No Surrender! No Retreat! : African-American Pioneer Performers of 20th Century American Theater

by Gill, Glenda E.

• ISBN13: 9780312217570
• ISBN10: 0312217579
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-07-07
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

No Surrender! No Retreat! examines the careers of fifteen pioneer performers and their triumphs over herculean obstacles. It is a look back over the 20th century and documents personal histories of staggering achievement in spite of institutional racism, gender oppression, and classism. Twenty-four years in the making, No Surrender! No Retreat! is an indispensable work on African Americans in the performing arts, examining well-known performers, such as James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman, and Pearl Bailey. Rare archival material and a number of personal interviews enrich this tome. Glenda E. Gill's work is a moving and sometimes tragic account of the lives and careers of some of America's most outstanding African American pioneers in theater.

Author Biography

Glenda E. Gill is Associate Professor of Drama at Michigan Technological University.

Table of Contents

Preface and Personal Memoir	xi
Foreword	xv
Daniel Larner
Acknowledgements	xix
What Shall the Negro Dance About?	1	(20)
Crucible and Community: The Vision of Rose McClendon	21	(14)
The Silencing of Paul Robeson	35	(24)
Measure Her Right: The Tragedy of Ethel Waters	59	(16)
Marian Anderson: A Serene Spirit	75	(16)
Five Interpreters of Porgy and Bess	91	(16)
Swifter than a Weaver's Shuttle: The Days of Canada Lee	107	(30)
Pearl Bailey: The Black Dolly Gallagher Levi	137	(14)
Ossie and Ruby are One!	151	(22)
James Earl Jones: ``My Soul Looks Back and Wonders How I Got Over''	173	(20)
Morgan Freeman's Resistance and Non-Traditional Roles	193	(12)
Has Anything Changed?	205	(14)
Index	219