| Description |
vii, 282 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Contents |
The origins of blackface minstrelsy -- The minstrel show on records -- The minstrel show on radio -- The minstrel show in motion pictures -- The minstrel show on television -- Epilogue and conclusions. |
| Summary |
The minstrel show occupies a complex and controversial space in the history of American popular culture. Today considered a shameful relic of America's racist past, it nonetheless offered many black performers of the 19th and early 20th centuries their only opportunity to succeed in a white-dominated entertainment world, where white performers in blackface had by the 1830s established minstrelsy as an enduringly popular national art form. This book traces the often overlooked history of the "modern" minstrel show through the advent of 20th century mass media--when stars like Al Jolson, Bing Crosby and Mickey Rooney continued a long tradition of affecting black music, dance and theatrical styles for mainly white audiences--to its abrupt end in the 1950s. A companion two-CD reissue of recordings discussed in the book is available from Archeophone Records at archeophone.com. -- From Amazon. |
| Subject |
Minstrel shows -- History -- 20th century.
|
|
Minstrel shows. |
|
History. |
| Chronological Term |
20th century |
| Subject |
Blackface entertainers -- History -- 20th century.
|
|
Blackface entertainers. |
| Chronological Term |
1900-1999 |
| Genre/Form |
History.
|
| ISBN |
9781476676760 (print) |
|
1476676763 (print) |
|
9781476637303 (ebook) |
|
