Reevin, Sam E

Description

Partial letter from an agent, probably manager Sam E. Reevin, of the Theatre Owners Booking Association (T.O.B.A.), a Tennessee-based booking agency from 1920 to the 1930s for African American vaudeville acts, to Charles Henry Douglass, Jr., African American entrepreneur and owner of the Douglass Theatre, dated March 10, 1925, regarding the disputed quality of stage shows booked at the Douglass Theatre. The letter responds to criticism of two acts, the Johnny Lee Long Company, and Bennie Sparrow. In order to show that Theatre Owners Booking Association (T.O.B.A.) is not discriminating against Douglass by intentionally sending him poor quality acts, the agent informs Douglass that the Johnny Lee Long Company and Bennie Sparrow were booked into Chattanooga, Tennessee, possibly at the Liberty Theatre, to follow their appearance in Macon, Georgia. He adds that the Johnny Lee Long Company did well in Chattanooga and says he is enclosing a report from a Wilmington, North Carolina theater, possibly the Lafayette Theatre, (not included with this document) where Bennie Sparrow played before he arrived in Macon. The agent admits that he has cancelled the Bennie Sparrow show in Chattanooga due to the unfavorable report from Douglass. He argues that it is physically impossible for an agent to know every show, but assures Douglass that he does not book every show that applies for work and that he tries to investigate as much as possible. Recalling the report card that is sent to the theater managers every week, the agent notes that they contain diverse...

Record Contributed By

Middle Georgia Archives

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia