elvagreen123

Labor of Love

whyThis past week a political figure’s book sold out in 2 days on Amazon after he received an uncomplimentary response to an opinion that he voiced.  I wonder why? Did the book sell out because of controversy? Is that what people want? Of course, my bright brain then thought “hm, how could that work for me? Could I find someone of note to mention me in a bad light on the internet? Of course, they would have to mention the name of the book I authored, then people would rush to buy my book, to see if I really am as bad as that person said!”  Then I laughed out loud. I don’t want controversy to sell my inspiring, delightful biography about my legendary radio icon, filmmaker, comedian father, Eddie Green.

However, truth be told, I was a bit upset. People seem to be drawn to drama. And the aura surrounding the writing and publishing of this book has no negative drama. There is no negative drama in my life. Will my book sell well with no drama attached to it?

Drama could have been created back in the day when Mary O’Neil of the Knickerbocker News printed her opinion in 1937, she said:  “What that Eddie Green is doing in radio, I don’t know. I still can’t see his type of comedy. But as I said before Vallee can’t have a success every single time.” Rudy Vallee was Eddie’s mentor. (For you younger folks, Vallee was a radio and movie star who helped Eddie get noticed.) I don’t think everyone rushed eagerly to their radios that day to listen to Eddie Green, and see if they could tell just what kind of man Eddie was, but I do know that he eventually became one of the most popular and best loved comedians of his time through talent and determination. No drama necessary.

According to Mr. Frank of the Associated Negro Press Eddie had become very popular through his talent: “This brings up the subject of Eddie Green, the fine comedian who appears occasionally on the Rudy Vallee hour. Eddie, who specializes in burlesques of famous plays and men of history, is one of the few people of color ever to win such radio recognition as a comic.”

Today I looked up Mary O’Reily and I found a very interesting geneology site with information on her family from the 1700s to 2012. At the end of the article they stated that this information was a memorial to their ancestor’s sacrifices and hard work that got them to a nation where they could achieve and accomplish anything. I have warmed up to Mary O’Reily. She was a female journalist in 1937 doing her job. She said what she felt and she was glad to have her job.

My intent when writing this book was to inspire and possibly provide a pin prick of motivation to that person who feels the odds are against them. To be helpful in some way. Have someone say “yea, I could do that!” My focus was to be positive and upbeat. I don’t want controversy to spur sales of my book. This book writing venture has been smoother than smooth because it was supposed to happen. And I know my book will reach the people it is supposed to reach. Btw, the title of the book is Eddie Green The Rise of an Early 1900s Black American Entertainment Pioneer, for those of you new to this blog and Thank You for those of you who have purchased the book. You are all a part of my Labor of Love.

As always, thanks, for stopping by.

elvagreen123

Obstacles….NOT!

obstacles-notLet 2017 be your year of overcoming the obstacles. In our world today there seems to be a lot of obstacles: racism, poverty, joblessness. But I have come to learn in my own life and through writing my father’s biography, that obstacles don’t signify stopping points. Unless you live in Chester’s Mill “Under the Dome.” (A fictional TV program that I loved-the town people couldn’t go under the Dome or around it or through it.) In real life obstacles can be overcome.

If you have followed my blog for awhile you know that I have published a book about my father, Eddie Green. My intent was for this blog and the book to be inspirational. To maybe help motivate someone to follow their dreams no matter how difficult it may seem. My family laughs at the title of my blog Pin In The Tush. But I told them it is supposed to bring to mind what happens when someone is stuck in the tush (or butt, if you prefer) with a pin, they usually jump-they are motivated! Anyhow, the book talks about the fact that my father was a Black man born in 1891 in the most poverty-stricken, segregated part of Baltimore, Md. Jobs were few and far between. I think his mother took in washing and I have almost no knowledge of his father, except that maybe he worked the docks when he could. There was no sewage system then and the houses were falling apart alley houses.

Despite the racism, the lack of jobs, and the poverty, or maybe because of it, Eddie left home at nine years of age, taught himself how to read, through books learned the art of magic and performed magic acts in churches and halls in and around Baltimore. He found work as a handy man where he could and wound up working at a theater where they also let him perform. He wrote a song (a bestseller), and sold it for next to nothing. (It became a bestseller after he sold it.) He took himself and a group of ladies out on the road in the South with his song. He got more work in the Theater, wrote more songs and just climbed from there to become extremely successful in the world of entertainment. Racism did not stop him. He was one of the most sought after comedians on White radio programs. He played Eddie, the waiter on the Duffy’s Tavern radio program through the last ten years of his life. Poverty motivated him. The necessity of having money gave him the impetus to teach himself a skill.

Anyone can enjoy a good life despite the seeming let-downs or road-blocks. This year have faith in yourself, treat yourself well, put in the work, learn something new, love your neighbors and see how you can be an inspiration to someone else.

Hey, thanks for stopping by and please, share this with a friend.

And read: Eddie Green The Rise of an Early 1900s Black American Entertainment Pioneer. Publisher: BearManorMedia.com

 

 

elvagreen123

What is theWebster’s Dictionary Word of 2016?

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While typing the title of this post I was reminded of  my step-dad, Nate. He used to pick random times to sit me and my siblings down and give us a word to define. Just out of the blue. Of course we never knew the word, we were just kids, but I became a reader of the Dictionary. He also made us do math problems, but today my math skills suck. Anywho, in looking through internet sites trying to find inspiration for writing this post, maybe something about encouragement or love, I came upon the most looked up word in the dictionary for 2016.

One of the words in the running for 2016 was the word “flummadiddle.” It means something foolish or worthless. According to Webster’s Dictionary, flummadidle spiked in look ups around this year’s election process.

It caught my attention because it looked just like a word my father, Eddie Green, made popular back in 1926. The word was “fummadiddle.” As in “Dad doesn’t go in for fummadiddles,” from a story in 1928, or as in “If you got much to say, be quick about it cause I ain’t got no time fo’ fummadiddles!”, from a story in 1919. According to the Dobbs Ferry Register back in 1926: Newest of the catch phrases to sweep the Country via radio is “fummadiddles” and the promoter of the new word is Eddie Green, whose comedy has been heard several times on the Rudy Vallee program. Eddie’s word was said to be the modern equivalent of “Wanna Buy a Duck?”, which was a silly phrase back in the 1920s. Or it was just another way of  was saying “Balderdash!”.

Anyhow,  whether flummadiddles or fummadidles, either word fits in with the in’s and out’s of this years election.

By the way, Webster’s Dictionary Word of the Year is: Surreal-meaning “marked by the intense irrationality of a dream.” A word that also spiked in look ups last month.

Thank you so much, for stopping by.

Dictionary picture courtesy of Google Advanced Image Search

 

 

elvagreen123

YES, you can.

yesyoucan2Inspire someone today. I chose to write a book “Eddie Green The Rise of an Early 1900s Black American Entertainment Pioneer” to inspire my grandson. He was six when I came up with the idea, he is twenty-six today and the book just published in July of this year.

My very first post talked about the words “I can’t” because I heard that from my grandson a lot when he was little. Just so happens my father, who died when I was three, found success through talent and determination to escape the poverty he was born into. I figured his story would show my grandson that “you can” despite seeming obstacles.

Eddie’s rise from poverty played out mostly in the world of entertainment, with offshoots into the restaurant business. And the book became not only a book to inspire my grandson but a book about the entertainment business in the 1900s. Because Eddie was Black the book is also filled with information about other Blacks prominent in show business back in the day. It became sort of a Black Entertainment history book. So it became a book  about a Black man in America, as well as an inspirational book. People have told me the book should be required reading for young people in schools. So could also be seen as educational. My main group has proven to be people who follow entertainment nostalgia. Old time Hollywood, Old Time Radio shows, old all-black cast movies. A wide variety of folks, young and not so young.

yesyoucanMy desire to inspire my grandson with his great-grandfather’s story morphed into wanting to inspire any person who thinks “they can’t .” So I was blown away with the interest generated by this book in the Nostalgia field. I have discovered that a lot of people knew about, remembered and have actually seen my father perform. I have been made aware of the fact that there are young people  who are fascinated with success stories from the 1900s, for the very reason I wrote the book, inspiration. Also, I have happily realized the interest this book can garner in the Black community as a success story of a Black man, both personally and professionally, in a time of great racial discord.

I am going to put more energy also into sharing Eddie’s rags-to-riches story with as many people as possible, such as The young adult (YA) age group, or teen-group.  Because they are the future. They need to have access to stories that will give them hope. I hope to make this book available to younger children although it doesn’t have any colorful pictures. I also want to market to Black Ancestry sites because genealogy is a big deal today.

Sure, I want to sell a million books. My father’s first song sold a million copies in one year in 1919 (A Good Man is Hard to Find), and people are still recording it, imagine that! But this book began out of love for my grandson and grew into something I could share with people everywhere which makes me happy. And if I make lots of money I will be able to say that I am self-supporting through my own contributions.

In the late 1930s my father told a reporter that in his opinion “radio was a very, very difficult field for Negroes to get into, but the benefits were worth the try.” If he could see how effort has worked toward America having it’s first black President, I know he would be very proud.

Thanks, for stopping by.

 

 

elvagreen123

Look What I Found!

 

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Ernie Whitman, Lena Horne, Eddie Green (my father)

 

Family, friends, young and old, prepare to be blown away.. Here is a photo of Ernie Whitman, Lena Horne and my father, Eddie Green! My publisher told me I would find more information on my father once I published the book and he was right. For whatever reason I decided today to search for new pictures of Eddie, so I went to Google Advanced Search and typed in Eddie’s and Lena’s names (I chose Lena because she and Eddie performed together and for once I was “thinking outside the box”) and Lo and Behold there they were. This photo was taken back in the 1940’s while they were waiting to perform on a Jubilee radio show for our troops in WWII.

For those who don’t know:

Ernie Whitman .(February 21, 1893 Fort Smith, Arkansas – August 5, 1954 Hollywood, California) was the wartime host of the Jubilee radio show aimed at African-American troops and he was a stage and screen actor appearing in such films as
The Green Pastures (1936), Jesse James (1939), Gone With the Wind (1939), Third Finger, Left Hand (1940), Among the Living (1941), Road to Zanzibar (1941), Cabin in the Sky (1943), Stormy Weather (1943), The Lost Weekend (1945).

Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an Award–winning jazz and pop music singer, dancer, actress, and civil rights activist. Horne’s career spanned over 70 years appearing in film, television, and theater. Her film appearances were many including Cabin in the Sky (1943) and Stormy Weather (1943). There may be some younger folks out there reading this blog who have never heard of Lena Horne (what!!). She was beautiful and sexy and someone said she had a sultry voice.

Anyhow, finding this picture was a new thrill for me today and helps to keep me motivated to write these posts and also to get out and market my book. This month I will be visiting libraries in California performing readings for nostalgia buffs and spreading the word. I will probably “tweet” the dates and places.

In my book Eddie Green The Rise of an Early 1900s Black American Entertainment Pioneer I have included a portion of a Jubilee radio program these three did together in 1942.

If you haven’t read the book yet, you might want to check it out. I’m told that it is an enjoyable read. (Christmas is coming!)

Thanks for stopping by and KCB.

(photo provided by ebay on Google Advanced Image Search)

 

 

 

 

 

 

elvagreen123

Find Something You Like To Do & Spread The Love

dowhatyoulike

I like to gather knowledge. I like to read. I like to go to the Library. So the next phase of my book writing venture should bring me pleasure. I will be contacting libraries in Cali to inquire about whether they would be interested in having me visit their library to discuss my book with their patrons and/or if they would allow me to post my brochures, bio or bookmarks at their facility. My publisher says do California first then if I want branch out to other states. I must spread the word about the biography I have written on my father “Eddie Green The Rise of an Early 1900s Black American Entertainment Pioneer.” I am also currently in the process of arranging some kind of presentation here in California at a local museum.

The research I have done has shown me how knowledge provides a real connection to other people and places. I have recently discovered two people, miles apart, who found what they liked to do and did it the best they knew how which enabled them to find success and happiness in life. And both of these people connect directly back to me socially. The first person is a woman by the name of Mayme Clayton, the second is a man named Charles I. D. Loof. Hopefully Worpress will work with me and leave my pictures where I place them, if not I am sure the reader will be able to tell who’s who. (the photo at the top of this post is a copy of an album cover from Taio Cruz from 2015, I love the red.)

Mayme A. Clayton, Ph.D. (1923-2006) founded MCLM in 1975 as the Western States Black Research Center (WSBRC). Dr. Clayton, a university librarian, collector, and historian, believed that preserving and sharing the scattered and often neglected history of Americans of African descent was vitally important for current and future generations.

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Dr. Clayton liked collecting African-America memorabilia. The collection was initially housed in a renovated three-room garage at the rear of Dr. Clayton’s home, located in the Los Angeles community of West Adams. Over time the collection began to outgrow the garage.

Today The Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum (MCLM) is home to the Mayme Agnew Clayton Collection of African-American History and Culture. The collection contains over two million rare books, films, documents, photographs, artifacts, and works of art related to the history and culture of African Americans in the United States, with a special focus on Southern California and the American West. The collection is one of the most important collections chronicling the history and culture of Americans of African descent in the United States of America. I discovered a 1938 autographed photo of my father at this museum in 2015. Hopefully, I will do a presentation about my father’s filmmaking, at this facility. Dr. Mayme Clayton achieved success in the pursuit of what she liked to do. And provided me pleasure.

Charles I. D. Looff was an American master carver and builder of hand-carved carousels who was born in Denmark in 1852 and emigrated to the United States in 1870. After working in a furniture factory all day, he took scraps of wood home to his apartment and began carving them into carousel animals. Young Looff assembled his wooden horses and animals onto a circular platform and created his first merry-go-round. In 1876, he installed his ride at Lucy Vandeveer’s Bathing Pavilion at West Sixth Street and Surf Avenue. This was Coney Island’s first carousel and first amusement ride. charles_i-_d-_looff

In 1909, Charles I. D. Looff built a beautiful carousel with 54 horses and presented it to his daughter, Emma, as a wedding present, when she married Louis Vogel. The ride was installed at Natatorium Park in Spokane, Washington. This ride has been restored and operates today at Riverfront Park in Spokane. When I went to Spokane to visit my brother’s family on November 16th of this year, they took me on a mini-tour and I saw this carousel. I decided to research Charles Loof.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that in 1916, Looff with his son, Arthur, came to California and designed and built Looff’s Santa Monica Pier along the south side of the city’s long, narrow, municipal pier. They constructed a large Byzantine-Moorish style “Hippodrome” building to house one of their ornate carousels, now known as the Santa Monica Looff Hippodrome. The Looffs also erected the Blue Streak Racer wooden roller coaster on their new pleasure pier, along with The Whip and the Aeroscope thrill ride.

In addition to Santa Monica and the Pike, Looff built and operated amusement parks and carousels at Ocean Park, Redondo Beach, Venice Beach, and Santa Cruz, as well as Griffith Park in Los Angeles (still in operation)
Did I used to go to the Pike back in the day and the Santa Monica Pier? Have I been on the Santa Monica carousel? You bet I have. Did I used to Love to go on the Griffith Park carousel and try to grab the golden ring? You bet I did!
Mr. Loof liked to work with wood. He liked making wooden animals for his carousels. He was the best he could be at what he liked to do and he became a successful man. He provided me with hours of pleasure as a child when my mom would take me to Griffith Park.
The search for knowledge provided me with a new, relevant connection in Los Angeles, a loving visit in Spokane (with tour) and connected me back to happy memories in Los Angeles. Strangers, relatives and friends blending together. I love it!
Thank you so much, for stopping by.

 

 

 

elvagreen123

A WONderful Event!

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This is the beginning of a new phase of publishing a book. For those new to my blog, I have written a book about my father. The title is Eddie Green The Rise of an Early 1900s Black American Entertainment Pioneer which has been published by BearManorMedia, and can be found at their website or on Amazon.

I have now had my first book signing event. It was at Book Soup in West Hollywood, California. Of course my fambly were there to support me. Brad Beasley (my brother), Tanisha Beasley Harrison (my neice), Brian Beasley (my brother), and Melony Green (my lovely daughter). Plus friends and fans showed up. Unfortunately, the person to whom I dedicated this book, Edward Nathaniel Green, my grandson, was unable to attend the event as he is currently hard at work in Reno, Nevada. With his beautiful lady and their cat.  I am too proud. Of my family. And, of myself.

Since this was a first book signing I brought snacks (too much) and we had a raffle (my brother Brian won!).

I was surprised and delighted when a gentleman by the name of Miles Kreuger introduced himself to me as a long time fan of my father. Mr. Kreuger was actually in the audience as a child of five when my father was on stage performing as Koko in the Mike Todd production of Hot Mikado at the 1939 World’s Fair. He told me he had been interested in Eddie ever since. Mr. Kreuger is an aficionado on American musicals, and owns a vast amount of memorabilia, some of which he brought with him to show me. Such as an original playbill from Hot Mikado. He is going to share a recording of my father singing “Titwillow” from the 1939 stage play as soon as I correct an error I made on my business card-no phone number. He specifically said he would call me. Actually today I sent him my telephone number in a Thank you note.

Meanwhile I have been trying to set up my site here to include reviews I have received on the book, but I have not gotten very far. I have to read WP instructions over and over, then when I add something to my menu I cannot remember how I did it! I will continue to post on my activities in regard to writing this book and any other articles I write, and I will begin to incorporate other subjects that I feel are relevant to a theme of positivity in human progress. And I will probably begin to include more of my own observations on the state of this world! Just kidding. But I am sure some of my opinions will show up here. This blog and my book venture have opened up a whole new world to me. I have met many cool people and have learned to express myself as I really am.

Here is the last line I read at my book signing event: When Eddie was questioned about his recipe for success, he said “The best recipe for success that he has, is to find something you like to do, and do that the best you know how.”

Thanx, for stopping by. KCB

 

elvagreen123

BOOK REVIEWS: YESTERDAYUSA

yesterdayusa

In September of 2016 I was interviewed on Walden and Patricia’s Open House on the above named internet radio program. Patricia sent me an email after the interview and following is a portion:

QUOTE FROM PATRICIA (Walden and Patricia’s Open House) INTERVIEWER FOR YESTERDAYUSA INTERNET RADIO, SEPTEMBER, 2016:
“We have had calls and emails from listeners telling us how much they enjoyed you and were feeling so good about learning about your father, his work, the culture at the time, the people in the entertainment industry who would otherwise be forgotten So from them, too, thank you.

I tried to explain to Walden (her husband) – and probably didn’t do a very good job of it – what a remarkable and seamless blend of personal thoughts and feelings you captured (which added such warmth and life to the book) while at the same time maintaining an objective distance that made the book impartial and educational and Eddie Green captivating. I will add my comments on the Amazon site this week.

I have a hard time helping people grasp how much I love and appreciate American history, overt and obscure, but most especially the stories and experiences we would never know about except for people like you who put in the time and love to share it. What you share in your book is more than a gift for all of us.”
It is so good to receive messages such as this one and I want to thank Patricia and Walden again for having me on their program.
Thanks for stopping by and may you be inspired.

 

 

elvagreen123

SPREAD THE INSPIRATION

6765541_1_lThis movie, written, directed and produced by my father, Eddie Green, in which he also starred, prompted one journalist to refer to Eddie as the “comic movie making mogul”, because the movie proved to be quite popular.

Dress Rehearsal (1939) was Eddie’s first movie that was released under Sepia-Art Pictures Co. (which Eddie owned) at the 125th Street Apollo in New York on October 21, 1939. The film was also shown in the Lichtman chain of theaters in the South. Eddie’s sales manager reported that after the first showing of the movie the “White as well as the Black audiences grabbed at it greedily.” And that due to this unexpected phenomenon “the entire plant had to be reorganized.” The “plant” being Eddie’s movie studio in Palisades, New Jersey.

The next “first” for Eddie is that in December of 1939 the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) picked Dress Rehearsal for broadcast over their television station in New York, making this movie the first Black (Negro in those days) motion picture to be sent out over the air.

Unfortunately, I have yet to locate copies of this film, although I do have copies of a script. The original script is kept in the Margaret Herrick Museum which is a non-circulating reference and research collection devoted to the history and development of the motion picture.

Today, I am looking forward to my first “First,” my upcoming book signing event. On November 9, 2016 at 7:00PM PST I will be at Book Soup in Los Angeles signing Eddie Green The Rise of an Early 1900s Black American Entertainment Pioneer. When I started this book writing venture I concentrated only on research and writing. I intended to present this book to my grandson as inspiration to go forward with his life. It turns out that my father’s story has provided inspiration for me and a lot of other people who have read the book or seen this blog. During this process, however, it never dawned on me that I would have book signings.

To paraphrase Norma Desmond, after this book signing there will be another one and another one! I already have two invites. This first one though has become a sort of celebration for me so I am having snacks, and a comedy clip and a reading and a raffle. And of course my marketing continues. I have become a part of a couple of social media sites and I am beginning to be a bit more outgoing in regard to “selling” the book.

One thing I know is that if I have a desire to do something, I can. And if the something I want to do gives me pleasure I will take the necessary steps to get it done. My father was a good example of that. Anyone can do the same. I appreciate my followers on this site because they help me to keep writing.  I hope you will mention this blog to others so that we can spread the inspiration.

Thanks, for stopping by and KCB.