Darktown Jubilee Williams, Bert performer Film 1914 Bert Williams in his motion picture debut in an independently-produced film that many historians consider the first all-negro-cast movie. In contrast to the usual ragged outfit, Williams usually appeared in on stage, he appeared in top hat and zoot suit without blackface makeup. Williams returned to the screen in 1916 in Fish and Natural Born Gambler. Shot in the Bronx, appearing in blackface in each picture, he portrayed a clever and independent black character, the likes of which were never seen on film by black actors at the time. Performing Arts Encyclopedia http://www.loc.gov/performingarts Watkins, Mel: Stepin Fetchit: The Life and Times of Lincoln Perry. New York: Pantheon (2005). Tap Dance America http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/html/tda/tda-home.html tda IHAS 151216 loc.music.tda.1519