WELCOME

If this is your first visit, welcome to my blog of memories and observations. If you wish to be notified of new posts, enter an e-mail address above, and click on "Submit." As we move through a seventh year of this venture, I thank all who have made regular visits, as well as fellow bloggers who have found Stomp Off worth linking to. Doing this sort of thing is time-consuming, but I try to post fresh material at least once a week—let me know what you think. There is a Commentary option at the end of each post and a Guest Book can be reached by scrolling down and clicking on the quill image. I welcome your observations, reaction and/or suggestions in either spot—or both. As for blog content, the most current posts are on the home page, starting at the top. Earlier items are listed by month, year and title in the archive index. To zero in on a particular key word or subject, use the search option that is located directly beneath the blog's masthead. Most images can be enlarged with a mouse click, and there are links to some of my favorite blogs, etc. Since visitors have come from 150 countries, a translator with numerous languages is located below. You can at any time revert to English with a click at the top left of this page:

Search This Blog

10/18/09

It's for you, Alberta...

Alberta Hunter was in Paris in 1927 when she received a call from Noble Sissle suggesting that she come to London for a major charity show to benefit flood victims. Alberta caught the next thing going and it proved to be just the right move. Oscar Hammerstein III and Jerome Kern were in the audience and Alberta so impressed them that they cast her for the role of Queenie, to play opposite Paul Robeson in their upcoming London production of "Show Boat". It opened at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, May 3, 1928, and ran for about a year. Here's a cast photo taken during full dress rehearsal, Alberta and Robeson can be seen on the left and, somewhere in the crowd is Mabel Mercer, an unknown chorine whom Frank Sinatra would many years later credit as an influence.


Alberta told me that a frequent backstage visitor was Lady Astor. "She is the one," Alberta said, "who kept putting ideas into Paul's head, she gave him all those ideas that got him into trouble." There was a small colony of black American entertainers living in London and Alberta recalled how amused they were to see a white nanny push Robeson, Jr.'s pram around in Hyde Park.

London, 1928. Ivan Harold Browning, Marian Anderson,
John Payne (holding Haroldine Browning) and Alberta.


When the show finished its successful run, a huge bouquet of red roses was delivered to Alberta's dressing room. With it was this card. Notice Mabel Mercer's signature.


No comments:

Post a Comment