George Washington Bullion was a popular and long running three act musical comedy by the Tutt Brothers, Salem Tutt Whitney and J. Homer Tutt that debuted in 1910. [1] Trevor L. Corwell, a white English impresario helped book the show. The storyline featured a black tobacco plantation owner aspiring to join high society. [2] The Tutt brothers’ shows George Washington Bullion Abroad and How Newtown Prepared followed up on the characters in 1915 and 1916. [3] Both shows had the characters of Washington and fellow veterans leaving to fight in foreign wars.
The Tutt brothers held the lead roles and were supported by various singers and dancers. The Indianapolis Freeman lauded the show and its performers. [4]
The brothers followed it up with their Broadway production Oh Joy!. They also staged with James Vaughn George Washington Bullion Abroad. It was credited as the first musical to include a blues song. [5]
A songsheet for the show's song "Manyanna" sung by Blanche Thompson was published. [6]
References
- ^ Peterson, Bernard L. (August 8, 1993). A Century of Musicals in Black and White: An Encyclopedia of Musical Stage Works By, About, Or Involving African Americans. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313266577 – via Google Books.
- ^ "The Tutt Brothers: Pioneering Black Impressarios by David Soren | The American Vaudeville Museum". vaudeville.sites.arizona.edu.
- ^ Peterson, Bernard L.; Peterson, Bernard J. (August 8, 1990). Early Black American Playwrights and Dramatic Writers: A Biographical Directory and Catalog of Plays, Films, and Broadcasting Scripts. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313266218 – via Google Books.
- ^ Sampson, Henry T. (October 30, 2013). Blacks in Blackface: A Sourcebook on Early Black Musical Shows. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810883512 – via Google Books.
- ^ Muir, Peter C. (August 8, 2010). Long Lost Blues: Popular Blues in America, 1850-1920. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252076763 – via Google Books.
- ^ "The Tutt Brothers: Pioneering Black Impressarios by David Soren | the American Vaudeville Museum".
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