Out On The Stoop

AudioMo Day 14 Bessie Smith

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 21:04:41 -0700

Many of the minstrels and vaudeville performers were poor or were born on the so-called wrong side of the tracks.

Being able to sing and dance might help you and your family eat or have a place to live. And that could start in childhood or as a teenage. Survival was everything and with no social support system people did what they could do.

Bessie Smith lost her father and mother early in life. Some reports say an older sister took care of the siblings, other state it was an aunt.

In either case, those who were old enough were expected to find ways to bring home some money.

Bessie, and two of her brothers Clarence and Andrew busked around the city getting those coins by singing and dancing on the street.

Bessie's life was complicated and I encourage you to check out the following resources:

Bessie Smith (ca. 1895–1937) was a blues and jazz singer from the Harlem Renaissance who is remembered at as the Empress of the Blues.

From the Women and the American Story there is "Bessie Smith." The New York Historical,

National Public Radio did a 2019 story about Bessie's influence on popular music.

AudioMo Day 13 Bessie Lamb and Her Genre of Music

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 14:12:27 -0700

This isn't getting any easier. There were multiple genres of music between 1870 to 1920. There was high brow, low brow, dirty also known as blue and then there is this specific genre which I really don't want to name.

But I can show it to you on this blog.

And this is one of the more benign covers. Bessie is the means of introducing this type of songs that were popular and were sung on Vaudeville stages, bars and even in homes.

AudioMo is an international participation of folks that want to share what they can do with the audio format. This is a captioned audio for those folks that are deaf, hearing impaired or English is not their native language.

Day 12 - Shadow of the Crow

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 21:39:23 -0700

This is an extract from a book about this time period:

During the post-Civil War era, black performers struggled with the dual burden of seeking paying roles in entertainment and presenting the black community with dignity.

Minstrelsy was still a prominent form of entertainment in the early twentieth century. Black performers like Bert Williams and Ernest Hogan entered the space only to modernize and update it.

They served as a bridge between the minstrel show and the growing popularity of vaudeville, an increasingly popular form of theater that included musical, dance, and comedic acts. Black stage entertainers like Williams and Hogan could blacken their faces, sing, and perform comedy revolving around ill-fated schemes.

But they also introduced performances which added a greater humanity into their characters. Productions by black producers like Bert Williams could also include discussions of anti-colonialism in Africa and critiques against further development of Jim Crow laws.

This political critique was disguised as comedy for largely white audiences. These performances gave African Americans a fullness not often seen when white actors sought to “depict” African Americans in blackface.

Kenya Davis-Hayes, African American Representation on the Stage, Screen, and Airwaves (2025)

Audio Mo Day 10 and 11

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 21:33:42 -0700

Just a quickie on the growing popularity of the two separate but unequal forms of vaudeville.

AudioMo Day 9 Butterbeans and Susie

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Tue, 9 Jun 2026 17:19:01 -0700

Butterbeans and Susie worked for over 40 years with their comedy routine of marriage, jokes and dance numbers.

They also had hit records that could have never been played on the radio.

This is a moment with pioneers of comedy. AudioMo is an international participation of folks that want to share what they can do with the audio format.

This is a captioned audio for those folks that are deaf, hearing impaired or English is not their native language.

AudioMo Day 8 TOBA and Black Vaudeville

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Tue, 9 Jun 2026 16:49:50 -0700

There were segregation rules. There were theaters that did not allow black performers and certainly not black audiences.

Sherman Dudley thought there has to be a better way. And then he created it.

This is an introduction to The Theatre Owners Booking Association aka TOBA and some of the pros and cons about the theater circuit for black performers and audiences.

If you like to know more, there is a 2023 book by Michelle R. Scott 2023 book about TOBA called Get the show on the road and ABS History video about Black Vaudeville on YouTube.

AudioMo Day 7 Birth of Vaudeville From Beer Hall to Stage

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Sun, 7 Jun 2026 09:33:44 -0700

The American version of vaudeville grew out of beer halls. This is how it got started and the links to known performers and minstrel connections.

If you want to know more, the University of Arizona has an excellent page on Vaudeville

The online version of Britannica has info about vaudeville, burlesque and the UK Tavern version of performing in alcohol establishments.

AudioMo Day 6 Bert Williams Stagecraft Under Duress

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Sat, 6 Jun 2026 08:09:48 -0700

Bert Williams worked in minstrel shows. When those shows started to fade in popularity, he was able to transition to vaudeville. This is an overview of his career and some of the challenges he faced.

If you would like to learn more about Bert Williams here are some resources:

There is a short bio page from Library of Congress
IMDB has a bio page and lists his four known movies.
Dartmouth University page on Bert Williams https://journeys.dartmouth.edu/bertwilliams/biography/

AudioMo is an international participation of folks that want to share what they can do with the audio format.

This is a captioned audio for those folks that are deaf, hearing impaired or English is not their native language.

AudioMo Day 5 Minstrel Show Roots of American Comedy

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Fri, 5 Jun 2026 21:11:46 -0700

Folks like WC Fields, Abbot and Costello, Martin & Lewis all used element of holding an audience that was transmitted from minstrel shows and vaudeville. In this episode, the elements of comedy used in those shows.

For more info there is the The Jim Crow Museum at Ferris University.

AudioMo Day 4 - George Washington's President's House

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Thu, 4 Jun 2026 19:53:11 -0700

A detour into 2026 with the current actions regarding the President's House in Philadelphia. George Washington had slaves.

Lots of them. But due to an White House executive order, the exhibit was removed.

The more interesting story is about Ona Judge. If you would like more info abut Ona, and a more accurate history here is what I have for you:

On the Mount Vernon website is the story about Ona Judge. https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/ona-judge

Shush, don't tell anybody but some of the exhibit is still on the National Parks website. https://www.nps.gov/inde/planyourvisit/presidentshousesite.htm

And the Encyclopedia of Virginia has more information about his ownership activities. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/washington-george-and-slavery/

AudioMo is an international participation of folks that want to share what they can do with the audio format.

This is a captioned audio for those folks that are deaf, hearing impaired or English is not their native language.

AudioMo Day 3 - Black Minstrels

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Wed, 3 Jun 2026 17:19:14 -0700

It didn't take long for slaves and free black folks to want to get in on the action. They knew that they could do it. But they faced laws, slave codes and other barriers to performance.

This is the TLDR version of how the ancestors broke into the industry.

AudioMo is an international participation of folks that want to share what they can do with the audio format.

This is a captioned audio for those folks that are deaf, hearing impaired or English is not their native language.

AudioMo Day Two History Behind Stephen Foster's Old Black Joe

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Tue, 2 Jun 2026 07:41:48 -0700

Stephen Foster was a songwriter. He had two styles of composition. One for the minstrel stage where he wrote in a stereotypical style and one for the parlor or for family occasions.

Old Black Joe was created for the singing in the parlor audience.

If you would like to see the poem/song lyrics, there is a version of it on the Poetry Foundation's website.

If you would like to know more about Stephen Foster, the Library of Congress has a biography of the songwriter.

AudioMo 2026 As the Crow Flies

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Mon, 1 Jun 2026 09:17:39 -0700

There are things that are happening in the US that are troublesome. Some say unprecedented.

I say it has been there all the time. It is a river of fecal matter that bubbles up with pride at least two or more times in a century.

It stains everything. Especially in the realm of entertainment.

For this year's AudioMo contribution, I want to look at the African American, Black and Melanated performers that survived, became successful or created new art forms despite all kinds of obstacles.

You see, entertainment in America is a good reflection of what happens in society at any given point in time. Starting with entertainment, we have to start by looking at minstrel shows and vaudeville.

Newspapers and the funny pages too. Night clubs, how the isms moved into movies and radio and television and the new dirty veins of for profit AI videos.

If you are of a delicate nature and don't like your history sanitized. This is probably not for you.

Go elsewhere. As the crow flies...and the birthing of Jim Crow 2.0

AudioMo 2026 - Day 1a What is a Minstrel Show?

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Mon, 1 Jun 2026 09:13:38 -0700

For those of you that don't know, AudioMo is a world wide participation of people using their voices to share where they are, what they are interested in and sometimes people that are inspired to be sound collectors. It's whatever you want it to be.

My contributions is to create a visual audiogram with captions for people that are hard of hearing, deaf or English is not their primary language.

As the USA marches toward Jim Crow 2.0 this is a good time to reflect on the ancestor path makers and future opportunities for greatness.

**Warning, accurate history will be involved.**

Some of the descendants of the involuntary ancestors might experience periods of discomfort.

As the Crow Flies...

What is Peer Tube?

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Tue, 4 Nov 2025 14:48:00 -0800

I was curious about this video host so I found a video that explains it. Folks might need an alternative to other hosting platforms.

AudioMo 2025 The Body Building Magazines

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 22:03:00 -0700

AudioMo Day 13 Body Building Magazines There have been body building magazines since 1889. There are two types of publications.

This is a look at the magazines influences that inspired Peplum movies.

This is my AudioMo captioned 30-day audio about Peplum movies and the historical and cultural connections.

For more info about #AudioMo, please visit https://write.as/audiomo/ #AudioMo #Peplum #MovieHistory

AudioMo 2025 Body Building Phenomena 1950s

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 21:53:00 -0700

AudioMo Day 12 The 1950s Body Building Phenomena

There have always been body builders and physical fitness movements. This is a quick mention of some of the influences. I made a mistake in the first part. I should have said vegetarian instead of vegan.

I'm really tired. It has been a long day.

This is my AudioMo captioned 30-day audio about Peplum movies and the historical and cultural connections. For more info about #AudioMo, please visit https://write.as/audiomo/

#AudioMo #Peplum #MovieHistory

AudioMo 2025 Studying the Craft

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 21:04:00 -0700

Day 11 Performing under the name of Mark Forest, this is the tale of how a Brooklyn bodybuilder used Peplum to finance his study of his passion and craft.

This is my AudioMo captioned 30-day audio about Peplum movies and the historical and cultural connections. For more info about #AudioMo, please visit https://write.as/audiomo/ #AudioMo #Peplum #MovieHistory

AudioMo Day 10 - The Loves of Hercules

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 20:51:00 -0700

Day 10 The Loves of Hercules Hercules does seem to have access to a lot of affection.

In this movie, it is queen sized

This is my AudioMo captioned 30-day audio about Peplum movies and the historical and cultural connections.

For more info about #AudioMo, please visit https://write.as/audiomo/ #AudioMo #Peplum #MovieHistory

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Mon, 9 Jun 2025 18:58:00 -0700

Day 9 What In A Name? How many names can a movie character have?

That depends on where you live, what language you speak and did you see it on the big screen or on television.

This is my AudioMo captioned 30-day audio about Peplum movies and the historical and cultural connections.

For more info about #AudioMo, please visit https://write.as/audiomo/ #AudioMo #Peplum #MovieHistory

AudioMo 2025 More About Steve Reeves

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Sun, 8 Jun 2025 20:45:00 -0700

It is Day 8 of AudioMo and in this captioned audio, I talk a little bit about Steve Reeves career and his last appearance in Hercules Unchained.

That is the U.S. title of the film. The Italian title is Ercole e la regina di Lidia aka Hercules And The Queen Of Lidia.

This is my captioned 30-day audio challenge about Peplum movies and the historical and cultural connections. For more info about #AudioMo, please visit https://write.as/audiomo/

AudioMo 2025 Hercules Mythological True Story

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Fri, 6 Jun 2025 11:17:00 -0700

The actual myth story of Hercules is more like a trashy soap opera.

This is the speed version that has been constantly changed by Italian and Hollywood filmmakers.

This is my captioned 30-day audio challenge about Peplum movies and the historical and cultural connections.

For more info about #AudioMo, please visit https://write.as/audiomo/ #AudioMo #Peplum #MovieHistory

AudioMo 2025 - The Maciste Effect

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Thu, 5 Jun 2025 09:56:00 -0700

The Maciste film series started in 1915 and lasted until 1926. This is a look at some of the people that might have been influenced by the character.

This is my captioned 30-day audio challenge about Peplum movies and the historical and cultural connections.

For more info about #AudioMo, please visit https://write.as/audiomo/

AudioMo 2025 Cabiria and the Birth of Maciste

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Wed, 4 Jun 2025 20:27:00 -0700

The year was 1914 and the movie Cabiria is a world wide hit.

It is an two hour adventure tale with volcanos, pirates, betrayals and introduces the grand-daddy of Peplum, a character called Maciste. There are copies of the movie on YouTube.

This is my open captioned 30-day audio challenge about Peplum movies and the historical and cultural connections. For more info about #AudioMo, please visit https://write.as/audiomo/

AudioMo 2025 - What Are Sword and Sandal Movies

noreply@blogger.com (Gena) — Tue, 3 Jun 2025 08:55:00 -0700

A quick explanation of Sword and Sandal movies. They are one of the reasons why Peplum movies exists.

This is my captioned 30-day audio challenge about Peplum movies and the historical and cultural connections.

For more info about #AudioMo, please visit https://write.as/audiomo/