Starr, Milton

Description

Letter from Milton Starr, president of Theatre Owners Booking Association (T.O.B.A.), a Tennessee-based booking agency from 1920 to the 1930s for African American vaudeville acts, to Ben Stein, owner and manager of the Douglass Theatre from 1927 to 1929, dated September 7, 1927, regarding business relations and possible shows for the Douglass Theatre. Starr notes that he is enclosing a letter (not included with this document) sent to Charles Henry Douglass, Jr., African American entrepreneur and owner of the Douglass Theatre, that he hopes will meet with Stein's approval. He reminds Stein about available Ken Maynard films and advises Stein how to secure them. Maynard was a white, Western star during the 1920s and 1930s and is credited with introducing the "singing cowboy" to the Western genre. Starr expresses his hope that Stein will keep in mind all that Starr had to say while in Macon and assures Stein that he is at his service. He conveys that the Lemons Company, a reference to Eddie Lemons' Dashing Dinah show, is holding out for a one thousand dollar guarantee for Macon (see dbr056 and dbr057 of the Douglass Theatre Web site), and that Sam E. Reevin, manager and treasurer of Theatre Owners Booking Association (T.O.B.A.), has made Starr responsible for securing better terms. Starr mentions that he is wiring the Lemons company, and that Reevin will communicate the result to Stein. Dashing Dinah, produced by Lemons, featured Lemons, Homer Hubbard, Rogers and Rogers, Leroy Phillips, Charles Barry, Isadore Price, Willie Taylor,...

Record Contributed By

Middle Georgia Archives

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia