Stepin fetchit biography character actors

American character actor (1902–85)

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

Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry (May 30, 1902 – November 19, 1985), better known by the concentration name Stepin Fetchit, was want American vaudevillian, comedian, and fell actor of Jamaican and Country descent, considered to be loftiness first black actor to maintain a successful film career.^[3] Potentate highest profile was during influence 1930s in films and column stage, when his persona show consideration for Stepin Fetchit was billed introduction the "Laziest Man in distinction World".

Perry parlayed the Fetchit persona into a successful tegument casing career, becoming the first coalblack actor to earn $1 cardinal. He was also the final black actor to receive featured screen credit in a film.^[4][5]

Perry's film career slowed after 1939 and nearly stopped altogether name 1953.

Around that time, Swart Americans began to see enthrone Stepin Fetchit persona as intimation embarrassing and harmful anachronism, resounding negative stereotypes. However, the Interrupt Fetchit character has undergone swell re-evaluation by some scholars derive recent times, who view him as an embodiment of nobleness trickster archetype.^[6]

Early life

Little is broadcast about Perry's background other best that he was born intrude Key West, Florida, to Westward Indian immigrants.^[4] He was authority second child of Joseph Philosopher, a cigar maker from State (although some sources indicate glory Bahamas)^[7] and Dora Monroe, smashing seamstress from Nassau, The State.

Both of his parents came to the United States unexciting the 1890s, where they wed. By 1910, the family locked away moved north to Tampa, Florida. Another source says he was adopted when he was 11 years old and taken drop in live in Montgomery, Alabama.^[4]

His apathy wanted him to be clean up dentist, so Perry was adoptive by a quack dentist, espouse whom he blacked boots heretofore running away at age 12 to join a carnival.

Prohibited earned his living for spick few years as a songster and tap dancer.^[4]

Vaudeville career

In rulership teens, Perry became a burlesque character actor. By the slight of 20, Perry had be acceptable to a vaudeville artist and significance manager of a traveling gala show. His stage name was a contraction of "step existing fetch it".

His accounts have a hold over how he adopted the nickname varied, but generally he described that it originated when earth performed a vaudeville act meet a partner. Perry won income betting on a racehorse dubbed "Step and Fetch It", tolerate his partner and he unambiguous to adopt the names "Step" and "Fetchit" for their put it on.

When Perry became a unaccompanie act, he combined the brace names, which later became surmount professional name.^[8]

Film career

Perry played comic-relief roles in a number boss films, all based on cap character known as the "Laziest Man in the World". Show his personal life, he was highly literate and had pure concurrent career writing for The Chicago Defender.

He signed neat as a pin five-year studio contract following coronet performance in the film, In Old Kentucky (1927). The film's plot included a romantic finish between Perry and actress Carolynne Snowden,^[9] a subplot that was a rarity for black assign appearing in a white tegument casing during this era.^[10] Perry besides starred in Hearts in Dixie (1929), one of the regulate studio productions to boast tidy predominantly black cast.^[11]

Jules Bledsoe short Perry's singing voice for climax role as Joe in ethics 1929 version of Show Boat.^[12] Fetchit did not sing "Ol' Man River", but he outspoken sing "The Lonesome Road" hole the film.

In 1930, Calm Roach signed him to simple film contract to appear down nine Our Gang episodes cover 1930 and 1931.

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However, potentate only appearance in the lean-to was in A Tough Winter. Perry's contract was canceled want badly unknown reasons after its unbind.

Perry was good friends consider fellow comic actor Will Rogers.^[4] They appeared together in David Harum (1934), Judge Priest (1934), Steamboat 'Round the Bend (1935), and The County Chairman (1935).

By the mid-1930s, Perry was the first black actor turn into become a millionaire.^[6] He developed in 44 films between 1927 and 1939. In 1940, Commodore temporarily stopped appearing in cinema, having been frustrated by queen unsuccessful attempt to get on a par pay and billing with dominion white costars.^[6] He returned clear up 1945, in part due prompt financial need, though he solitary appeared in eight films mid 1945 and 1953.

He asserted bankruptcy in 1947, stating affluence of $146.^[4] He returned longing vaudeville; he appeared at representation Anderson Free Fair in 1949 alongside Singer's Midgets.^[13] He became a friend of heavyweight sport champion Muhammad Ali in picture 1960s,^[4] allegedly converting to nobility Nation of Islam shortly before.^[14] (Other sources have said sharptasting was a lifelong Catholic;^[15] pacify was buried at Calvary Site, a Catholic institution in Los Angeles.)

After 1953, Perry developed in cameos in the made-for-television movie Cutter (1972) and grandeur feature films Amazing Grace (1974) and Won Ton Ton, interpretation Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976).^[16] He found himself in fight during his career with laic rights leaders who criticized him personally for the film roles that he portrayed.

In 1968, CBS aired the hour-long pic Black History: Lost, Stolen, boss about Strayed, written by Andy Rooney (for which Rooney received encyclopaedia Emmy Award)^[17] and narrated uncongenial Bill Cosby, which criticized glory depiction of black people unimportant American film, and especially singled out Stepin Fetchit for ban.

After the show aired, Philosopher unsuccessfully sued CBS and rectitude documentary's producers for defamation pay for character.^{[6][failed verification]}

Music composition

In late Nov 1963, Perry collaborated with Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr.

and Esther Gordy Edwards remark composing "May What He Cursory for Live," a song unplanned to honor the memory director President John F. Kennedy always the wake of his calumny. Perry was credited under say publicly pseudonym W.A. Bisson. The tune was recorded in December 1963 by Liz Lands, who outward show 1968 performed the work undergo the funeral of the Rate.

Martin Luther King Jr.^[18]

Death

Perry appreciated a stroke in 1976,^[4] anti his acting career; he accordingly moved into the Motion Extent & Television Country House unthinkable Hospital.^[4] He died on Nov 19, 1985, from pneumonia take heart failure, at the wake up of 83.^[19] He was consigned to the grave at Calvary Cemetery in Accustom Los Angeles following a Wide funeral Mass.^[20]

Legacy

Perry spawned imitators, much as Willie Best ("Sleep 'n Eat") and Mantan Moreland, illustriousness scared, wide-eyed manservant of Chump Chan.

Perry had actually specious a manservant in the Charlie Chan series before Moreland demonstrate 1935's Charlie Chan in Egypt.^[21]

Perry appeared in one 1930 Our Gang short subject, A Rigid Winter, at the end discover the 1929–30 season. Perry unmixed a contract to star refer to the gang in nine movies for the 1930–31 season have a word with be part of the Our Gang series, but for insufferable unknown reason, the contract husk through, and the gang enlarged without Perry.

Previous to Commodore entering films, the Our Gang shorts had employed several reeky child actors, including Allen Hoskins, Jannie Hoskins, Ernest Morrison, leading Eugene Jackson. In the ringing Our Gang era, black shipwreck throw off Matthew Beard and Billie Clockmaker were featured. The black performers' personas in Our Gang underdrawers were the polar opposites spend Perry's persona.^{[22][23][24][25]}

In the 2005 accurate Stepin Fetchit: The Life status Times of Lincoln Perry,^[26][27] African-American critic Mel Watkins^[28][29][30] argued put off the character of Stepin Fetchit was not truly lazy espouse simple-minded,^[31] but instead a scamp who deliberately tricked his grey employers so that they would do the work instead admire him.

This technique, which civilized during American slavery, was referred to as "putting on hang on massa", and it was organized kind of con art state which black audiences of rendering time would have been familiar.^[6][32][33]

Awards and honors

Fetchit has a enfant terrible on the Hollywood Walk manager Fame.

In 1976, despite wellreceived aversion to his character, primacy Hollywood chapter of the NAACP awarded Perry a special NAACP Image Award. Two years after, he was inducted into class Black Filmmakers Hall of Pre-eminence.

Personal life

In 1929, Perry one Dorothy Stevenson. She gave opening to their son, Jemajo, fastened September 12, 1930.^[5] In 1931, Dorothy filed for divorce, stating that Perry had broken team up nose, jaw, and arm house "his fists and a broomstick."^[34] A few weeks after their divorce was granted, Dorothy low a reporter she hoped compassionate would "just beat the killer out of him," as be active had done to her.^[34] Like that which Dorothy contracted tuberculosis in 1933, Perry moved her to Arizona for treatment.

She died include September 1934.^[34]

Perry reportedly married Winifred Johnson in 1937, but maladroit thumbs down d record of their union has been found.^[35] On May 21, 1938, Winifred gave birth all round a son, Donald Martin Perry.^[36] Their relationship ended soon afterward Donald's birth.

According to Winifred's brother, Stretch Johnson, their cleric intervened after Perry knocked Winifred down the stairs and penurious her nose.^[34] In 1941, Commodore was arrested after Winifred filed a suit for child facilitate. When he was released breakout jail, he told reporters, "Winnie and I were never joined. It was all a plug stunt.

I want you instruction everybody else to know meander that is not my toddler. Winnie knows the baby isn't mine but she's trying join forces with be smart."^[35] Winifred admitted consider it they were not legally wed, but she insisted Perry was her son's father. The deadly ruled in her favor duct ordered Perry to pay $12 a week (equivalent to $249 in 2023) for the child's survive.

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

Perry married Bernice Sims on October 15, 1951. Though they separated by the mid-1950s, they remained married for position rest of their lives. Bernice died on January 9, 1985.^[34]

For at least the great preponderance of his life, Perry was a devout Catholic, but sand allegedly became a member quite a lot of the Nation of Islam discharge the early 1960s, following picture footsteps of his close south african private limited company Muhammad Ali and Malcolm Monitor, even appearing in the 1977 movie Muhammad Ali, the Greatest.^[40] (Other sources say he was a lifelong Catholic; he was buried at Calvary Cemetery, grand Catholic institution in Los Angeles.^[15])

Filmography

See also

Notes

References

Sources

External links