Blondie Robinson

Blondie Robinson, also sometimes written as Blondi Robinson, was an African American renowned vaudeville comedic act performer.[1]

Biography

Details around his birth and early life are unknown but Blondie Robinson is thought to have been born in the late 19th-century in California.[2]

He was lauded in a 1909 Indianapolis Freeman review for his skilled comedy routine.[3] The Boston Globe described him as a comedian and described his performing role as a "man about town".[4] His performances included various song and dance routines, costumes, contortions, and blackface.[5][6] He partnered with fellow vaudeville performers including Bisette, Henry Jines, and Billie McCarver.[5][7] In 1926, he toured Australia with the minstrel-revival troupe, Ye Olde Nigger Minstrel, in which he wore blackface.[2]

The Brown University Library has a collection of photographs of him and fellow performers of the vaudeville era.[8]

Theater
  • The Isle of Insects (1906), touring show produced by Abo Zebretis, starring Robinson and Emma Thompson.[9][10]
  • Mr. Mikado (1907), a comic spoof of The Mikado, performed in Los Angeles by the Unique troupe, music by Homer Long.[11]
  • Hello (1921)[12]
  • Plantation Days (1922), a touring show by musician James P. Johnson and produced by Maury Greenwald.[2]
  • The Sepian Stars (1936)[2]

References
  1. Sampson, Henry T. (October 30, 2013). Blacks in Blackface: A Sourcebook on Early Black Musical Shows. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810883512 – via Google Books.
  2. "Blondie Robinson collection of African-American Minstrel and Vaudeville photographs (MS.2015.018), Biographical/Historical note". riamco.org.
  3. Sampson, Henry T. (October 30, 2013). Blacks in Blackface: A Sourcebook on Early Black Musical Shows. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810883512 – via Google Books.
  4. "Federal Theatre show in Rockland tomorrow". The Boston Globe. 20 January 1937. p. 19. Retrieved 31 March 2021.open access
  5. "Blondie Robinson collection of African-American Minstrel and Vaudeville photographs (MS.2015.018), Scope & content". riamco.org.
  6. "Minstrels Play". Newspapers.com. Santa Ana Register. November 24, 1906. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  7. Detweiler, Frederick German (1922). The Negro Press in the United States. ISBN 9780742642652.
  8. "Brown Digital Repository | Collection | Blondie Robinson …". repository.library.brown.edu.
  9. "At The Theaters, "The Isle of Insects"". Newspapers.com. Bakersfield Morning Echo. December 15, 1906. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  10. "A Big Show". Newspapers.com. The Santa Maria Times. November 10, 1906. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  11. "Unique". Newspapers.com. Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. March 5, 1907. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  12. Peterson, Bernard L. Jr. (October 25, 1993). 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. ISBN 9780313064548 – via Google Books.


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