Connie's Hot Chocolates of 1941, Handbill

Connie's Hot Chocolates was an all-black cast musical revue with music by Fats Waller that opened on Broadway on June 20,1929 and closed on December 14 of that same year. The revue was wildly popular and was revived frequently. This handbill is for a regional-revival performance of the revue in 1941 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts at the Lyric Theatre. The handbill states, "Sepia Swing Artists in a Torrid Harlem Revue." This production lists the following mostly local stars: Hy Clarke and his Orchestra (I have found no information). Glenn and Jenkins are listed as comedians. They were Vaudvillians who did comedy routines, often in blackface. They were from South Carolina. Tick and Tock were tap dancers. The Lang Sisters were singers. Gwendolyn Reed is probably the African-American actress from Hartford, Connecticut who was in many productions in New England and who became the personification of Aunt Jemima for Quaker Oats. She travelled nationwide as Aunt Jemima and also became an advocate for childhood literacy programs. Elsie Taylor was a singer. Finally, it is possible that Buck Dancing Slim is Slim Gaillard. At the time of this production, Gaillard was recording with Slam Stewart and said that he frequently danced. He would certainly have fit into this raucous revue. The handbill not only attests to the popularity of Connie's Hot Chocolates but is also tangible evidence of a group of, mainly, regional African-American performers in New England. This handbill/poster is 6X10 approximately and has numerous creases, now mostly flattened. I suspect it was once wadded up. It is still quite attractive and quite scarce. ; B&W Illustrations; Small 4to 9" - 11" tall; 1 pages

Product Info

Publisher: Lyric Theatre

Year: 1941

Type: Used

Binding: Softcover

Seller Info

TheRidgeBooks

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Country: United States