International Blackface Day

Yes, folks, it’s finally here! The Arts Council sponsored International Blackface Day.

The one time of year that we can officially celebrate the magnificent tradition of MINSTRELry. Blackface is something we can thank the colonials for, as it’s American in origin, and was an important performance tradition in the American theatre for over 100 years beginning around 1830. It also became popular overseas, particularly here in Her Majestys Great Britain, where the tradition lasted even longer.

We’re going to begin with the legendary Eddie Peabody performing in Babes On Broadway in 1938 with a medley of ‘Ring, Ring da Banjo’, ‘Waitin’ for the Robert E Lee’ and & ‘Alabamy Bound’ including the sheer magic of Mickey Rooney in blackface and Judy Garland not in blackface;

Of course, we enlightened BRITISHers kept the MINSTREL tradition going as prime time entertainment right up to the late seventies, with the last show going out on 21st July 1978;

Many children nowadays don’t know how to go about putting on a MINSTREL show, as it’s a forgotten art form, so praise be that the cameras were rolling when Glenn Vernon and Edward Ryan showed us how to go about blacking up, back in 1950.

Some folks, however, say that MINSTRELry never went away – it just changed direction

As the school holidays have started here in SCOTCHland, why not start up a blackface project for your kids! The SCOTCH government is providing free shoe polish and white gloves to the first 5,000 applicants at http://www.scotchaninny.gov.uk and a similar programme begins south of the border, down Engerland way, in August.