Salem Tutt Whitney (né Salem Tutt; 15 November 1875 – 12 February 1934) and J. Homer Tutt (né Jacob Homer Tutt; 31 January 1882 – 10 February 1951),[1] known collectively as the Tutt Brothers, were American vaudeville producers, writers, and performers of the late 19th and early 20th century. They were also known as Whitney & Tutt, Tutt & Whitney and the Whitney Brothers. They were prominent in black vaudeville and created over forty revues for black audiences.
Biography
editSalem Tutt Whitney was born in Logansport, Indiana (birth-year varies: 1869, 1875, 1876, or 1878),[2] as was his brother J. Homer Tutt.[3] They referred to themselves as brothers, and may have been half-brothers.[4] Whitney originally intended to become a minister but later decided to become a performer, and left college.[3] He attended the National School of Journalism and gained amateur experience in acting, comedy and writing.[3]
From 1888 through 1905, the brothers performed in their traveling tent show called Silas Green from New Orleans.[5] The show, which ran until the 1940s, was bought by circus owner Ephraim "Eph" Williams although the brothers never received payment.[5][6]
They formed the Smart Set Company in the 1910s,[7] possibly taken over from Sherman H. Dudley.[4][a] From 1910 to 1925 Whitney and Tutt produced more than 40 revues for black performers and audiences, writing and performing in the shows themselves.[4] Some of their performers found fame in their own right, including blues singer Mamie Smith, who danced in the brothers' Smart Set as a teenager.[4][8]
One of the Brothers' main productions was a musical farce called George Washington Bullion. Starring Whitney as a tobacco plantation owner, it was popular with audiences and ran for two decades.[6] Their musical Oh Joy! played on Broadway for four weeks.[6] It had originally starred Ethel Waters when performed in Boston. But when the only theatre space the Brothers could find in New York City was on a tennis court under a tent, Waters pulled out and was replaced by Ethel Williams.[4] Both of the brothers performed in Marc Connelly's play The Green Pastures (1930).[6]
They also acted in films, spanning both silent films and talkies, including Birthright (1924), directed by Oscar Micheaux and adapted from a novel of the same name by T. S. Stribling; Marcus Garland (1925), The Broken Violin (1927), and A Daughter of the Congo (1930).
Salem Tutt Whitney died in Chicago, February 12, 1934, and J. Homer Tutt died in Los Angeles, February 10, 1951.[4][9][10]
Works
edit- Silas Green from New Orleans (c. 1903 – c. 1953)
- Prince Bungaloo (1908)
- Blackville Strollers (1908-1909)
- The Mayor of Newtown (1909)
- George Washington Bullion (1910)
- "Love Me Anywhere"
- "Manyanna" ("Land of To-morrow")
- "Old Kentucky Blues"
- "Dear Old Southern Moon"
- The Wrong Mr. President (1913)
- His Excellency, the President (1914)
- George Washington Bullion Abroad (1915)
- How Newtown Prepared (1916)
- My People (1917)
- Darkest Americans (1918-1919)
- (The) Children of the Sun (1919-1920)
- Betwixt and Between (1920s)
- Bamboula (1921)
- Small Town Doings (1921)
- Up and Down (1922)
- Jump Steady (1922)
- Oh Joy! (1922)
- North Ain't South (1923)
- Come Along Mandy (1923-1924)
- Who Struck John? (1923-1924)
- Hide and Seek (1924)
- Non-Sense (1925)
- When Malinda Sings (1925)
- Rainbow Chasers (1926)
- Deep Harlem (1929)
- The Witching Eyes (1929) directed by Ernest Stern[11]
Family
editSalem Tutt Whitney was married three times, his first to Emma A. Baynard (maiden; 1872–1908) (her second marriage). They married May 6, 1903, in Philadelphia at Crucifixion Episcopal Church – Rev. Henry Laird Phillips (1848–1947), officiating. Rev. Phillips, in 1877, became the first African-American rector of the Crucifixion Church in 1877. Baynard was a sister of William Andrew Baynard, a pianist, who, with Salem and Emma, had, in 1900, performed with the Oriental Troubadours.[12] Emma was a soporano and prima donna with the Troubadours. She previously, on March 17, 1897, in Williamstown, Pennsylvania, married Lewis E. Puggsley (1858–1935), an operatic tenor soloist, with whom she had a son, Baynard Lewis Puggsley (1898–1956). Lewis Puggsley was a brother of Charles Henry Puggsley (1868–1932), who, in 1900, was second tenor and soloist with the Oriental Troubadours.
Copyrights
editCopyrights
edit- George Washington Bullion Abroad. Music by James J. Vaughan (né James Joseph Jefferson Vaughan; 1874–1945). Lyrics by J. Homer Tutt and S. Tutt Whitney. Library of Congress. OCLC 497482855.
- Catalogue of Copyright Entries, Part 3, Musical Compositions, New Series. Library of Congress, Copyright Office.
- Vol. 10; Part 2, October 1915; No. 10 (1915). "Love Me Anywhere". © Jos. W. Stern & Co., New York; 15 October 1915. 2 c. 27 October 1915. E371361. p. 1176.
- Vol. 10; Part 2, October 1915; No. 10 (1915). "Manyanna" ("Land of To-morrow"). © Jos. W. Stern & Co., New York; 13 October 1915. 2 c. 27 October 1915. E373166. p. 1056.
- Vol. 10; Part 2, October 1915; No. 11 (1915). "Old Kentucky Blues". © Jos. W. Stern & Co., New York; 30 October 1915. 2 c. 30 October 1915. E373167. p. 1056.
- Vol. 10; Part 2, October 1915; No. 12 (1915). "Dear Old Southern Moon". © Jos. W. Stern & Co., New York; 13 October 1915. 2 c. 27 October 1915. E371362. p. 1141.
––––––––––––––––––––
- 2 c. indicates two copies received, followed by the date.
Bibliography
editAnnotations
edit- ^ In latter years, it was called The Smarter Set Company, possibly to avoid conflict with the publisher of the magazine The Smart Set.
Notes
edit- ^ California Eagle, March 1, 1951.
- ^ Pittsburgh-Courier, January 1, 1927.
- ^ a b c Peterson, 2001.
- ^ a b c d e f Cullen, Hackman, & McNeilly.
- ^ a b Peterson, 1990, p. 9.
- ^ a b c d Errol & Hatch.
- ^ Stearns & Stearns, 1994.
- ^ Oliver.
- ^ New York Age, February 17, 1934, p. 1.
- ^ Indianapolis Star, February 14, 1934.
- ^ Workman & Howarth.
- ^ Peterson, 2001, pp. 20–21.
References
editNews media
- Baltimore Sun, The (October 10, 1920). "Some Green Room Gossip". Vol. 18, no. 1. pp. 4, 15 (section 4 at p. 15). Retrieved January 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- California Eagle (March 1, 1951). "Final Rites for Homer Tutt, Retired Actor". Vol. 71, no. 48. p. 11. Retrieved February 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- Cincinnati Enquirer (June 12, 1915). "News of the Courts". Vol. 72, no. 163. p. 7 (column 5, 7th paragraph – "A rather peculiar story ... "). Retrieved January 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- Indianapolis Star (February 14, 1934). "Salem F. Whitney, Negro Actor, Dies" (obituary). Vol. 31, no. 254. p. 4. Retrieved January 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- New York Age (February 17, 1934). "Salem Tutt Whitney, Veteran Actor, Dies in Chicago; Long Ill" (PDF) (obituary). Vol. 48, no. 24. p. 1. Retrieved April 22, 2010 – via Fultonhistory.com.
- Philadelphia Inquirer (July 30, 1963). "Charles Taylor" (obituary). Vol. 269, no. 30. p. 24 (column 4). Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- Pittsburgh Courier; Calvin, Floyd J. (né Floyd Joseph Calvin; 1902-1939) (January 1, 1927). "Salem Tutt Whitney Scores Poor Stage Facilities". Vol. 18, no. 1. p. 1 (section 2). Retrieved January 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Books, journals, magazines, and papers
- Abbott, Lynn (born 1946); Seroff, Doug (2007). Ragged but Right: Black Traveling Shows, 'Coon Songs', and the Dark Pathway to Blues and Jazz. American Made Music Series (1st ed.). Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. p. 334. ISBN 9781604731484. Retrieved January 22, 2021 – via Google Books.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) OCLC 793384482. LCCN 2006-15009. ISBN 978-1-6170-3645-3, 1-6170-3645-5, 978-1-6047-3148-4; and ISBN 1-6047-3148-6
- Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; McNeilly, Donald (2007). "Tutt Brothers". Vaudeville Old & New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performances in America. Vol. 1 of 2. Routledge. p. 1136. ISBN 9780415938532. Retrieved April 22, 2010 – via Google Books (Cullen and McNeilly are founders of the American Vaudeville Museum).
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) ISBN 0-415-93853-8. OCLC 162427627 (all editions).
- Hill, Errol; Hatch, James Vernon (1928–2020) (2003). A History of African American Theatre. Cambridge University Press. p. 209. ISBN 9780521624435. Retrieved April 22, 2010 – via Google Books.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) OCLC 915960210 (all editions). ISBN 0521624436.
- Peterson, Bernard Lee, Jr. (1926–2000) (1990). Early Black American Playwrights and Dramatic Writers. Greenwood Press. p. 9. ISBN 0-313-26621-2 – via Google Books (Peterson retired in 1988 as Professor Emeritus of English and Drama, Elizabeth City State University)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: postscript (link) OCLC 243697847 (all editions). LCCN 90-2961. ISBN 0-313-26621-2. - Peterson, Bernard Lee, Jr. (1993). "Pugsley Brothers". A Century of Musicals in Black and White – An Encyclopedia of Musical Stage Works by, About, or Involving African Americans. Greenwood Press. pp. 208–209. ISBN 9780313064548. Retrieved January 29, 2021 – via Google Books
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: postscript (link) OCLC 1050139804 (all editions). LCCN 92-41976. ISBN 978-0-3130-6454-8. - Peterson, Bernard Lee, Jr. (1997). "Oriental Troubadours". The African American Theatre Directory, 1816–1960: A Comprehensive Guide to Early Black Theatre Organizations, Companies, Theatres, and Performing Groups. Greenwood Press. p. 159. ISBN 9780313295379. Retrieved January 29, 2021 – via Google Books.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) OCLC 928434607 (all editions). LCCN 96-9534. ISBN 0-313-29537-9. - Peterson, Bernard Lee, Jr. (2001). "Pugsley Brothers". Profiles of African American Stage Performers and Theatre People, 1816–1960. Greenwood Press. pp. 208–209. ISBN 9780313295348. Retrieved January 29, 2021 – via Google Books.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) OCLC 1126462332. LCCN 99-88456. ISBN 0-3132-9534-4.
- Oliver, Paul (2002). "Smith (née Robinson), Mamie". In Kernfeld, Barry Dean (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Vol. 3 of 3 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.J417000. ISBN 1-5615-9284-6. OCLC 5104788497. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- Stearns, Marshall Winslow, PhD (1908–1966); Stearns, Jean (1994) [1971; 1968]. Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- Collier-Macmillan (1968). OCLC 655466715 (all editions).
- Macmillan (1971). OCLC 900269 (all editions).
- Schirmer (1979). OCLC 720681903, 1069868504. ISBN 0-0287-2510-7, 978-0-0287-2510-9.
- Da Capo Press (paperback) (1994). OCLC 610972997 (all editions). LCCN 93-40957. ISBN 0-3068-0553-7, 978-0-3068-0553-0. (page nos. correspond to the Da Capo edition, accessible via Archive.org – link)
- "J. Homer Tutt". pp. 152, 255.
- "Salem Tutt-Whitney". pp. 76, 152, 156, 255.
- Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era. Midnight Marquee Press. p. 348. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
External links
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