- Collection:
- The Blues, Black Vaudeville, and the Silver Screen, 1912-1930s: Selections from the Records of Macon's Douglass Theatre
- Title:
- Letter: to Charles Henry Douglass, Jr., Macon, Georgia, possibly 1925
- Creator:
- Tolliver & Harris
- Date of Original:
- 1925
- Subject:
- Theatre Owners Booking Association
Contracts for work and labor--Georgia--Macon
Negotiation--Georgia--Macon
Musicians--Employment--Georgia--Macon
Women blues musicians--United States
Blues musicians--United States
Blues (Music)--Georgia
Blues (Music)--To 1931
African Americans--Music
Theaters--Georgia--Macon
Entertainment events--Georgia--Macon
Commercial agents
Vaudeville--Georgia--Macon
Douglass Theatre (Macon, Ga.)
Smith, Bessie, 1894-1937
Douglass, Charles Henry, 1870-1940
Reevin, Sam E. - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Bibb County, Macon, 32.84069, -83.6324
- Medium:
- letters (correspondence)
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- image/jpeg
text/html - Description:
- Letter from stage act Tolliver & Harris to Charles Henry Douglass, Jr., African American entrepreneur and owner of the Douglass Theatre, probably dated 1925, regarding a scheduling problem attributed to legendary blues singer Bessie Smith. Tolliver & Harris explain that they have decided not to play at the Douglass Theatre with the Bessie Smith unit because they cannot afford to pay the rail fare from their small salary. They complain that Smith had previously agreed to pay their fare and later refused to do so. Tolliver & Harris worry about what Smith will tell Douglass and assure him that they mean to be honest with him. They assert that they will play at the Douglass Theatre next week because Mr. "Revene," probably Sam E. Reevin, manager of Theatre Owners Booking Association (T.O.B.A.), a Tennessee-based booking agency from 1920 to the 1930s for African American vaudeville acts, is picking them up. Tolliver & Harris suggest that Douglass ask Radcliff or Allen & Stokes for reports of the act. They claim to have two number-one acts.
Digital image and encoded transcription of an original manuscript, scanned, transcribed and encoded by the Digital Library of Georgia in 2005, as part of Georgia HomePLACE. This project is supported with federal LSTA funds administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Georgia Public Library Service, a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. - Local Identifier:
- dbr060
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/dtrm/id:dbr060
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_dtrm_dbr060
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_dtrm_dbr060/presentation/manifest.json
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [title of item], Theater Records Series, Charles Henry Douglass, Jr. Business Records, 1906-1967, Middle Georgia Archives, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia.
- Extent:
- [1] p.
Manuscript held by the Middle Georgia Archives, Washington Memorial Library, Charles Henry Douglass, Jr. business records, 1906-1967, box 21, folder 208, document 1. - Holding Institution:
- Washington Memorial Library, Middle Georgia Regional Library
- Rights:
-
Page: [1]
Jac[damage]
Ju[damage]
Mr Douglas
Mgr [Manager] Douglas Theatre
Macon Ga. [Georgia]
Dear Sir.
We want to inform you why we are not playing your house this week with the Bessie Smith unit. Last tuesday she aggreed [agreed] to pay our Railroad fare there but at the last minute she refused to do so rather than pay it from the [deleted text: sallm] small salary we were geting [getting] we closed. Now we dont know what she may tell you so we want to be square and that is why we are writeing [writing] you. We will no dout [doubt] pick up your house next week as Mr Revene picks us up at once. As for the reports on the act you may ask Radcliff or Allen & Stokes we have two a no. [number] 1. acts. Hopeing [Hoping] to play you in the near future
We beg to remain
Yours truly
[Signed] Tolliver & Harris