Blackbirds of 1928 Robinson, Bill "Bojangles" performer Hall, Adelaide performer Tucker, Earl "Snake Hips" performer McKinney, Nina Mae performer Theatrical Performance 1928-05-09 Liberty Theater A distinctive and unique entertainment (musical revue) in two acts and a prologue, 19 scenes. Entire production staged and conceived by Lew Leslie. Music by Jimmy McHugh. Lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Opened 9 May 1928 at the Liberty Theatre, moved 15 October 1928 to the Eltinge Theatre, and closed 15 June 1929 after 518 performances. Blackbirds of 1928 was an all-white creation for an all-black cast. Dorothy Fields did the lyrics and Jimmy McHugh composed the music. The numbers included "Doin' The Shim Sham" "Great Gettin' Up Mornin'" and "Diga Diga Doo" which retained its popularity. The player and number that drew the most applause was Bill Robinson, snazzily stepping his way through "Doin' The New Low-Down." Amazingly it was his only solo in the show. The best thing about the short-lived revue was Robinson's joyous tap dancing. Also included Adelaide Hall and Earl "Snake Hips" Tucker. Bill Robinson did not become well known to the New York theater critics until he was fifty years old. In a review of the Palace bill in August, 1921, a critic in the New York Dramatic Mirror described all the acts except Bojangles', noting that "Bill Robinson follows." In 1928, producer Lew Leslie hired Robinson as an "Extra Attraction" for his Blackbirds--three weeks after it had opened to lukewarm reviews. A glorified night club revue, Blackbirds needed new talent for each edition. Robinson was assigned a late spot in the second half of the show to sing "Doin' the New Lowdown" and perform his dance on a set of stairs to which several steps had been added. (A recording of Robinson's singing and dancing to this number with Don Redman's band exists on Brunswick 6520 and on LP "Great Moments in Show Business" epic LN 3234.) Robinson's success was instantaneous and overwhelming. The weekly gross jumped from $9,000 to $27,000. He was "discovered" and hailed as the greatest of all dancers by at least seven of New York's newspapers. Performing Arts Encyclopedia http://www.loc.gov/performingarts Billman, Larry: Film Choreographers and Dance Directors: An Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia, 1893-1955. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland (1997). Tap Dance America http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/html/tda/tda-home.html Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (biography) loc.music.tdabio.154 tda IHAS 151216 loc.music.tda.358