Ernest Whitman

Ernest Whitman (February 21, 1893 - August 5, 1954) was an American stage and screen actor.[1] He was also billed in some Broadway plays as Ernest R. Whitman.[2]

Ernest Whitman
Ernest Whitman as "Bill" with
Amanda Randolph in the title role of
The Beulah Show on radio (1953)
Born
Ernest Whitman

(1893-02-21)February 21, 1893
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. U.S.
DiedAugust 5, 1954(1954-08-05) (aged 61)
Hollywood, California, U.S.
Other namesErnest R. Whitman
OccupationActor

Early years

Whitman was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was educated at Tuskegee Institute.[3] He was ordained as a minister in 1907. His participation in Chautauquas led to his becoming an entertainer in vaudeville.[4]

Career

Whitman debuted as an entertainer in Purcell, Oklahoma.[3] He performed on stage in The Last Mile and other productions.[1] He sang in a touring production of Lucky Sambo (1927).[5]

He appeared in a number of films, including King for a Day (1934), The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936), The Green Pastures (1936), Jesse James (1939), Gone With the Wind (1939), Third Finger, Left Hand (1940), Among the Living (1941), Road to Zanzibar (1941), Cabin in the Sky (1943), Stormy Weather (1943), The Lost Weekend (1945), My Brother Talks to Horses (1947), Banjo (1947) and The Sun Shines Bright (1953), his last movie.

On radio, Whitman was the wartime host of the Armed Forces Radio Service's Jubilee, which was designed for African-American troops and featured mostly African-American entertainers.[6]: 376  He portrayed the character Awful on The Gibson Family.[7] He played Bill Jackson on Beulah on radio[6] and on TV.[8]

Death

Whitman died at his home[9] of a liver ailment on August 5, 1954, in Hollywood,[10] aged 61.[9]

Broadway roles
Whitman as Vincent Jackson in the Broadway play, The Last Mile, 1930.

Billed as Ernest Whitman
  • The Last Mile (1930) as Vincent Jackson
  • Chamberlain Brown's Scrap Book (1932) as Ashley the penitent

--Source: Internet Broadway Database[11]

Billed as Ernest R. Whitman
  • Harlem (1929) as Kid Vamp and in ensemble
  • Savage Rhythm (1931) as Sweetback
  • Bloodstream (1932) as Duke Taylor
  • The Monster (1933) as Caliban
  • John Brown (1934) as Frederick Douglass

--Source: Internet Broadway Database[2]

Filmography

References
  1. "The Last Mile". Internet Broadway Database. 1930. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  2. "Ernest R. Whitman". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  3. "Ernest Whitman wins admirers". California Eagle. California, Los Angeles. ASN. May 17, 1935. p. 8. Retrieved February 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Ernest Whitman Gets Role In New 20th Century Film". California Eagle. California, Los Angeles. December 1, 1949. p. 14. Retrieved February 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Olympic". The Cincinnati Enquirer. February 20, 1927. p. 2, Section 3. Retrieved February 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3.
  7. Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  8. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 91. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
  9. "Ernest Whitman". The New York Times. August 10, 1954. p. 19. ProQuest 112885302. Retrieved February 5, 2021 – via ProQuest.
  10. The Week's Census. Jet. 19 August 1954. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  11. "Ernest Whitman". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
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