United States, Georgia, Bibb County, Macon, 32.84069, -83.6324Reevin, Sam E.1925-03-10Partial letter from an agent, probably manager Sam E. Reevin, of the Theatre Owners Booking Association (T.O.B.A.), a Tennessee-based booking agency from 1920 to the 1930s for African American vaudeville acts, to Charles Henry Douglass, Jr., African American entrepreneur and owner of the Douglass Theatre, dated March 10, 1925, regarding the disputed quality of stage shows booked at the Douglass Theatre. The letter responds to criticism of two acts, the Johnny Lee Long Company, and Bennie Sparrow. In order to show that Theatre Owners Booking Association (T.O.B.A.) is not discriminating against Douglass by intentionally sending him poor quality acts, the agent informs Douglass that the Johnny Lee Long Company and Bennie Sparrow were booked into Chattanooga, Tennessee, possibly at the Liberty Theatre, to follow their appearance in Macon, Georgia. He adds that the Johnny Lee Long Company did well in Chattanooga and says he is enclosing a report from a Wilmington, North Carolina theater, possibly the Lafayette Theatre, (not included with this document) where Bennie Sparrow played before he arrived in Macon. The agent admits that he has cancelled the Bennie Sparrow show in Chattanooga due to the unfavorable report from Douglass. He argues that it is physically impossible for an agent to know every show, but assures Douglass that he does not book every show that applies for work and that he tries to investigate as much as possible. Recalling the report card that is sent to the theater managers every week, the agent notes that they contain diverse reviews. He asserts once more that he does not book acts just because they write to him. The letter appears to be incomplete, lacking a signature. Long, a well-known comedian, starred in Shu-Shin-Shi in 1925.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.image/jpegtext/htmldbr063Blues, Black vaudeville, and the silver screen, 1912-1930s (Digital Library of Georgia) GAGALhttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/Theatre Owners Booking AssociationJohnny Lee Long CompanyTheaters--Georgia--MaconEntertainment events--Georgia--MaconCommercial agents--Tennessee--NashvilleAfrican American musicians--Employment--Georgia--MaconAfrican American actors--Employment--Georgia--MaconTheater managementVaudeville--Georgia--MaconDouglass Theatre (Macon, Ga.)Douglass, Charles Henry, 1870-1940Sparrow, BennieLetter: Chattanooga, Tennessee to Charles Henry Douglass, Jr., Macon, Georgia, 1925 Mar. 10Text