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Nick Stewart

Horace Winfred "Nick" Stewart (March 15, 1910 – December 18, 2000), also billed as Nick O'Demus, was an American television and film actor.[1] He was best known for his role as Lightnin' (Willie Jefferson)[2] on TV's The Amos 'n' Andy Show.

Nick Stewart
Stewart as Lightnin' in The Amos 'n' Andy Show, 1951
Born
Horace Winfred Stewart

March 15, 1910
New York City, U.S.
DiedDecember 18, 2000(2000-12-18) (aged 90)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1932–1996
Spouse
Edna Stewart
​
(m. 1941)​
Children3

Acting career

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Nick Stewart was born on March 15, 1910, in Harlem, New York City, to Joseph (1888–1976) and Eva Stewart, who were recent immigrants from Barbados, British West Indies.[3][4] He began his show business career as a dancer at the Cotton Club and Hoofers Club.[5][6] Stewart also was a veteran of Broadway shows, having created a comedic character he called "Nicodemus" and playing that role in Swingin' the Dream and Louisiana Purchase, as well as in the film Go West, Young Man.[7][8][9] Stewart also performed comedy as a cast member of the Rudy Vallée radio show in 1941.[10] Other acting credits include the 1936 movie Go West Young Man, the voice of the blackface crows in Disney's 1941 animated film Dumbo, the voice of Br'er Bear in the 1946 Disney film Song of the South[11][12] and Willy-Willy on the television series Ramar of the Jungle.[13][14] Also in 1954, Stewart had an important role in The Reign of Amelika Joe presented by Fireside Theatre.[15][16] He also won a comedy role in White Christmas (1954).[14][17]

He was originally offered the role of Calhoun the lawyer, which he turned down. (After his refusal, it went to Johnny Lee, who had the role on radio since 1949.)[18] Soon Gosden and Correll were back on the telephone, this time offering Stewart the role of Lightnin' on the television show.[19] Stewart accepted the role with one idea in mind: to make enough money to be able to open his own theater where African Americans would not be typecast as maids and porters.[7][20][21] In the 1960s, he would have small roles on Mister Ed and in the classic comedy film, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) as the Migrant Truck Driver who is forced off of the road.[22] In 1987, Doris McMillon devoted an entire week of her nightly talk show, On the Line with, to a discussion of the documentary Amos 'n' Andy: Anatomy of a Controversy, and the issues surrounding the shows. Stewart was one of the participants, discussing the show and his role in it.[23] He also had a role in the movie Carmen Jones.

Stewart's final acting role would be returning to Disney to reprise the voice role Br'er Bear for the Disneyland attraction Splash Mountain (1989–2023),[24] based on the animated segments of Song of the South. He was the only actor to return and voice his character from the aforementioned movie.[25] In an interview with author Jim Korkis, he was asked about whether or not his role of Br'er Bear was degrading. He replied, "Disney treated us like Kings."[26] He went on to say that the money he earned from Song of the South was donated to a theatre for African-American actors to play roles other than maids and butlers and was doing the same with the money from reprising his role for Splash Mountain.[27]

Ebony Showcase Theatre

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He and his wife, Edna Stewart, also founded Los Angeles's Ebony Showcase Theatre,[28] which provided a venue for numerous performers of all races, including Al Freeman Jr., Yuki Shimoda, William Schallert, Tom Ewell, John Amos, Nichelle Nichols, Isabel Sanford, B. B. King, Phil Collins, Eartha Kitt, Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan.[29][30]

Founded in 1950,[28] and first located on Washington Boulevard and Western Avenue, then on Crenshaw Boulevard, afterward on Adams Boulevard and later on Washington Boulevard in Los Angeles, Stewart filled the seats with quality productions.[14][13] The couple did all remodeling of the building themselves, with the help of salvaged lumber from the CBS Television City construction site.[4][19] Stewart hosted a variety show called Ebony Showcase Presents on KTTV from the theatre in 1953.[31][32] Because CBS believed Nick Stewart's work with his theater was impairing his ability to perform on Amos 'n' Andy, he was notified that his contract would not be renewed; this was shortly before the decision to take the show off the air.[4] By 1964, the Ebony Showcase had grown and moved again, this time to the Metro Theater near Washington and La Brea. Around this time, Nick Stewart wrote his own musical called Carnival Island.[8] In 1973, Nick and Edna Stewart were honored by Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley and the California Museum of Science and Industry's advisory board for their work with the Ebony Showcase theatre.[21] During his years in vaudeville, Stewart and Milton Berle often worked together; Berle was a frequent visitor to the Ebony Showcase.[30]

Although the Stewarts lost title to the theatre complex in 1992, they were allowed to stay there and operate the theater.[33] and the buildings were later demolished.[11][34] The couple used two homes they owned as collateral for a loan meant to save the theatre; both were lost.[35] One of the issues which led to the theatre's financial problems was a Los Angeles law requiring all older brick buildings to meet current earthquake standards.[19][36] The entire complex that had housed the Ebony Showcase organization, including a house not shown in the picture, was taken in eminent domain by the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency.[37][38] The theater edifice was demolished in 1998, the rest of the complex was demolished, building-by-building.[37]

Stewart was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP.[5] He also received the Living Legend award from the National Black Theatre Festival in 1995.[39]

Death and legacy

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Stewart died of natural causes at his son's home in Los Angeles, California, on December 18, 2000, at age 90, a week after attending the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Performing Arts Center named for Los Angeles politician Nate Holden which was built on the site where the Ebony Showcase stood.[37][11][40] The Ebony Showcase transformed, adapted, and did not close. Instead, the Ebony Showcase continues to provide entertainment, resources, and charitable services on the internet and in the community.[41]

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ Lentz, Harris M. III (2001). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2000: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. p. 211. ISBN 978-0-7864-1024-8.
  2. ^ McLeod, Elizabeth. "Amos 'n' Andy In Person". McLeod, Elizabeth. Archived from the original on August 24, 2004. Retrieved April 25, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "Home". ebonyshowcase.org.
  4. ^ a b c Widener, Daniel, ed. (2010). Black Arts West: Culture and Struggle in Postwar Los Angeles. Duke University Press. p. 384. ISBN 978-0-8223-4679-1. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  5. ^ a b Willis, John; Hodges, Ben; Lynch, Tom, eds. (2004). Theatre World Volume 57 – 2000–2001: Special Tony Honor Edition Paperback. Applause Books. p. 364. ISBN 1-55783-521-7. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  6. ^ Pfeffer, Murray L. "My Harlem Reverie". nfo.net. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  7. ^ a b Staggs, Sam, ed. (2009). Born to Be Hurt: The Untold Story of Imitation of Life. St. Martin's Press. p. 432. ISBN 978-0-312-37336-8. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  8. ^ a b Hill, Errol G.; Hatch, James V., eds. (2003). A History of African American Theatre (Cambridge Studies in American Theatre and Drama). Cambridge University Press. p. 632. ISBN 0-521-62443-6. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  9. ^ Louvish, Simon, ed. (2007). Mae West: It Ain't No Sin. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 512. ISBN 978-0-312-37562-1. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  10. ^ MacDonald, J. Fred. "Don't Touch That Dial! radio programming in American life, 1920–1960". jfredmacdonald.com. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  11. ^ a b c 'Amos 'n' Andy' TV Show Star Nick Stewart, Who Played Lightnin', Dies. Jet. January 8, 2001. Retrieved September 28, 2001.
  12. ^ "Theater Gossip". The Evening Independent. January 30, 1947. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
  13. ^ a b Dixon, Wheeler W. (2005). Lost in the Fifties: Recovering Phantom Hollywood. SIU Press. pp. 38–40. ISBN 978-0-8093-8844-8.
  14. ^ a b c Jones, Clement D. (December 10, 1953). "Nick Stewart's an Actor With a Special Crusade". The Ottawa Journal. p. 34. Retrieved November 29, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
  15. ^ Fearn-Burns, Kathleen, ed. (2005). Historical Dictionary of African-American Television (Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts). The Scarecrow Press. p. 584. ISBN 0-8108-5335-3. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  16. ^ James Edwards Stars In All-Negro TV Drama. Jet. October 14, 1954. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  17. ^ People. Jet. October 29, 1953. p. 31. Retrieved October 10, 2010. nick stewart jet.
  18. ^ Sterling, Christopher H., ed. (2003). Encyclopedia of Radio 3-Volume Set. Routledge. p. 1696. ISBN 1-57958-249-4. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  19. ^ a b c Stewart, Edna. "Memories of Nick Stewart's Incredible Life". Amosandy.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  20. ^ Teague, Frances, ed. (2006). Shakespeare and the American Popular Stage. Cambridge University Press. p. 232. ISBN 0-521-86187-X. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  21. ^ a b Los Angeles. Black World. April 1974. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  22. ^ "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: Full Cast & Crew". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  23. ^ MacDonald, J. Fred. "Blacks and White TV, African Americans in Television Since 1948". jfredmacdonald.com. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  24. ^ Hischak, Thomas S. (2011). Disney Voice Actors: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-7864-8694-6.
  25. ^ Shaffer, Joshua C (2017). Discovering the Magic Kingdom: An Unofficial Disneyland Vacation Guide (2nd ed.). Synergy Book Publishing. p. 526. ISBN 978-0-9991664-0-6.
  26. ^ "Korkis Interview". tvtropes.org. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  27. ^ "IMDb". IMDb.com. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  28. ^ a b Blaine, John; Baker, Decia, eds. (1973). "Single Arts Experience Orientation". Community Arts of Los Angeles (Report). Los Angeles Community Art Alliance. p. 8. hdl:10139/2728. OCLC 912321031.
  29. ^ Whatever happened to The Amos 'n' Andy Cast?. Ebony. July 1973. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
  30. ^ a b "Nick Stewart, Co-founder of the historic Ebony Showcase Theatre". Ebony Showcase. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
  31. ^ "Ad for The Nick Stewart Show on KTTV". Los Angeles Times. June 11, 1965. p. 30. Retrieved November 29, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
  32. ^ "Ebony Showcase Presents". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  33. ^ MacMinn, Aleene (July 2, 1992). "Stage". LA Times. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  34. ^ "Judge Backs CRA on Ebony Showcase Theater". LA Times. July 10, 1997. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  35. ^ Boyer, Edward J. (February 1, 1993). "Ebony Theater Tries to Keep Final Curtain From Coming Down". LA Times. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  36. ^ Lota, Louinn (December 3, 1992). "Theater nourishes independent shows". Daily News. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  37. ^ a b c Oliver, Myrna (December 22, 2000). "Nick Stewart; Helped Found Ebony Theater To Help Black Actors". Los Angeles Times. p. 18. Retrieved November 29, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
  38. ^ Belgum, Deborah (September 26, 1996). "CRA's Plan to Buy Theater Opposed". Los Angeles Times. p. 22. Retrieved November 29, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
  39. ^ Legendary Black Stars Forecast Bright Future Despite Detours In TV, Movies and Theatres. Jet. August 28, 1995. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  40. ^ Ramos, George (December 12, 2000). "Groundbreaking for Theater Center Marred by Protest". LA Times. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  41. ^ "Ebony Showcase Theater". Ebony Showcase Theater.
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