Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
Sosman & Landis delivered scenery for hundreds of productions that were not mentioned in Moses’ diary during 1916.
One Sosman & Landis client in 1916 was Joe Bren, a minstrel show producer. The Joe Bren Company was a Chicago-based theatrical company that partnered with fraternities and civic groups to stage fundraising shows. Company representatives traveled from town to town, working with local talent to organize minstrel reviews; working as the producers, directors and performers for each endeavor. The Joe Bren Company not only provided instruction, but also all of the technical trappings to produce the show, including scenery by Sosman & Landis, lighting equipment and “resplendent costumes” (The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 12 Feb 1916, page 8).
The Joe Bren Company primarily staged minstrel shows in 1916. The Bren Company was especially popular with the Kiwanis Club, Lions, American Legionnaires, United Commercial Travelers, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. In 1916, Bren’s company was featured in “The Sunflower Council No. 31 United Commercial Travelers Grand Minstrel Revue.”
Bren was also contracted for the “Amin Temple Shriners Minstrel show,” as well as “The Elks Grand Minstrel Review.”
As I was looking for a little history surrounding Bren, and came across “A History of Broadcasting in the United States: A Tower of Babel to 1933” by Erik Barnouw. Barnouw explains the Joe Bren Company “made a business of staging local shows throughout the United States for lodges, churches and clubs” (page 225). He goes on to describe, “Local talent was used; the Joe Bren Company supplied sketches, jokes, songs, costumes, and supervision.” Freeman Fisher Gosden, who later played “Amos” of Amos ‘n’ Andy, traveled for Bren. In fact, Gosden truly began his professional career as an entertainer with Bren, going on the road to organize reviews, minstrel shows and carnivals. Charles Correll, who later portrayed “Andy” of “Amos ‘n’ Andy” also worked for Bren. For those who are unfamiliar with the radio show, “Amos ‘n’ Andy:” https://www.nytimes.com/1972/12/31/archives/weaf-700715-ow-wah-ow-wah-ow-wah-amos-n-andy-the-angelus.html and
Here is a peak into the popularity and productivity across the country during the year that Joe Bren hired Thomas G. Moses of Sosman & Landis to deliver scenery for their shows:
In 1916, the Joe Bren Company produced “A Grand Minstrel Revue” for the Elks in Paducah, Kentucky (News-Democrat, 19 Jan. 1916, page 8). Shows under the direction of Ralph Hamilton, representing the Joe Bren Company included the Shrine Minstrel Show in Springfield, Missouri (Springfield News-Leader, 9 Nov. 1916, page 3), the Shriners Minstrel Show in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (Argus-Leader, 18 Oct. 1916, page 5), the United Commercial Travelers Lodge Show in Salina, Kansas (Salina Daily Union, 27 April 1916, page 4), the Shrine Minstrel Show in Munster, Indiana (The Times, 8 Feb. 1916, page 1), the Elks Minstrel Show in Hutchinson, Kansas (The Hutchinson, News, 21 Feb, 1916, page 2), the Elks Follies in St. Joseph, Missouri (Catholic Tribune, 11 Nov. 1916, page 7), the Jollies of 1916 in Lincoln, Nebraska (Lincoln Star 19 Nov. 1916, page 19), and the Shrine Minstrels of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Gazette, 21 Jan. 1916, page 1).
Other Joe Bren Company collaborations included the Mohassan Grotto Minstrel Show in Davenport, Iowa (Quad-City Times, 30 Aug. 1916, page 3), the United Commercial Travelers Lodge Show Lodge No. 127 in Shreveport, Louisiana (Shreveport Journal, 11 May 1916, page 5), the United Commercial Travelers Lodge Show in Wichita, Kansas (Wichita Beacon, 15 Feb 1916, page 9), the Elks Minstrels in Independence, Kansas (Independence Star, 10 April 1916, page 2), the Sons of Black Hawks (S.O.B.H.) Minstrel Show in Waterloo, Iowa (The Courier, 1 Feb. 1916, page 9), the Shrine Minstrel Show in Montgomery, Alabama (10 Jan. 1916, page 7), the Elks Minstrel Show in Kenosha, Wisconsin (Kenosha News, 31 Oct 1916, page 1), and the Shriner Minstrels in Knoxville, Tennessee (Knoxville Sentinel, 5 April 1916, page 5).
Jo Alex Robb was another “advanced director” for the Joe Bren Company. He took charge of the Shrine Minstrel Show at the Alhambra Temple of Chattanooga, Tennessee (Chattanooga News, 11 Dec, 1916, page 7).
The Joe Bren Company was quite sophisticated, with a staff that travelled the country and helped produce shows. Like Sosman & Landis, they tapped into a unique form of clientele that was driven by the “everyone wants to be a star” mentality. There were, and are, many people who want their moment on stage, a chance to shine under stage lights, and Joe Bren delivered that – an opportunity to don a costume and perform on stage in front of professional scenery. Although the Scottish Rite had private performances for its members, it was based on this same principal; you take an ordinary citizen and let him be an actor on a professional stage.
Over the years, the theatre industry has continued to draw upon this particular drive, the desire to be a performer. I also think of past productions that awarded top donors an opportunity to participate in a production as supernumeraries; they were dressed up for a stage scene, but they were able to associate with professional actors and stand on stage before a large crowd.
The only true flaw in this formula is the blackface nature of the minstrel show and the deepening of racism in America. These shows were immensely popular, with many new stage effects being developed by lighting and scenery manufacturers. They also perpetuated prejudice and validated racism, one that thrives today even today. There were still blackface minstrel shows in the 1960s. On March 20, 1970, Vermont’s “Burlington Free Press” reported, “Black face minstrel shows still take place in many Vermont high schools” (page 2). By the late 1970’s newspaper articles fondly remember blackface minstrel shows, recounting comic routines between “black-face clowns” (News-Press, 8 Dec 1974, page 79). In 1977, the “Bennington Banner” included an article about the Lions Club Variety Show announcing, “No black face, but minstrel spirit remains in Arlington” (Bennington, Vermont, 24 March 1977, page 8.
The article describes, “One echo of minstrel days has not died. That’s the tambourines, when the lights go down. Day-glo painted on the lips and hands of the tambourinists and fluorescent ribbons create that old contrast of bright and darks that inspired black face to begin with.” In other words, instead of blackening the skin and exaggerating the white lips, associated with stereotypical representations of African Americans; they just used bright paint to exaggerate the lips, the iconic illustration of a black-faced performer. Is it any surprise that there was a large group of white supremacists just waiting for validation from a public leader again?
To be continued…
