Sidney Easton

Sidney Easton (October 2, 1885 – December 24, 1971) was an African-American actor, stage performer, playwright, composer, vocalist, and pianist. He worked as a performer in minstrel shows, carnivals, burlesque, and vaudeville.[1] Starting in the 1930s he appeared in films.[2]

Sidney Easton
Born(1885-10-02)October 2, 1885
Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
DiedDecember 24, 1971(1971-12-24) (aged 86)
Occupation(s)Actor, stage performer, playwright, composer, vocalist, pianist

Biography

Sidney Easton was born on October 2, 1885, in Savannah, Georgia.[2][3] However some sources have his date of birth as 1886 or 1891.[1][2] Easton was the eldest of six children, his parents were Eva and King Easton.[4] In childhood, Easton went to work for the John Robinson Circus and later with the A.G. Allan Minstrel Show.[4] He was married to performer Sarah Dooley from 1913 to 1920, ending in her death.[4]

Easton was a member of the Easton Trio.[1] Many of his songs were recorded by various musicians in the 1920s including Elizabeth Smith, Margaret Johnson, Martha Copeland, Fats Waller, Fess Williams and his Royal Flush Orchestra, Joe Simms, Ethel Waters and the Ebony Four, George Bias, Stewart Wille, Virginia Liston, Clarence Williams and the Clarence Williams’ Blue Five, and Eva Taylor.[5]

Easton had a few successful collaborations with the singer Ethel Waters, including the lyrics and composition of the song, "Go Back to Where You Stayed Last Night".[4] Easton was the lyric and instrumental composer and served as a co-producer alongside Joe Simms of the traveling show, Sons of Rest (1920).[6]

In the 1940s, he sued 20th Century Fox the makers of the film, Lifeboat (1944) for having used his play Lifeboat 13 to write the script.[7] The case settled out of court four years later.[4]

The New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has a collection of his papers.[4]

Theater and stage
Theater and stage credits
Name Dates Role Notes
How've You Been? 1925 Performer, "the happy bootblack" Traveling musical revue by Pollock Productions, music by Donald Heywood[6]
Darktown Scandals 1927 Performer Traveling musical revue by Eddie Hunter[6]
Kilpatrick's (Old Time Minstrels) April 19, 1930 – April 26, 1930 Performer Nine performances at the Royale Theatre, by Henry Myers.[8] Performances were done by an African American cast, however many wore blackface to appear darker and red lips.[8]
The Pursuit of Happiness 1933 – 1934 Performer, Mose Musical revue at the Sam S. Shubert Theatre in Kansas City, by Alan Child, and Isabelle Louden.[9]
The Case of Philip Lawrence June 7, 1937 – July 31, 1937 Performer, first bodyguard [3]
At Home With Ethel Waters September 22, 1953 – October 10, 1953 Composer Music and lyrics for "Go Back Where You Stayed Last Night"
After Midnight November 2013 – June 2014 Composer Music and lyrics

Filmography
Film credits
Year Name Role Notes
1931 His Woman Mark Film based on the novel The Sentimentalists by Dale Collins (Boston, 1927).[10]
1932 Wayward George Film based on the novel Wild Beauty by Mateel Howe Farnham (New York, 1930).[11]
1939 Paradise in Harlem Sneeze Ancrum Easton performed with Babe Matthews in this film.[12][13]
1941 Murder on Lenox Avenue Speed Simmons [12]
1940 Sunday Sinners Bootsie [14]
1946 Fight That Ghost Spooky Lighting [12]
1947 The Story of Mr. Hobbs Ben (butler) [12]
1948 Killer Diller policeman
1948 Boarding House Blues Boo Boo

References
  1. "Easton, Sidney, 1885-1971". LC Linked Data Service. The Library of Congress. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  2. Bastin, Bruce (1995). Red River Blues: The Blues Tradition in the Southeast. University of Illinois Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-252-06521-7.
  3. "Sidney Easton – Broadway Cast & Staff". IBDB (Internet Broadway Database). The Broadway League.
  4. "Sidney Easton papers, 1913-1980". The New York Public Library, Archives and Manuscripts. The New York Public Library.
  5. "Sidney Easton". Discography of American Historical Recordings. University of California, Santa Barbara, Regents of the University of California, NEA Humanities, Packard Humanities Institute.
  6. Peterson, Jr, Bernard L. (1993-10-25). A Century of Musicals in Black and White: An Encyclopedia of Musical Stage Works By, About, or Involving African Americans: An Encyclopedia of Musical Stage Works By, About, or Involving African Americans. ABC-CLIO. pp. 102, 182, 325. ISBN 978-0-313-06454-8.
  7. Afi: American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States : Feature Films 1941-1950 Indexes. American Film Institute (AFI). University of California Press. 1999. p. 1378. ISBN 978-0-520-21521-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. Dietz, Dan (2018-03-29). The Complete Book of 1930s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-5381-0277-0.
  9. "Shubert Packs Them In". Newspapers.com. The Kansas City Times. 1 January 1934. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  10. "His Woman". Turner Classic Movies. Turner Classic Movies, Inc. A WarnerMedia Company. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  11. "Wayward". Turner Classic Movies. Turner Classic Movies, Inc. A WarnerMedia Company.
  12. "Sidney Easton". Turner Classic Movies. Turner Classic Movies, Inc. A WarnerMedia Company.
  13. Rust, Brian; Shaw, Malcolm (2002). Jazz and Ragtime Records, 1897-1942. Mainspring Press. p. 506. ISBN 978-0-9671819-2-9.
  14. Peterson, Bernard L.; Peterson, Bernard J. (1990). Early Black American Playwrights and Dramatic Writers: A Biographical Directory and Catalog of Plays, Films, and Broadcasting Scripts. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 200. ISBN 978-0-313-26621-8.
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