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BERT WILLIAMS, THE JACKIE ROBINSON OF THE AMERICAN THEATER - Page 3

© Joyce E. Eberly

Although William appeared in various Ziegfeld productions until 1919, he continued to chafe under the injustices of segregation. In 1920, he starred in "Broadway Brevities of 1920," with Eddie Cantor, who had had a falling out with Ziegfeld because of his activities as a leader in Equity strikes. In 1921, Williams appeared in "Shuffle Along," created in part by his good friend, Eubie Blake, with an all-black cast.

"Shuffle Along" ran for three years, but Williams left the show to star in an all-black musical, "Under the Bamboo Tree," in 1922. He had been suffering for some time from heart problems, but he continued to work. During a performance in Detroit on February 27, 1922, he collapsed after ten minutes. On March 4, 1922, at the age of only forty-seven, he died at his home in New York City.

Williams's recordings have been collected and are available on CD. To listen to excerpts from his records, one can find them at http:/www.archeophone.com/Catalogue/Pioneers/5002.html. These include not only his songs, but also his monologues, including "Elder Eatmore's Sermon on Throwing Stones," illustrating Williams's "ability to portray hypocritical religious figures."

His final recordings dealt with the subject of the day: Prohibition. Three of his most famous songs were: "Ten Little Bottles," "Save a Little Dram for Me," and "Everybody Wants a Key to My Cellar."

This great comedian, actor, and singer deserves to be remembered not only for his enormous talents, but for his unstinting efforts trying to eliminate racial segregation in the United States. About Williams, Booker T. Washington wrote: "Bert Williams has done more for his race than I have. He has smiled his way into people's hearts. I have been obliged to fight my way."

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