Say Brother | Vaudeville

Vaudeville
Program 609
Original Airdate: 3/21/1976

Subject Keywords
Afro-American - Entertainers
Afro-American musicians
Afro-American women
Music - Performance
Vaudeville - United States

Subject Genre
Public Affairs: Current Events

Personal Names
Arnette, Mae
Brown, Winnie
Crocket, Novella
Hart, Tanya
Lewis, Sabby
Spencer, Willie
Underwood, Bobby
Wallace, Norman

Corporate Names
Jones Brothers, The (musical group)
Sabby Lewis and Company (musical group)

Program Description
Host Tanya Hart provides a brief survey of the unique contributions African Americans have made to music, film, dance, and theater in the United States, and describes the vaudeville experience, which is the focus of the program. In an effort to recreate vaudeville shows, Say Brother arranged for in-studio performances by some of the popular entertainers of the 1920s-1950s in Boston (and elsewhere): vocalist Novella Crocket, tap dancers Willie Spencer and Winnie Brown, dancer Norman Wallace (famous for his backward dance up a wall with flip), comic/singer/dancer Bobby Underwood (performing "Mack the Knife" and "Bye Bye Blues"), the Jones Brothers (a musical group), and Sabby Lewis and Company (who accompany other program performers and perform individually). Program includes a conversation between Sabby Lewis and vocalist Mae Arnette, in which they discuss the popular clubs in Boston of the 1950s and the different performers they knew.

Producer
Marita Muhammad Rivero

Associate Producer
Barbara Barrow
Vickie Jones

Director
Conrad White

Writer
Dighton Spooner

Host
Tanya Hart

Guests
Mae Arnette

Performers
Jones Brothers, The (musical group)
Sabby Lewis and Company (musical group)
Winnie Brown (dancer)
Novella Crocket (vocalist)
Willie Spencer (dancer)
Bobby Underwood (singer / dancer)
Norman Wallace (dancer)

Others
Lydia Allen (intern)
Bruce Bordett (stage manager)
Kissette Bundy (intern)
Brian Clarke (intern)
Vern Coleman (audio)
June Cross (production assistant)
Bill Fairweather (video)
Rebecca Hill (make-up)
Dick Holden (technical production)
Pat Kane (video)
Sharon Kramer (graphic designer)
Frank Lane (camera)
Fran Mahard (scenic design)
John Plausse (lighting director)
Technical Production (technical production)
Kathy Smith (switcher)
Dighton Spooner (researcher)
Bob Wilson (camera)

Formats
Master (WGBH program)	2" videotape	A2-03305
Original footage	1/2" reel-to-reel videotape	(item number not yet assigned)
Preservation master	beta SP cassette	AP-01653A
Preservation master	beta SP cassette	AP-01653
Viewing copy	3/4" cassette	A3305-1
Viewing copy	3/4" cassette	A3305-2
Viewing copy	VHS cassette	(item number not yet assigned)