Part 33 Sunnyside Up or Was It?

Another activity that became very popular in the late 50’s was the annual Sunnyside Minstrels. Not uncommon from the 20’s through the first few years of the 60’s, the Minstrel Show served primarily to entertain local audiences that grew in size each year the Minstrel Shows were held. The Shows also brought out the talent of members of the congregation, in some cases, never before known or for that matter never seen again! There was comedy performed mostly by the Endmen, individual singing, vaudeville type skits and tableaus, choral extravaganzas and good plain fun. Endmen carried on conversations in the form of corny jokes, sang a solo and/or danced, played musical instruments all in black face. Those who can remember those days might recall the antics of Earl Nicholson, Ernie Arey, Phil Allen, John Eastman, Red Timms, Normy Jewett and John Tordoff. Who could forget the song stylists like Hillie Cass, Dottie Blackinton, the Allen kids and little Davey Swanson. Then there was the Minstrel chorus that perhaps engaged as many as 20 folks of all ages. All of the musical pieces involved the inimitable piano impresario, our own Dr. Malcolm Cass. Lest we forget the whole show was held together by Mr. Interlocutor, Bert Farnum, Kevin Malcom’s grandfather. The message of what was intended was wrapped up in the words of the theme song, “Sunnyside Up”. It was an age of innocence when considering the black face of the endmen and the jokes that were made. It was also an age when those involved were proud to sing the meaningful and moving lyrics of a Negro Spiritual or a patriotic American song such as, “When the Saints Go Marching in” or “God Bless America” with gusto.

The above was not uncommon throughout New England, but times change and people grew to realize that what is fun for some can be misery for others, namely those that appear to be made fun of. The issue of Minstrel Shows in New England and specifically Maine became a human relations issue of the Maine Conference with a lengthy statement made and agreed to in 1962. The following is from the Maine Conference Journal of 1962.
“We resolve that the Methodist Church discourage the demonstration and execution
of any type of activity inclined to reflect unfavorably upon any racial or national
group. Of especial concern to Methodists should be the cessation of minstrel
shows and like entertainment which perpetuates a stereotype of the Negro as an
amoral, vagrant, and non-contributory member of society. We refer you to the
following statement prepared by the Rev. M. Ronald Beinema, Sixth Street
Congregational Church, Auburn, Maine, for the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People.
Minstrel Shows in New England
In most New England towns the Minstrel Show is not looked upon the same as it is in
southern, or even some midwestern towns. Here the Minstrel Show is considered by most
people to be only a vehicle for the presentation of a “variety show” with jokes (often
without dialect), stunts and music performed by amateurs. Even the music is often
“modern” and not of the “Old Black Joe” variety. Without that it is not thought to be a
Minstrel.
Also, the number of Negroes (remember this was in 1962) in a typical New England town
is so small—or non-existent—that the idea of a Minstrel Show that embodies the use of
“black face”, Negro dialect—jokes and songs could be offensive to anyone is considered
absurd. People ask: “Who does it hurt?”

In addition, most New England Minstrel Shows do not tell Negro jokes but rather blackface and dialect as one might use a mask to portray a character on stage. The jokes themselves are almost always “told on” the assembled audience. The ridiculous costumes, dialect, blackfaces, etc., are all merely vehicles for what is otherwise a straight variety show. (Blackface and minstrel numbers had become nationally well known through two well-known actors of the 1920-1940 period, Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor.)

What then is wrong with this typical New England Minstrel Show, and why should we be concerned with it? Perhaps the best way to get at the answer is to state some of the misconceptions about New England Minstrel Shows and answer them one by one.

First, it is often said that the Minstrel Show is a way to elevate Negro music for which the American Negro should be proud and grateful. This assumption that the music used in a Minstrel Show is Negro music is a common misconception. Minstrel music is not Negro music but “song and dance pieces which more or less caricature the primitive Negro.” They are for the most part composed by white men and though they dealt with the more obvious traits of the untutored Negro, they were by no means Negro music.

Secondly, it is often said that the Minstrel Show is not designed to caricature the Negro, but merely to serve as a vehicle for telling jokes on the assembled crowd. Be that as it may, whether by design or by accident, the Minstrel Show nevertheless does present a distorted caricature of the American Negro, which is neither healthy nor American. And the presence or absence of Negroes in a given community does not minimize the disservice that is being done to the American Negro! In fact, where no Negroes live in the community, the caricature that the Minstrel Show perpetrates is even more insidious since there is no standard readily available to contradict the impression made. Children and young people especially, are given the idea that all Negroes are like the ones enacted on the state of the local town hall or community club. And the Negro caricature that is most often portrayed there, is one in which the Negro is made to appear stupid, unfaithful, unreliable, lazy, awkward, loud and a drunkard. This is not done maliciously, but in a “caricaturish” fashion, which in many ways makes more of an impression than any direct, frontal assault could do.

Third, it is said that if the Minstrel Show, is objectionable because it uses dialect jokes and caricatures racial characteristics, then this sort of sensitivity in its ultimate would make all humor based upon national or racial characteristics impossible. To this we say, not true! Caricatures of national characteristics such as Scottish, Irish, English, etc., are not the same category. These groups are secure, and therefore, fair game—within bounds. But groups that are struggling for legal rights and equality in a society are not fair game—especially not if the “game” is perpetuating the very stereotypes and misinformation which every sensitive non-prejudiced person is seeking to correct. The American Negro is not unlike the “Handicapped” person, about whom no one makes jokes with impunity (At least according to the preparer of this statement and we agree this should not be done.) And more than this, jokes and caricatures of the Scottish, Irish and English are basically “good” stereotypes, in that they take what are otherwise admirable qualities (thrift for the Scottish, tenacity and pride for the Irish, reserve and propriety for the English.) and taking these, caricature them. Something very different is involved in the caricaturing of the American Negro. None of the fine and noble qualities of Negroes are caricatured; only the unflattering and ignoble ones.
Let us finally come to the recognition that the typical New England Minstrel Show is just
as much a blight upon the nation as “Little Rock”. Let us recognize this, and with mutual
understanding and vigor, do all we can do to undercut the “Acceptability” of this practice
in our New England towns and cities.”

Thus the end of an era came. “Variety Show” headlined the marquis of local community groups including Peoples Methodist Church. Gone were the endmen, the blackface, the dialectical telling of jokes. No longer was there a Mr. Interlocutor, but instead an Emcee. Many of the same songs were sung and the chorus still dressed in frilly dresses and white shirt, bow tie and black pants. The show would go on, but America and we at Peoples had learned much during the 1950’s about our Black brothers and the struggles they had been going through. We needed to do our part in recognizing that all men, women and children should be treated equally and have equal opportunities including common courtesies that were increasingly less obviously reflected in the Minstrel Show.

Editorial Afterword: Sometimes a part of an institution’s history may raise issues when looking at that issue from the perspective of a period of time removed from the era that is illustrated. The above inclusion is just one of those subjects that raises issues. It is hoped that by reading the entire episode the reader can feel that nothing happens in isolation. It is hoped that those who read this history might sense the innocence of participating in a minstrel show in the 1920’s through 1950’s. Time, and sometimes a very short amount of time, changes that feeling and we as Christian brothers and sisters accept that as past and have our eyes opened to a better way of developing brother and sisterhood.