Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-24
DONE IN PHILADELPHIA

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friends the minstrels with us for more than
! so years. They have weathered every inno-
! walton in theatricals; the decline and fall of
! the stock ventures the advent of the travel
! ing companies, comic opera, vaudeville and
now even moving pictures. And they are
! going on, but not telling the same old jokes
! night after night.
All my efforts to run down to its dark
origin the libel that minstrel jokes are ven
erable resulted in failure. Some Of the best
! jokes recall were first passed over the foot
| lights by minstrel company. Only after
they became public property did they find
their way into periodicals.
! TTAVING become a venerable institution
i L many years ago, there naturally arose
a dispute as to the place where negro min
strelsy had its birth. Probably not many
cities claimed Homer for their own con-
tended, but certainly Philadelphia and New
York had their advocates.
am willing to admit prejudice in favor
of this city, and as no other place on the
globe supported mnstfelsy for SO long
time we seem to have something of pro-
pretary right in this form of entertainment
The beginning very modest. Before
the word had been heard in connection with
such an entertainment there were back-fac
| acts on the American stage One of the
first big hits was made by Thomas b. Rice
in his Jim Crow" which has got into the
vocabulary of the language No one could
call that nondescrpt act minstrelsy as we
have known it, yet it had its influence.
TNHEN came black faced banjo acts such
4 as Billy Whitlock used to do; others SINH
lar to George Washington Dixons Zip
Coon and still minstrels did not appear on
the scene. All of these acts were familiar to
Philadelphia theatre-goers in the 3Os and
early 40s. Dixon resided here for a time
and during the epidemic of cholera In 1892
published a weekly Cholera Gazette" He
sang Zip Coon" at the Tivoli Garden, on
Market street west of Thirteenth. and every
boy in the city whistling the refrain
Billy WhtloclI in his autobiography gives
version of his connection with the organi-
zation of the minstrel show. During the
winter of 1910 he and his partner, Master
John Diamond, whose real name was Frank
Lynch, were playing at the Walnut Street
Theatre and when the night for their benefit
approached Whtlock conceived the idea of
introducing novelty
Nhtlock asked Dick Myers, violinist il
he would play the violin with them and form
trio on their benefit, and Myers agreed So
on that occasion, for the first time in public
Whitlock said, banjosts were accompanied
on the stage by violinist. And even that
does not look like minstrel show does 1t?
Iet 1t was from this germ that the big sable
semicirce which recall with pleasure
grew into the minstrels.
IN its early form minstresy was essential
l. ly musical. The first band of mnstrels
that Travelled around the country had Master
Ole Bull as one of It's members There were
Virginia Serenaders and New Orleans Ser
enaders and while all the acts were done in
blackface they We're of musical character
They gave some clever travesties on the
italian opera, which was then attracting the
attention Of the musicaly inclined. and from
all accounts these burlesques were not only
bright and witty, but were admirably set so
far as musical numbers went.
One of the first minstrel troupes which
performed in this city was the New Orleans
Serenaders. They here in 1S49 and
probably earlier, and they gave a perform
ance in old Musical Fund Hall In the COM
pany was Nelson Kneass, a song writer and
musical composer, whose songs were sung all
over the country al the time. There may still
be persons who recall the strains of II Hear
the Hoofs," Go Way Black Man" Rosa
Glare" and "Nelly Was a Lady" I feel con-
idcnt that the last named at least will be
remembefcu, Tor II was sung IN the days or
Carncross Minstrels, in the little Eleventh
Street Opera House
THERE were also in the company Max
J. Zorer. George Swane, Thomas Burke
Master Ole Bull, ]. II. Collins Sam Sanford
and j. c. Rainer. Sanford, whose real name
was Lindsay took his stage name from an
other performer Jim Sanford His uncle
William Lindsay, also was in the business
Sanford may he said 10 have been respon-
sible for the vogue negro minstrelsy has had
House, at Twelfth and Chestnut streets, in
1858. When the place burned he took
the old church building on Eleventh street,
which had already been transformed into a
PLAYHOUSE by Cartec. This was the begin
ming Of the history of the Eleventh Street
Opera House, where mi1strclsv was pre-
served for moro than half century.
~ SANFORD'S company at tho time was
i Julien. as he appeared on the bills, but the
singer subsequently revealed himself as Ira
D, Sankey when he engaged in evansestic
work with Dwight L. Moody
The last time l saw Sam Sanford was al
most % years ago when he danced Bob Rid
10y az the Walnut street Theatre with Prim-
rose and Vests Minsrels He was then a
very old man. but very nimble on his feet,
GRANVILLE.
The Female Of the Species
From the Ohio state Journal
Il takes man long time to get back into
l,Fsa ,Fvg.