The minstrel show MODERN RENACTMENT Al Jolson

The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface.

Minstrel shows lampooned black people as ignorant, lazy, buffoonish, superstitious, joyous, and musical.[citation needed] The minstrel show began with brief burlesques and comic entr'actes in the early 1830s and emerged as a full-fledged form in the next decade. In 1848, blackface minstrel shows were the national art of the time, translating formal art such as opera into popular terms for a general audience.[1] By the turn of the century, the minstrel show enjoyed but a shadow of its former popularity, having been replaced for the most part by vaudeville. It survived as professional entertainment until about 1910; amateur performances continued until the 1960s in high schools, fraternities, and local theaters. As blacks began to score legal and social victories against racism and to successfully assert political power, minstrelsy lost popularity

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• variety acts
• Civil War1830

[BAFKACHANPRODUCTION]

the new york part is true the hillary part is not ! it was a renactment of old bowery in nyc. like the suicide girls they would drink and then they would commit suicide and they were never short of girls

[chirfu]

The shows were not started to ridicule blacks if you listen to there message...  they may have evolved to that in some fashion but the intention was to tell the news and bitch on how high taxation was and make a statement that would be heard in a way that was not so uptight and people would listen more than a stuffy town hall meeting and some of the banter would actually stick in peoples minds

[chirfu]

What is unbelievable?? History being portrayed to people that may have never known minstrel shows ever existed. Or is it that there are people so shallow to think that this is directed as an opportunity to be racial biggot?

[krissy4nik]

I havent seen enough of the show but from this video alone there is a reproduction of these stereotypes and racist imaging without a deconstruction of them which is harmful.

[298625]

This is an insult to the great Jolson.

[HandwhistlerBen]

Wonderfully done performance. It shows the Historical way that Blacks were portrayed at this time in History. Al Jolson was good friends with many African Americans including Paul Robson.

[joehancock01]

omg i wanna try do it..watch me id be great lol.

[chirfu]

As you can see some pretty negative comments in regards to this show. This re-enactment was of Al Jolson whom in the 20's used Blackface as a vehicle to introduce African tones he loved in New Orleans. He used his fame as most well paid comic/actor/singer in the US in '20. He and Bill Monroe (most associate him with "Hicks") huge promoters of African tones/rythms. If promoting Blacks is pathetic then so be it. Jolson was persicuted for being a jew don't think he would do the same to others

[jdizzy75]

We need more blacks like Michael Eric Dyson. He's educated and he is against the negativity in the black community, but he doesen't turn his back he tries to help through his voice and work. He represents a whole new class of blacks who aspire upward mobility. He also doesen't come off like a racist towards whites. I beleive in the first ammendment , I wanna learn more about this production.

[chirfu]

Just watched the clip with Rev. Dyson. What a great voice for hip hop as well as his many other topics of his 14 books.

[jdizzy75]

Well my research of the minstrel show says different buddy. Look up Eric Michael Dyson Phd work on that. The fact they decided to do this in black face begins on a racist principle anyway. And we all know what the misnstrel show evolved into. It;s demeaning and offensive to blacks period, but it's fine if they wanna do it let them go ahead.

[chirfu]

Nobody is asking blacks to forget these images, like nobody will let me forget how racist DL Hughley is in a time that we should all not be racist. Most of the minstrel shows were POLITICAL! not intentionally racist. The ignorance of the whites back then (not to excuse) were not raised to think what they were doing was inappropriate or even racist acts. They were using the Black face to hide just as the chinese would dress in womens clothes in the old days to make similar political statements