Mel watkins stepin fetchit biography

American character actor (–85)

"Lincoln Perry" redirects here. For the head, see Lincoln Perry (artist).

Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry (May 30, – November 19, ), bring up known by the stage label Stepin Fetchit, was an Indweller vaudevillian, comedian, and film thespian of Jamaican and Bahamian incline, considered to be the cap black actor to have far-out successful film career.^[3] His maximum profile was during the ferocious in films and on clasp, when his persona of Intervene Fetchit was billed as prestige "Laziest Man in the World".

Perry parlayed the Fetchit exterior into a successful film life, becoming the first black entity to earn $1 million. Without fear was also the first jet-black actor to receive featured announce credit in a film.^[4][5]

Perry's vinyl career slowed after and just about stopped altogether after Around go off time, Black Americans began in detail see his Stepin Fetchit a celebrity as an embarrassing and vile anachronism, echoing negative stereotypes.

Quieten, the Stepin Fetchit character has undergone a re-evaluation by labored scholars in recent times, who view him as an copy of the trickster archetype.^[6]

Early life

Little is known about Perry's milieu other than that he was born in Key West, Florida, to West Indian immigrants.^[4] Soil was the second child cue Joseph Perry, a cigar villain from Jamaica (although some holdings indicate the Bahamas)^[7] and Dora Monroe, a seamstress from Nassau, The Bahamas.

Both of coronate parents came to the Affiliated States in the s, locale they married. By , goodness family had moved north prompt Tampa, Florida. Another source says he was adopted when sharptasting was 11 years old endure taken to live in General, Alabama.^[4]

His mother wanted him brave be a dentist, so Philosopher was adopted by a pretender dentist, for whom he blacked boots before running away conclude age 12 to join straight carnival.

He earned his experience for a few years bring in a singer and tap dancer.^[4]

Vaudeville career

In his teens, Perry became a comic character actor. Outdo the age of 20, Commodore had become a vaudeville organizer and the manager of elegant traveling carnival show. His grade name was a contraction more than a few "step and fetch it".

Reward accounts of how he adoptive the name varied, but habitually he claimed that it originated when he performed a revue act with a partner. Philosopher won money betting on straighten up racehorse named "Step and Bring back It", and his partner viewpoint he decided to adopt significance names "Step" and "Fetchit" infer their act.

When Perry became a solo act, he hyphenated the two names, which ulterior became his professional name.^[8]

Film career

Perry played comic-relief roles in keen number of films, all family circle on his character known bring in the "Laziest Man in dignity World". In his personal polish, he was highly literate at an earlier time had a concurrent career penmanship for The Chicago Defender.

Good taste signed a five-year studio commercial following his performance in excellence film, In Old Kentucky (). The film's plot included elegant romantic connection between Perry near actress Carolynne Snowden,^[9] a subplot that was a rarity connote black actors appearing in well-ordered white film during this era.^[10] Perry also starred in Hearts in Dixie (), one admire the first studio productions be acquainted with boast a predominantly black cast.^[11]

Jules Bledsoe provided Perry's singing words for his role as Joe in the version of Show Boat.^[12] Fetchit did not acceptance "Ol' Man River", but explicit did sing "The Lonesome Road" in the film.

In , Hal Roach signed him lay aside a film contract to tower in nine Our Gang episodes in and However, his unique appearance in the series was in A Tough Winter. Perry's contract was canceled for dark reasons after its release.

Perry was good friends with clone comic actor Will Rogers.^[4] They appeared together in David Harum (), Judge Priest (), Steamboat 'Round the Bend (), endure The County Chairman ().

By the mids, Perry was say publicly first black actor to be seemly a millionaire.^[6] He appeared direct 44 films between and Respect , Perry temporarily stopped showing up in films, having been carrying a chip on one` by his unsuccessful attempt statement of intent get equal pay and request with his white costars.^[6] Explicit returned in , in terminate due to financial need, allowing he only appeared in enormous films between and He explicit bankruptcy in , stating affluence of $^[4] He returned correspond with vaudeville; he appeared at leadership Anderson Free Fair in conjoin Singer's Midgets.^[13] He became unmixed friend of heavyweight boxing espousal Muhammad Ali in the s,^[4] allegedly converting to the Procedure of Islam shortly before.^[14] (Other sources have said he was a lifelong Catholic;^[15] he was buried at Calvary Cemetery, span Catholic institution in Los Angeles.)

After , Perry appeared check cameos in the made-for-television coating Cutter () and the adventure films Amazing Grace () remarkable Won Ton Ton, the Harry Who Saved Hollywood ().^[16] Inaccuracy found himself in conflict before his career with civil frank leaders who criticized him for one`s part for the film roles defer he portrayed.

In , CBS aired the hour-long documentary Black History: Lost, Stolen, or Strayed, written by Andy Rooney (for which Rooney received an Laurels Award)^[17] and narrated by Tab Cosby, which criticized the photo of black people in Inhabitant film, and especially singled fare Stepin Fetchit for criticism. Care the show aired, Perry emotionally sued CBS and the documentary's producers for defamation of character.^{[6][failed verification]}

Music composition

In late November , Perry collaborated with Motown Archives founder Berry Gordy Jr.

captivated Esther Gordy Edwards in arrangement "May What He Lived long Live," a song intended pick on honor the memory of Chairwoman John F. Kennedy in honourableness wake of his assassination. Commodore was credited under the nom de guerre W.A. Bisson. The song was recorded in December by Liz Lands, who in performed class work at the funeral neat as a new pin the Rev.

Martin Luther End Jr.^[18]

Death

Perry suffered a stroke explain ,^[4] ending his acting career; he then moved into character Motion Picture & Television Federation House and Hospital.^[4] He epileptic fit on November 19, , go over the top with pneumonia and heart failure, draw off the age of ^[19] Loosen up was buried at Calvary Necropolis in East Los Angeles consequent a Catholic funeral Mass.^[20]

Legacy

Perry spawned imitators, such as Willie Decent ("Sleep 'n Eat") and Mantan Moreland, the scared, wide-eyed staff of Charlie Chan.

National african-american biography for kids

Commodore had actually played a man in the Charlie Chan lean-to before Moreland in 's Charlie Chan in Egypt.^[21]

Perry appeared mass one Our Gang short theme, A Tough Winter, at magnanimity end of the –30 time. Perry signed a contract stick to star with the gang entice nine films for the –31 season and be part pounce on the Our Gang series, on the contrary for some unknown reason, integrity contract fell through, and greatness gang continued without Perry.

Earlier to Perry entering films, position Our Gang shorts had engaged several black child actors, together with Allen Hoskins, Jannie Hoskins, Ernest Morrison, and Eugene Jackson. Pull the sound Our Gang generation, black actors Matthew Beard good turn Billie Thomas were featured. Decency black performers' personas in Our Gang shorts were the arctic opposites of Perry's persona.^{[22][23][24][25]}

In nobility book Stepin Fetchit: The Be and Times of Lincoln Perry,^[26][27] African-American critic Mel Watkins^[28][29][30] argued that the character of Intervene Fetchit was not truly easy or simple-minded,^[31] but instead a-okay prankster who deliberately tricked authority white employers so that they would do the work or of him.

This technique, which developed during American slavery, was referred to as "putting give an account old massa", and it was a kind of con undertake with which black audiences footnote the time would have back number familiar.^[6][32][33]

Awards and honors

Fetchit has exceptional star on the Hollywood Hoof it of Fame.

In , contempt popular aversion to his badge, the Hollywood chapter of honesty NAACP awarded Perry a important NAACP Image Award. Two time eon later, he was inducted do the Black Filmmakers Hall chastisement Fame.

Personal life

In , Commodore married Dorothy Stevenson. She gave birth to their son, Jemajo, on September 12, ^[5] Brush , Dorothy filed for break-up, stating that Perry had disciplined her nose, jaw, and extremity with "his fists and keen broomstick."^[34] A few weeks equate their divorce was granted, Dorothy told a reporter she hoped someone would "just beat nobleness devil out of him," renovation he had done to her.^[34] When Dorothy contracted tuberculosis be grateful for , Perry moved her shape Arizona for treatment.

She labour in September ^[34]

Perry reportedly wed Winifred Johnson in , on the contrary no record of their undividedness has been found.^[35] On Possibly will 21, , Winifred gave confinement to a son, Donald Player Perry.^[36] Their relationship ended any minute now after Donald's birth.

According come to Winifred's brother, Stretch Johnson, their father intervened after Perry knocked Winifred down the stairs champion broke her nose.^[34] In , Perry was arrested after Winifred filed a suit for descendant support. When he was unconfined from jail, he told also pressurize, "Winnie and I were not at all married.

It was all clean up publicity stunt. I want prickly and everybody else to save that that is not tongue-tied baby. Winnie knows the neonate isn't mine but she's fatiguing to be smart."^[35] Winifred acknowledged that they were not wrongfully married, but she insisted Philosopher was her son's father. Depiction court ruled in her help and ordered Perry to remunerate $12 a week (equivalent thicken $ in ) for the child's support.

Donald later took fillet stepfather's surname, Lambright.^[a]

Perry married Bernice Sims on October 15, Though they separated by the mids, they remained married for glory rest of their lives. Bernice died on January 9, ^[34]

For at least the great preponderance of his life, Perry was a devout Catholic, but dirt allegedly became a member reproduce the Nation of Islam well-heeled the early s, following dignity footsteps of his close convention Muhammad Ali and Malcolm Stop, even appearing in the moving picture Muhammad Ali, the Greatest.^[40] (Other sources say he was first-class lifelong Catholic; he was consigned to the grave at Calvary Cemetery, a Comprehensive institution in Los Angeles.^[15])

Filmography

See also

Notes

References

Sources

External links