Texaco Star Theatre with Bill Robinson (last television performance) Robinson, Bill "Bojangles" performer Television/Video 1949-09-27 This was Robinson's last performance on television. Robinson died on November 25, 1949. Texaco Star Theatre starring Milton Berle. This is a very sad show: Robinson is clearly very ill, he looks shrunken next to Milton Berle who announces him by saying he will be "72 on his next birthday...God Bless, may he live to be 150 years old." The curtain opens to reveal a big paper portrait of Robinson's signature derby hat; Robinson tears through the paper as an entrance: frail and wobbly, he taps to his signature "Doing the New Lowdown": more style than steps; he loses his balance on some of the one legged shuffles he made look so easy; the tune changes to "Toot Toot Tootsie." "Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to give you my conception of how I'm gonna dance 40 years from now-- and believe me, I'm gonna be here--" He performs a dance with a lone cane; wobbly with many spaces in the music not filled with taps. He truly is feeble and shrunken, so sad to see this giant so under the rhythm. "Oh me, oh my, I'd like to have peace of mind" he sings and mimes and as he knocks out a few more steps with his cane as accompaniment. Then he sings, "Let the Punishment Fit the Crime:" "My object seems sublime, I will achieve in time, to let the punishment fit the crime, the punishment fit the crime, and make each person repent, on what they represent, a source of innocent merriment, of innocent merriment; oh my, oh my, oh my, the crime, the crime, the crime." He then quips a riddle and exits to the tune, "Auld Lang Syne." Very sad. Performing Arts Encyclopedia http://www.loc.gov/performingarts Museum of Television and Radio Broadcasing: Museum of Television and Radio Broadcasing. (). 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.1933