Evening star., 1924-12-07
NEGRO COMEDIANS
| DREAM NOW TRUE
Only One of Old Stars Alive
to See Colored Show Sue
n ceed on Broadway.
Wreci,, pIspasch 10 The star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. December 3.-The
ng-cherished dream of Williams and
walker, Cole and Johnson and Eanest
Hogan to see colored mosicai
comedy successfully playing in the
very heart of broadway is at last
reality. coming at a time when but
one OF these famous comedians.
Raamond Johnson--fs alive to wit
ness this evolutionary step. For
years these negro stars labored and
sacrificed to crafty an ambition now
being realized by Florence Mills. who
Is scoring a pronounced hit in Dixie
to Broadway" at the Broadhurst
In the vain hope of producing
negro show on the Rialto the mental
r and physical health of both George
Walker and Bob" Cole became seri-
cusly impaired For the same reason
Ernest Hogan fell a. victim to tuber-
culosis, from which he never re-
covered. After the death of his
partner Bert Williams headed a coll
ored company in Lode OF Koal."
which tarried but a short time In
Columbus Circle Low both In spirit
Joined the Ziegfeld Follies, winning
additional fame and for the first time
in his career receiving a salary COM
mensurate with his worth as a box
Office attraction.
UrsetS Former Theories.
The impressive success of Florence
Mills and her company skaters some
deep-rooted theories heretofore exist
ing relative to colored musical COM
panies. mo colored musical show
can be financial and artistic success
On Broadway" has been a saying for
years and regarded as incontro-
vertible.
Even after Miller and Lyles and
Stssle and Blake had hung up an un-
precedented record in Shuttle Along"
at what is now known as the 63d
Street Music Hall. they later on found
the forbidden precincts closed tight
against them. Last season before
Miller and Lyles could make their
New York debut in "Runnin' Wild"
their mana gers found II necessary to
lease the Colonial Theater, formerly
vaudeville house, at Broadway and
SD Street. 1t was not until Miller
and TIyles closed their metropolitan
engagement that it was possible for
Stssle and Blake to come to town
with their new production, The
Chocolate Dandies." although re-
peated attempts were made TO break
through the prescribed theatrical
deadiine.
1t was. therefore. a piece of star
Ting and unheard-of news when word
was first given out that the Dixie
TO Broadway Company had been
booked by the Shuberts to open at
the Broadhurst Theater for an in
definite run--and al a most desirable
period OF the new theatrical season.
Neverthe eless. this invasion of Broad
way did take place, and with crafty
ing results to the public. managers
and actors.
For Is years or more coiored mu-
sical shows have led a precarious
existence. During the seasons Of
1861. 1907-8 and 190S-9 they
were IN the height of their pop
ularity. Williams and Walker. Cole
and Johnson and Ernest Hogan
starred I'm companies appearing in
the larger cities of the North, while
the Smart Set" with S. II. Dudley
and the Black Patti Troubadours
toured the South and also played to
Northern audiences.
Then came the movies, which start
ed the large coiored musical shows
on the toboggan. One after another
the houses of the Stair and Havlin
circuit changed their policy. finding
1t more financially productive to run
pictures than the presentation Of
musical comedy and melodrama. Un-
able to obtain booking over the Klaw
and Erlanger and Shubert circuits,
and with little or no consecutive
dates without making big jumps, the
colored attractions with Broadway
aspirations were forced to disband