- Collection:
- The Blues, Black Vaudeville, and the Silver Screen, 1912-1930s: Selections from the Records of Macon's Douglass Theatre
- Title:
- Letter: Valdosta, Georgia to Ben Stein, Macon, Georgia, possibly 1927
- Creator:
- Stein, Luke
- Date of Original:
- 1927
- Subject:
- Tent shows--Georgia--Valdosta
Entertainment events--Georgia--Macon
Boxing--Georgia--Macon
Boxers--Georgia
Boxing matches--Georgia--Macon
Boxing managers--Georgia
Commercial agents--Georgia
Banners--Georgia--Valdosta
Sign painting--Georgia--Macon
Douglass Theatre (Macon, Ga.)
Reevin, Sam E.
Flowers, Tiger, 1895-1927
Mimms, Tanner
Lang, Bill, boxing manager
Stein, Ben
Palace Theatre (Valdosta, Ga.) - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Bibb County, Macon, 32.84069, -83.6324
United States, Georgia, Lowndes County, Valdosta, 30.83334, -83.28032 - Medium:
- letters (correspondence)
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- image/jpeg
text/html - Description:
- Letter from Luke Stein, owner and manager of the Palace Theatre in Valdosta, Georgia, to his brother Ben Stein, owner and manager of the Douglass Theatre, probably dated 1927, regarding theater business. Luke scolds Ben for failing to write. He asks Ben to convince the sign painter to paint a banner for him and offers to send him a check for the cost. Luke discusses a boxing promoter, Bill Lang, who represents a fighter whom other fighters fear. He relates that Lang is willing to bring to Macon any boxer Ben would like. Luke adds that he would be willing to fight on Ben's terms and would agree to the terms of "winner take all." He advises Ben to arrange an elimination match, after which the winner would fight Tiger Flowers, a Georgia native who in 1926 was the first African American to capture the world middleweight championship. Flowers died in November of 1927 during an operation. Luke relates that he has a road show next week and asks how the cold weather has affected business at the Douglass Theatre. He remarks that business drops off sharply with the start of cold weather but soon picks up. Luke complains that since the three theatres in Valdosta are all showing big films, none of the theatres are making a profit. He reports that he and Frank are moving to the Patterson Hotel annex at Anna's request and asks Ben to let him know the availability of the sign painter at once.
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:
- dbr093
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/dtrm/id:dbr093
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_dtrm_dbr093
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_dtrm_dbr093/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:
- [2] p.
- Original Collection:
- Manuscript held by the Middle Georgia Archives, Washington Memorial Library, Charles Henry Douglass, Jr. business records, 1906-1967, box 22, folder 223, document 30.
- Holding Institution:
- Washington Memorial Library, Middle Georgia Regional Library
- Rights:
-
Page: [1]
[Note: This document contains typewritten, handwritten, and printed text.]
[written text: [added text (appears to be different hand and ink): [ca. 1927]]]
[printed text:
THE PALACE THEATRE
INCORPORATED
OFFICE OF THE MANAGER
Valdosta, Ga. [Georgia],]
[typewritten text: Tuesday
Dear Ben;.
Have you beenn [been] so buisy [busy] that you cant drop me a line once a month, as Sam and the rest keep asking me how things are, how can I tell them, you could have written or answered my last letter to you;
Have you still got the painter, if so have him paint me a banner 16ft [16 ft [feet]] long, on sign cloth, a sign in which I am enclosing a sketch, let me know how much it is and I will send you a check;.
There is a fight promoter here that has put on several big bouts successfully and he is aknown [a known] man in the game, he has a big stable of men, in in [in] that he has one negro who will whip any man you havee [have], Tanner Mimms and the rest and they all know it, he has tried to get fights with them and they wont fight him he whipped Jackson from Augusta the man that fought Jimmie for you, now the plan of the promoter here is to let him fight all of the men you can get that you think can give him a good fight and he will whip them all and he can get a fight for the winner with Tiger Flowers as he and flowers are old friends and a fight in Macon would suit him, now if you want this fellow whos [whose] name is I beleive [believe] Bill Lang, he will bring him up for a fight whoever you pick, and he is willing to fight as [at] your terms and will as soon as fight winner take all, and guarntees [guarantees] that if his fighter wont put up the best fight, meaning fighting all of the time his man wont have a claim for a dime, he is a good looking fighter as I have seen him work, he is 160 and I beleive [believe] if you will talk
Page: [2]
and advertise a elimination for the winner to fight Flowers, I beleive [believe] you can work up;
Elsie and Shirley arrived safely and Joe and Leo were here to meet them, I will be in Macon next Sunday for the day only, I have a road show here next week and hope it will pick up, how has the cold weather affected your business, you know that the first few days make things dull it is after it gets cold and stays cold that things pick up all three theatrs [theaters] are playing big pictures today and all of us are starving, Frank and I move to the Patterson Hotel annex today as Anna [deleted text] wanted us to move besides it is to [too] cold on the sleeping porch, If you can find some time let me hear from you, let me know about the sign at once; Love to Ruth Albert yourself, From Frank and I;
Your bud;]
[Signed] [written text: Lukie]