Florence Mills a Pioneer of The Silver Screen
Florence Mills never had a memorial in her own nation, but the tiny country of Grenada recently issued a stamp in her honor. It was part of a set as a tribute to pioneers of the silver screen. The stamp illustrated a poster from the Palace Theatre, the place to be for top vaudeville performances. Florence never actually made it to the big screen, but was the first black star, male or female, to headline at the Palace.
Florence was born in January of 1896 in the slums of Washington, DC. As the daughter of ex-slaves, she had it rough, but this girl had an ability that would soon show. She won a talent contest at age four, and by age seven she had made her professional debut. Two years later, she joined a vaudeville touring company. Since she was too young to do this, therefore it was not very long before she was arrested and put into an institution.
Soon after in 1905, Florence's family moved to Harlem, where she attended regular schooling. However, it was in Harlem where Florence joined her two older sisters in playing black vaudeville in local theatres as "The Mills Sisters".
In 1916, Florence moved to Chicago where she became a member of the "Panama Trio" alongside Bricktop and Cora Green. They played at the Panama Café along with jazz notables Alberta Hunter, Glover Compton, and Mezz Mezzrow. Another admirer of the trio was the legendary Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who gave personal tap lessons to Florence. About one year later, the Panama Café was shut down by the police due to a shooting scandal. The trio played on at other local venues for a short time until they broke up in 1918. Florence then moved on to join a very successful black group called the "Tennessee Ten".
After several years with the "Tennessee Ten", Florence joined a new show called "Dixie to Broadway" in 1924. With her widely recognized theme song, "I'm a Little Blackbird Looking for a Bluebird", the show was a phenomenal success. In June of 1925, Florence received vaudeville's highest honor. She was the star attraction at the Palace Theatre. By heading the bill at the Palace, she became the first black performer to have that honor.
Ethel Waters was born in Chester, Pennsylvania on October 31, 1896. She had a hard life in which she faced rejection from her mother and poverty. Waters' love of singing began as a child when she sang in church choirs but her childhood was cut short when at thirteen she married an abusive man, dropped out of sixth grade, and was divorced a year later. Shortly thereafter, she began working as a maid until two vaudeville producers discovered her while she was singing in a talent contest in 1917. She toured with vaudeville shows, and was billed as "Sweet Mama Stringbean" because of her height and thinness. In 1919, she left the vaudeville circuit and performed in Harlem nightclubs. Two years later she became one of the first black singers to cut a record on the Black Swan Record label with her release of "Down Home Blues" and "Oh, Daddy".
Myra Maybelle Shirley also commonly known as the “Bandit Queen” was born on February 5, 1848, on a farm near Carthage, Missouri. She was one of six children, but the only daughter of her farmer parents, John and Elizabeth Shirley. When her family moved into Carthage her father became a prosperous innkeeper and slave holder. Belle attended the Carthage Female Academy, where she excelled in reading, spelling, grammar, arithmetic, manner, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and developed a love for playing the piano. She later attended another private school named Cravens, where she further nurtured her love for music. At the start of the Civil War, her parents were southern sympathizers and supporters of Confederate troops in Missouri. Myra’s parents were apparently pleased, and were even more dedicated to supporting the Confederate cause when their oldest son, John, joined a squad of bushwhackers in bloody reprisals along the Missouri-Kansas border. Later that as a result of fighting for the Confederacy with William C. Quantrill's guerillas, John was killed by Union troops in Sarcoxie, Missouri. Many believe that his influence led Belle in the decision of her life’s direction. By 1864, after Carthage was burned, the family had migrated to Scyene, Texas, near Dallas, and again established a hotel and tavern. They soon had multiple intriguing visitors.
Born on May 4, 1843, she was raised just like any other southern lady. She was the daughter of a merchant and grew up in Martinsburg, West Virginia with her parents, Benjamin Reed Boyd and Mary Rebecca Glenn, three brothers, one sister, and grandmother. She went by the name Belle Boyd instead of her original name, Maria Isabella Boyd. Boyd attended Mount Washington Female College of Baltimore from age 12 to 16 after receiving a preliminary education. People knew her to be a fun-loving debutante. Her low voice was charming and her figure, flawless. Her irregular features rendered her either completely plain or extremely beautiful.
O’Hara was born in Chicago Illinois in 1913. There, she initially lived a happy life as the daughter of strict Catholic parents. She was a beautiful Irish woman with fair skin and dark eyes and hair. Dazzled by jewels and gorgeous clothing, O’Hara fell into the oldest profession. Becoming accustomed to fast money, she left home and went to San Francisco. A few years later in mid-1938 she took what she learned and moved to Hawaii to make money.
Florence Griffith Joyner was born December 21, 1959, in Los Angeles, CA. Known as the World's Fastest Woman for her standing World Record times in the 100 and 200 meter events, Florence Griffith Joyner, elevated women's track to a new level with her three gold and one silver medal-winning performances in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea. Growing up in Los Angeles, Joyner's career was launched in 1964, at age five, when Joyner's father challenged her to catch a jack rabbit, the fastest creature on the sand of the Mojave Desert. She was determined to meet the goal and she did.
Slowly she asked "Is anyone there?" as she walked down the dark deserted road. When she heard a loud sound she turned abruptly trying again "Hello?" Met with only silence she picked up here pace almost running down the dirt road. Her nerves had just began to calm when she heard "WRRRREEENNNNNRRRRRRR" as a chainsaw started behind her. Running she started looking behind her hoping that whoever it was, wouldn’t catch her. With her lack of concentration she tripped over her high heels and face plants into the dirt, giving the murderer a chance to catch up. Slowly he lowered the chainsaw and began cutting --CUT -- This is a common plot used in horror movies today. Movies have changed over the years. They were different five years ago, fifty years ago, and even a almost a century ago. Technologies have unthinkable things possible. They have allowed us to re-sink "the unsinkable ship." They have allowed us to see dinosaurs in all their brutal glory. We have seen imaginary creatures, only ever mentioned in stories brought to life. Movies have moved so far from the 1920's and 1930's. They have developed ideals, rules and even standards; but where did they begin? Did movies just fall out of the sky? Did they just come into being? No they began slowly, silently moving towards a new era, the era we today call "Pre-code Hollywood"
Let me begin by offering a tidbit of biographical information about Florence Price. Florence Beatrice Smith Price was born April 9, 1888 in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was the third child born to Dr. James H. Smith, a dentist, and Florence Irene Gull, a schoolteacher. Previous to studying composition and organ at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Florence received her first musical training from her mother at age four. After much musical education, she was soon found teaching in the music departments at Shorter College in Arkansas (1906-1910), and Clark University in Georgia (1910-1912). In 1912, she married Thomas J. Price and together they had three children. Florence successfully established herself as a concert pianist, church organist, composer, and teacher, which soon became her claim to fame. A prominent composer of the Harlem Renaissance, Florence Price published her first composition at age eleven, and at age sixteen began receiving modest fees for her publications. Among her most famous compositions is the Symphony in E Minor, which received its world premiere at a performance by the Chicago Symphony in 1933. Florence died on June 3, 1953 of a stroke in Chicago, Illinois. It wasn’t until after her death in 1953, that she became well known for her miraculous musical talent.
Like other wealthy girls her age, Fanny was introduced to society at 19, then married a lawyer, Blewett Harrison Lee, on February 9, 1898 at the age of 20. They moved into one of two twin townhouses that her parents had built for she and her brother. The two had three children together and Glessner Lee led an “unextraordinary life.” In 1914, after many unhappy years and a long separation, Glessner Lee and her husband divorced and she moved into her own home, The Cottage on her property The Rock.
Born on the year in 1894, a legend in the music of blues was born. Bessie Smith, Born and raised in poverty, in the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, a religious child, struggling with her 9 family members. Mrs. Smith didn’t have the money to see a music performance or a talent show. But with all the challenges she was facing, for example, having to get money by doing laundry. She turned into a Blues singer. Her singing skills wasn’t like any of the early women singers, he skills went beyond the boundaries of a Blue singer and became the most popular Blue singer that fascinated many talented Musicians, including Louis Armstrong, a famous trumpeter.
Florence Joyner was born in Los Angeles, California, on December 21, 1959, in and went on to become one of the fastest competitive runners of the 1980s. Joyner began running at the age of 7, and her gift for speed soon became
Florence Nightingale was born on May 12th 1820 into a very wealthy family. As she grew up, she recognized that she had a calling to help the sick and poor and decided she wanted to become a nurse. Her parents were not happy with her decision. Being a nurse was not respectable, nor thought of as a proper profession. Therefore, they did not want this for their daughter. Eventually, her father gave his permission for her to go to Germany where
On June 10, 1922, Frances Gumm was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the youngest of three sisters. At age two, her Mother had her performing Jingle Bells in the family theater, where Frances went by the name “Baby Gumm.” Shortly after Frances’s debut, the three girls became a sister act. They performed in the Grand Rapids area, until their mother Ethel moved the family to California in 1926. The girls performed on the radio, in theaters, and at nightclubs.
Known as the “Empress Of Blues”, Bessie Smith was said to have revolutionized the vocal end of Blues Music. She showed a lot of pride as an independent African-American woman. Her style in performance and lyrics often reflected her lifestyle. Bessie Smith was one of the first female jazz artists, and she paved the way for many musicians who followed.
Clara Barton was born during 1821 in Massachusetts. As a young child, Barton learned a great deal of schooling from her older siblings; she learned a wide variety of different subjects. She seized every educational opportunity that she was given and she worked hard to receive a well rounded-education. Clara Barton would later use her education to create her own school and eventually help start an organization that is still used today. As a young child, Clara was extremely shy; nevertheless, after many years she was able to overcome this. Even as a young child Clara thrived helping others. She tended to her sick brother who was severely injured by a roofing accident on a regular basis. The skills she learned from helping her brother proved to be used again when she was on the front-line of the Civil War helping wounded soldiers.
Francis Albert Sinatra was born on Dec.12th,1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey. His parents were Italian immigrants and he grew up poor in the streets of Hoboken. Those tough early years made him all the more determined to work hard and make something of his life. He was a very ambitious person. Since he was a little boy he loved to sing. In his teen years he attended a Bing Crosby concert and that is when he decided that he too would become a singer. At the age of 19 the first break of his musical career came on when he sang with a band called the Hoboken Four. After ...