Sidney Easton

Sidney Easton
Born(1885-10-02)October 2, 1885
Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
DiedDecember 24, 1971(1971-12-24) (aged 86)
Occupation(s)Actor, stage performer, playwright, composer, vocalist, pianist

Sidney Easton (October 2, 1885 – December 24, 1971) was an African-American actor, stage performer, playwright, composer, vocalist, and pianist. He worked as a performer in minstrel shows, carnivals, burlesque, and vaudeville.[1] Starting in the 1930s he appeared in films.[2]

Biography

Sidney Easton was born on October 2, 1885, in Savannah, Georgia.[2][3] However some sources have his date of birth as 1886 or 1891.[1][2] Easton was the eldest of six children, his parents were Eva and King Easton.[4] In childhood, Easton went to work for the John Robinson Circus and later with the A.G. Allan Minstrel Show.[4] He was married to performer Sarah Dooley from 1913 to 1920, ending in her death.[4]

Easton was a member of the Easton Trio.[1] Many of his songs were recorded by various musicians in the 1920s including Elizabeth Smith [Wikidata], Margaret Johnson, Martha Copeland, Fats Waller, Fess Williams and his Royal Flush Orchestra, Joe Simms [Wikidata], Ethel Waters and the Ebony Four, George Bias, Stewart Wille, Virginia Liston, Clarence Williams and the Clarence Williams’ Blue Five, and Eva Taylor.[5]

Easton had a few successful collaborations with the singer Ethel Waters, including the lyrics and composition of the song, "Go Back to Where You Stayed Last Night".[4] Easton was the lyric and instrumental composer and served as a co-producer alongside Joe Simms of the traveling show, Sons of Rest (1920).[6]

In the 1940s, he sued 20th Century Fox the makers of the film, Lifeboat (1944) for having used his play Lifeboat 13 to write the script.[7] The case settled out of court four years later.[4]

The New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has a collection of his papers.[4]

Theater and stage

Theater and stage credits
Name Dates Role Notes
How've You Been? 1925 Performer, "the happy bootblack" Traveling musical revue by Pollock Productions, music by Donald Heywood[6]
Darktown Scandals 1927 Performer Traveling musical revue by Eddie Hunter[6]
Kilpatrick's (Old Time Minstrels) April 19, 1930 – April 26, 1930 Performer Nine performances at the Royale Theatre, by Henry Myers.[8] Performances were done by an African American cast, however many wore blackface to appear darker and red lips.[8]
The Pursuit of Happiness 1933 – 1934 Performer, Mose Musical revue at the Sam S. Shubert Theatre in Kansas City, by Alan Child, and Isabelle Louden.[9]
The Case of Philip Lawrence June 7, 1937 – July 31, 1937 Performer, first bodyguard [3]
At Home With Ethel Waters September 22, 1953 – October 10, 1953 Composer Music and lyrics for "Go Back Where You Stayed Last Night"
After Midnight November 2013 – June 2014 Composer Music and lyrics

Filmography

Film credits
Year Name Role Notes
1931 His Woman Mark Film based on the novel The Sentimentalists by Dale Collins (Boston, 1927).[10]
1932 Wayward George Film based on the novel Wild Beauty by Mateel Howe Farnham (New York, 1930).[11]
1939 Paradise in Harlem Sneeze Ancrum Easton performed with Babe Matthews in this film.[12][13]
1941 Murder on Lenox Avenue Speed Simmons [12]
1940 Sunday Sinners Bootsie [14]
1946 Fight That Ghost Spooky Lighting [12]
1947 The Story of Mr. Hobbs Ben (butler) [12]
1948 Killer Diller policeman
1948 Boarding House Blues Boo Boo

References

  1. ^ a b c "Easton, Sidney, 1885-1971". LC Linked Data Service. The Library of Congress. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  2. ^ a b c Bastin, Bruce (1995). Red River Blues: The Blues Tradition in the Southeast. University of Illinois Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-252-06521-7.
  3. ^ a b "Sidney Easton – Broadway Cast & Staff". IBDB (Internet Broadway Database). The Broadway League.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Sidney Easton papers, 1913-1980". The New York Public Library, Archives and Manuscripts. The New York Public Library.
  5. ^ "Sidney Easton". Discography of American Historical Recordings. University of California, Santa Barbara, Regents of the University of California, NEA Humanities, Packard Humanities Institute.
  6. ^ a b c Peterson, Jr, Bernard L. (1993-10-25). A Century of Musicals in Black and White: An Encyclopedia of Musical Stage Works By, About, or Involving African Americans: An Encyclopedia of Musical Stage Works By, About, or Involving African Americans. ABC-CLIO. pp. 102, 182, 325. ISBN 978-0-313-06454-8.
  7. ^ Afi: American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States : Feature Films 1941-1950 Indexes. American Film Institute (AFI). University of California Press. 1999. p. 1378. ISBN 978-0-520-21521-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. ^ a b Dietz, Dan (2018-03-29). The Complete Book of 1930s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-5381-0277-0.
  9. ^ "Shubert Packs Them In". Newspapers.com. The Kansas City Times. 1 January 1934. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  10. ^ "His Woman". Turner Classic Movies. Turner Classic Movies, Inc. A WarnerMedia Company. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  11. ^ "Wayward". Turner Classic Movies. Turner Classic Movies, Inc. A WarnerMedia Company.
  12. ^ a b c d "Sidney Easton". Turner Classic Movies. Turner Classic Movies, Inc. A WarnerMedia Company.
  13. ^ Rust, Brian; Shaw, Malcolm (2002). Jazz and Ragtime Records, 1897-1942. Mainspring Press. p. 506. ISBN 978-0-9671819-2-9.
  14. ^ Peterson, Bernard L.; Peterson, Bernard J. (1990). Early Black American Playwrights and Dramatic Writers: A Biographical Directory and Catalog of Plays, Films, and Broadcasting Scripts. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 200. ISBN 978-0-313-26621-8.