanks Jack. Has Ted Danson seen these?

01 May, 2011 17:12

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