Four 1956 photographs showing the cast and several scenes from the play, “Dead of the Night,” which was performed as the “Senior Play” at the Upper Dauphin High School, Elizabethville, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The play had one characters who was a “colored” maid. She was played by a white student in “black-face.”
A synopsis of the play:
Alice Gardner, a young radio writer, goes to Hollybrook Manor, a deserted old mansion on a country road owned by her fiancé, Steve Holbrook, in order to complete an important radio script in surroundings of peace and quiet. She is accompanied by her maid, Jasmine – one of the most screamingly funny colored comedy characters ever written into a play. But instead of finding Holbrook Manor quiet and deserted as they had expected, Alice and Jasmine discover that it is peopled by a strange collection of “Nuts,” including “Hitler,” Mussolini,” “Queen Elizabeth,” Pocahontas,” and “Rockefeller.” They are under the care of Dr. Lawson and Mrs. Egg, a sinister housekeeper. Also present in the house is Glenn, a young man who claims to be crazy, but who can be exceedingly sane at times, as Alice learns. Alice becomes involved in a spy ring, and her safety and her very life – also Jasmine’s life – are in grave danger. But the play ends happily, in spite of all the cockeyed chills, and thrills.
Cast members:
- Charmy Sultzbaugh – Alice Gardner
- Naomi Hain – Pocahontas
- Sue Bingaman – Queen Elizabeth
- Lamar Witmer – Rockefeller
- Gloria Miller – Mrs. Egg
- Larry Gerhard – Steve Holbrook
- Irene Phillips – Jasmine
- Grant Miller – Hitler
- James Raudenbush – Mussolini
- Lynn Henninger – Dr. Lawson
- Edward Charrot – Glenn
- Jean Kitzmiller – Roberta Best
This post is part of a series in which news articles, photographs and other “memorabilia” are presented to show how “black-face” was infused into the culture of the Lykens Valley area. Readers are invited to submit photos and recollections on how long this offensive “entertainment” lasted and what locals thought of it as part of the culture of the area.
Typically, white men and women blackened their faces, and performed while emphasizing negative stereotypical behavior that they attributed to African Americans. The primary purpose was to get laughs. The practice was supported by prominent people in the community and often found its way into school plays such as shown here.
___________________________________
From the 1956 yearbook, La Memoria, of the Upper Dauphin High School, Elizabethville, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. A complete digital copy of this yearbook is available on Ancestry.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.