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Bert Williams Famous Poker Routine
Bert Williams from "Natural Born Gambler"
published: 28 Dec 2014
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Untold Hollywood: Bert Williams
Bert Williams is credited by many as the first Black comedian to ever appear in the cinema. But many of his films are lost.
Film historian David Stenn tells us more about his story in this piece of untold Hollywood history.
Look for these films on Watch TCM at http://tcm.com/watch.
Connect with Turner Classic Movies:
Visit TCM WEBSITE: http://myt.cm/TCMwebsite
Follow TCM on INSTAGRAM: http://myt.cm/TCMinstagram
Like TCM on FACEBOOK: http://myt.cm/TCMfacebook
Follow TCM on TWITTER: http://myt.cm/TCMtwitter
Subscribe now to watch more classic film content from TCM http://spr.ly/6017cTBT
published: 04 Mar 2024
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AAHIAH episode #54 “THE BERT WILLIAMS STORY”
During the early 20th century, Bert Williams was one of the most famous comedians in the world. Yet, today, very few have ever heard of him. Back in a time when racial inequality, segregation, and stereotyping were commonplace, Williams quietly pushed back racial barriers, becoming the first Black American to take a lead role on the Broadway stage. Earning a salary that eclipsed his white colleagues.
Throughout his three-decade-long career, Bert Williams portrayed a white man who was portraying a stereotypical Black man in blackface. Although this allowed him to make a living, playing up racial stereotypes on stage while dealing with the reality of segregation and discrimination off stage took an emotional toll on him.
“I have never been able to discover that there was anything disgrace...
published: 22 Apr 2022
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Nobody - Bert Williams (1906)
"Nobody" is a 1905 song with music by Bert Williams and lyrics by Alex Rogers. This is a recording of Bert Williams (1874-1922) singing the song in 1906.
published: 02 Mar 2013
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A Natural Born Gambler (1916) | Bert Williams Silent Comedy
"A Natural Born Gambler" is a short comedy starring Bert Williams and featuring cinematographer Billy Bitzer, a star of Silent Hall of Fame.
Bert Williams was a major Broadway comedian. He was invited by Biograph to write, direct and star in two films, with "A Natural Born Gambler" being the better one by all accounts.
Bert Williams loves poker and is on the verge of winning big (with the help of cheating) when the police intervenes and he is thrown in jail. There he has a dream of playing a poker hand, but will he win or will he lose?
From the Internet Archive.
#####
Reelblack's mission is to educate, elevate, entertain, enlighten, and empower through Black film. If there is content shared on this platform that you feel infringes on your intellectual property, please email me at Reel...
published: 08 Oct 2018
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Fish (1916) - Bert Williams Silent Film
In an unprecedented move for its day in 1915, Biograph Company executives hired actor Bert Williams to star, produce, direct, and write his own films, having full control, the first time a Black-American ever had such control given by a mainstream movie company. The two films made for Biograph were A Natural Born Gambler (1916) and Fish (1916). Background from IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0279085/).
In 1916, Bert produced, directed and starred in Fish, about a "boy" who spends hours digging for worms and wants to spend his afternoon fishing, but when he returns home for his pole he finds chores waiting. He sneaks out on the chores and goes fishing anyway. After he catches a big fish he tries to sell it to one of his neighbors, but the neighbor runs him off. The boy's family catches u...
published: 07 Feb 2015
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Bert Williams sings "Nobody", recorded 7th January 1913.
THE DOYEN OF AFRO-AMERICAN ENTERTAINERS, Bert Williams (1874 - 1922) in his best-known composition "NOBODY", from the hit show "Abyssinia" (staged in 1906), recorded in New York in 1913.
From wikipedia: "In February 1906, Abyssinia, with a score co-written by Williams, premiered at the Majestic Theater. The show, which included live camels, was another smash. Aspects of the production continued the duo's cagey steps toward greater creative pride and freedom for black performers. The nation of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) was the only African nation to remain sovereign during European colonization, repelling Italy's attempts at control in 1896. The show also included inklings of a love story, something that had never been tolerated in a black stage production before. Walker played a Kansas tou...
published: 14 Feb 2016
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Bert Williams and George Walker - Good Morning Carrie (1902)
audio recording
published: 30 Dec 2018
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When Bert Williams met Gordon Banks (Late Kick Off 24th March 2013)
Small piece on Gordon Banks and Wolves legend Bert Williams met up from Late Kick Off.
published: 03 Apr 2013
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Bert Williams - O Death Where Is Thy Sting [1918] | Music
Phonograph recording of Bert Williams' O Death Where Is Thy Sting
Bert Williams was one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He was by far the best-selling black recording artist before 1920. In 1918, the New York Dramatic Mirror called Williams "one of the great comedians of the world."
Williams was a key figure in the development of African-American entertainment. In an age when racial inequality and stereotyping were commonplace, he became the first black American to take a lead role on the Broadway stage, and did much to push back racial barriers during his career. Fellow vaudevillian W.C. Fields, who appeared in productions with Williams, described him as "the funniest man I ever saw – and the sadd...
published: 24 Feb 2015
4:09
Untold Hollywood: Bert Williams
Bert Williams is credited by many as the first Black comedian to ever appear in the cinema. But many of his films are lost.
Film historian David Stenn tells us...
Bert Williams is credited by many as the first Black comedian to ever appear in the cinema. But many of his films are lost.
Film historian David Stenn tells us more about his story in this piece of untold Hollywood history.
Look for these films on Watch TCM at http://tcm.com/watch.
Connect with Turner Classic Movies:
Visit TCM WEBSITE: http://myt.cm/TCMwebsite
Follow TCM on INSTAGRAM: http://myt.cm/TCMinstagram
Like TCM on FACEBOOK: http://myt.cm/TCMfacebook
Follow TCM on TWITTER: http://myt.cm/TCMtwitter
Subscribe now to watch more classic film content from TCM http://spr.ly/6017cTBT
https://wn.com/Untold_Hollywood_Bert_Williams
Bert Williams is credited by many as the first Black comedian to ever appear in the cinema. But many of his films are lost.
Film historian David Stenn tells us more about his story in this piece of untold Hollywood history.
Look for these films on Watch TCM at http://tcm.com/watch.
Connect with Turner Classic Movies:
Visit TCM WEBSITE: http://myt.cm/TCMwebsite
Follow TCM on INSTAGRAM: http://myt.cm/TCMinstagram
Like TCM on FACEBOOK: http://myt.cm/TCMfacebook
Follow TCM on TWITTER: http://myt.cm/TCMtwitter
Subscribe now to watch more classic film content from TCM http://spr.ly/6017cTBT
- published: 04 Mar 2024
- views: 5854
21:47
AAHIAH episode #54 “THE BERT WILLIAMS STORY”
During the early 20th century, Bert Williams was one of the most famous comedians in the world. Yet, today, very few have ever heard of him. Back in a time when...
During the early 20th century, Bert Williams was one of the most famous comedians in the world. Yet, today, very few have ever heard of him. Back in a time when racial inequality, segregation, and stereotyping were commonplace, Williams quietly pushed back racial barriers, becoming the first Black American to take a lead role on the Broadway stage. Earning a salary that eclipsed his white colleagues.
Throughout his three-decade-long career, Bert Williams portrayed a white man who was portraying a stereotypical Black man in blackface. Although this allowed him to make a living, playing up racial stereotypes on stage while dealing with the reality of segregation and discrimination off stage took an emotional toll on him.
“I have never been able to discover that there was anything disgraceful in being a colored man. But I have often found it inconvenient...in America.” – Bert Williams
_________________
The African American History Is AMERICAN History (AAHIAH) Video Series Channel on YouTube has received endorsements from: The Harlem Historical Society, Howard University, Newton North High School, Anson County Early College High School, Don Buchwald & Associates, SoBro (South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation)…and Henry Louis Gates Jr.
So, if you haven’t yet subscribed to AAHIAH, please take a moment to do so…And tell your friends and family to subscribe as well. It’s FREE, and you’ll be notified as new episodes are posted. https://www.youtube.com/c/AAHIAHVideoSeries1/videos
https://wn.com/Aahiah_Episode_54_“The_Bert_Williams_Story”
During the early 20th century, Bert Williams was one of the most famous comedians in the world. Yet, today, very few have ever heard of him. Back in a time when racial inequality, segregation, and stereotyping were commonplace, Williams quietly pushed back racial barriers, becoming the first Black American to take a lead role on the Broadway stage. Earning a salary that eclipsed his white colleagues.
Throughout his three-decade-long career, Bert Williams portrayed a white man who was portraying a stereotypical Black man in blackface. Although this allowed him to make a living, playing up racial stereotypes on stage while dealing with the reality of segregation and discrimination off stage took an emotional toll on him.
“I have never been able to discover that there was anything disgraceful in being a colored man. But I have often found it inconvenient...in America.” – Bert Williams
_________________
The African American History Is AMERICAN History (AAHIAH) Video Series Channel on YouTube has received endorsements from: The Harlem Historical Society, Howard University, Newton North High School, Anson County Early College High School, Don Buchwald & Associates, SoBro (South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation)…and Henry Louis Gates Jr.
So, if you haven’t yet subscribed to AAHIAH, please take a moment to do so…And tell your friends and family to subscribe as well. It’s FREE, and you’ll be notified as new episodes are posted. https://www.youtube.com/c/AAHIAHVideoSeries1/videos
- published: 22 Apr 2022
- views: 30841
2:07
Nobody - Bert Williams (1906)
"Nobody" is a 1905 song with music by Bert Williams and lyrics by Alex Rogers. This is a recording of Bert Williams (1874-1922) singing the song in 1906.
"Nobody" is a 1905 song with music by Bert Williams and lyrics by Alex Rogers. This is a recording of Bert Williams (1874-1922) singing the song in 1906.
https://wn.com/Nobody_Bert_Williams_(1906)
"Nobody" is a 1905 song with music by Bert Williams and lyrics by Alex Rogers. This is a recording of Bert Williams (1874-1922) singing the song in 1906.
- published: 02 Mar 2013
- views: 171078
24:12
A Natural Born Gambler (1916) | Bert Williams Silent Comedy
"A Natural Born Gambler" is a short comedy starring Bert Williams and featuring cinematographer Billy Bitzer, a star of Silent Hall of Fame.
Bert Williams was...
"A Natural Born Gambler" is a short comedy starring Bert Williams and featuring cinematographer Billy Bitzer, a star of Silent Hall of Fame.
Bert Williams was a major Broadway comedian. He was invited by Biograph to write, direct and star in two films, with "A Natural Born Gambler" being the better one by all accounts.
Bert Williams loves poker and is on the verge of winning big (with the help of cheating) when the police intervenes and he is thrown in jail. There he has a dream of playing a poker hand, but will he win or will he lose?
From the Internet Archive.
#####
Reelblack's mission is to educate, elevate, entertain, enlighten, and empower through Black film. If there is content shared on this platform that you feel infringes on your intellectual property, please email me at
[email protected] and
[email protected] with details and it will be promptly removed.
https://wn.com/A_Natural_Born_Gambler_(1916)_|_Bert_Williams_Silent_Comedy
"A Natural Born Gambler" is a short comedy starring Bert Williams and featuring cinematographer Billy Bitzer, a star of Silent Hall of Fame.
Bert Williams was a major Broadway comedian. He was invited by Biograph to write, direct and star in two films, with "A Natural Born Gambler" being the better one by all accounts.
Bert Williams loves poker and is on the verge of winning big (with the help of cheating) when the police intervenes and he is thrown in jail. There he has a dream of playing a poker hand, but will he win or will he lose?
From the Internet Archive.
#####
Reelblack's mission is to educate, elevate, entertain, enlighten, and empower through Black film. If there is content shared on this platform that you feel infringes on your intellectual property, please email me at
[email protected] and
[email protected] with details and it will be promptly removed.
- published: 08 Oct 2018
- views: 22789
8:29
Fish (1916) - Bert Williams Silent Film
In an unprecedented move for its day in 1915, Biograph Company executives hired actor Bert Williams to star, produce, direct, and write his own films, having fu...
In an unprecedented move for its day in 1915, Biograph Company executives hired actor Bert Williams to star, produce, direct, and write his own films, having full control, the first time a Black-American ever had such control given by a mainstream movie company. The two films made for Biograph were A Natural Born Gambler (1916) and Fish (1916). Background from IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0279085/).
In 1916, Bert produced, directed and starred in Fish, about a "boy" who spends hours digging for worms and wants to spend his afternoon fishing, but when he returns home for his pole he finds chores waiting. He sneaks out on the chores and goes fishing anyway. After he catches a big fish he tries to sell it to one of his neighbors, but the neighbor runs him off. The boy's family catches up with him and drags him back to his chores. At 42, Bert's attempt to portray a "boy" was not well received. Bert was frustrated with the limitations of primitive cinema and Fish was his last film. Summary written by Blackface: Bert Williams (http://black-face.com/Bert-Williams.htm).
More Information:
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0279085/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Williams
https://wn.com/Fish_(1916)_Bert_Williams_Silent_Film
In an unprecedented move for its day in 1915, Biograph Company executives hired actor Bert Williams to star, produce, direct, and write his own films, having full control, the first time a Black-American ever had such control given by a mainstream movie company. The two films made for Biograph were A Natural Born Gambler (1916) and Fish (1916). Background from IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0279085/).
In 1916, Bert produced, directed and starred in Fish, about a "boy" who spends hours digging for worms and wants to spend his afternoon fishing, but when he returns home for his pole he finds chores waiting. He sneaks out on the chores and goes fishing anyway. After he catches a big fish he tries to sell it to one of his neighbors, but the neighbor runs him off. The boy's family catches up with him and drags him back to his chores. At 42, Bert's attempt to portray a "boy" was not well received. Bert was frustrated with the limitations of primitive cinema and Fish was his last film. Summary written by Blackface: Bert Williams (http://black-face.com/Bert-Williams.htm).
More Information:
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0279085/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Williams
- published: 07 Feb 2015
- views: 24823
2:56
Bert Williams sings "Nobody", recorded 7th January 1913.
THE DOYEN OF AFRO-AMERICAN ENTERTAINERS, Bert Williams (1874 - 1922) in his best-known composition "NOBODY", from the hit show "Abyssinia" (staged in 1906), rec...
THE DOYEN OF AFRO-AMERICAN ENTERTAINERS, Bert Williams (1874 - 1922) in his best-known composition "NOBODY", from the hit show "Abyssinia" (staged in 1906), recorded in New York in 1913.
From wikipedia: "In February 1906, Abyssinia, with a score co-written by Williams, premiered at the Majestic Theater. The show, which included live camels, was another smash. Aspects of the production continued the duo's cagey steps toward greater creative pride and freedom for black performers. The nation of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) was the only African nation to remain sovereign during European colonization, repelling Italy's attempts at control in 1896. The show also included inklings of a love story, something that had never been tolerated in a black stage production before. Walker played a Kansas tourist while his wife, Aida, portrayed an Abyssinian princess. A scene between the two of them, while comic, presented Walker as a nervous suitor.
While the show was praised, many white critics were uncomfortable or uncertain about its cast's ambitions. One critic declared that audiences "do not care to see their own ways copied when they can have the real thing better done by white people," while the New York Evening Post thought the score "is at times too elaborate for them and a return to the plantation melodies would be a great improvement upon the 'grand opera' type, for which they are not suited either by temperament or by education."[14] The Chicago Tribune remarked, disapprovingly, "there is hardly a trace of negroism in the play." George Walker was unbowed, telling the Toledo Bee, "It's all rot, this slapstick bandanna handkerchief bladder in the face act, with which negro acting is associated. It ought to die out and we are trying to kill it." Though the flashier Walker rarely had qualms about opposing the racial prejudice and limitations of the day, the more introspective and brooding Williams internalized his feelings.
Williams committed many of Abyssinia's songs to disc and cylinder. One of them, "Nobody", became his signature theme, and the song he is best remembered for today. It is a doleful and ironic composition, replete with his dry observational wit, and is perfectly complemented by Williams' intimate, half-spoken singing style.
When life seems full of clouds and rain,
And I am filled with naught but pain,
Who soothes my thumping, bumping brain?
[pause] Nobody.
When winter comes with snow and sleet,
And me with hunger and cold feet,
Who says, "Here's two bits, go and eat"?
[pause] Nobody.
I ain't never done nothin' to Nobody.
I ain't never got nothin' from Nobody, no time.
And, until I get somethin' from somebody sometime,
I don't intend to do nothin' for Nobody, no time.
Williams became so identified with the song that he was obliged to sing it in almost every appearance for the rest of his life. He considered its success both blessing and curse: "Before I got through with 'Nobody,' I could have wished that both the author of the words and the assembler of the tune had been strangled or drowned... 'Nobody' was a particularly hard song to replace." "Nobody" remained active in Columbia's sales catalogue into the 1930s, and the musicologist Tim Brooks estimates that it sold between 100,000 and 150,000 copies, a phenomenally high amount for the era."
This is another of my audio restorations, done by using the audio analysis 'waterfall' graph of the recording as a guide to eliminating resonances and frequency response deficiencies in the recording.
https://wn.com/Bert_Williams_Sings_Nobody_,_Recorded_7Th_January_1913.
THE DOYEN OF AFRO-AMERICAN ENTERTAINERS, Bert Williams (1874 - 1922) in his best-known composition "NOBODY", from the hit show "Abyssinia" (staged in 1906), recorded in New York in 1913.
From wikipedia: "In February 1906, Abyssinia, with a score co-written by Williams, premiered at the Majestic Theater. The show, which included live camels, was another smash. Aspects of the production continued the duo's cagey steps toward greater creative pride and freedom for black performers. The nation of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) was the only African nation to remain sovereign during European colonization, repelling Italy's attempts at control in 1896. The show also included inklings of a love story, something that had never been tolerated in a black stage production before. Walker played a Kansas tourist while his wife, Aida, portrayed an Abyssinian princess. A scene between the two of them, while comic, presented Walker as a nervous suitor.
While the show was praised, many white critics were uncomfortable or uncertain about its cast's ambitions. One critic declared that audiences "do not care to see their own ways copied when they can have the real thing better done by white people," while the New York Evening Post thought the score "is at times too elaborate for them and a return to the plantation melodies would be a great improvement upon the 'grand opera' type, for which they are not suited either by temperament or by education."[14] The Chicago Tribune remarked, disapprovingly, "there is hardly a trace of negroism in the play." George Walker was unbowed, telling the Toledo Bee, "It's all rot, this slapstick bandanna handkerchief bladder in the face act, with which negro acting is associated. It ought to die out and we are trying to kill it." Though the flashier Walker rarely had qualms about opposing the racial prejudice and limitations of the day, the more introspective and brooding Williams internalized his feelings.
Williams committed many of Abyssinia's songs to disc and cylinder. One of them, "Nobody", became his signature theme, and the song he is best remembered for today. It is a doleful and ironic composition, replete with his dry observational wit, and is perfectly complemented by Williams' intimate, half-spoken singing style.
When life seems full of clouds and rain,
And I am filled with naught but pain,
Who soothes my thumping, bumping brain?
[pause] Nobody.
When winter comes with snow and sleet,
And me with hunger and cold feet,
Who says, "Here's two bits, go and eat"?
[pause] Nobody.
I ain't never done nothin' to Nobody.
I ain't never got nothin' from Nobody, no time.
And, until I get somethin' from somebody sometime,
I don't intend to do nothin' for Nobody, no time.
Williams became so identified with the song that he was obliged to sing it in almost every appearance for the rest of his life. He considered its success both blessing and curse: "Before I got through with 'Nobody,' I could have wished that both the author of the words and the assembler of the tune had been strangled or drowned... 'Nobody' was a particularly hard song to replace." "Nobody" remained active in Columbia's sales catalogue into the 1930s, and the musicologist Tim Brooks estimates that it sold between 100,000 and 150,000 copies, a phenomenally high amount for the era."
This is another of my audio restorations, done by using the audio analysis 'waterfall' graph of the recording as a guide to eliminating resonances and frequency response deficiencies in the recording.
- published: 14 Feb 2016
- views: 7657
4:45
When Bert Williams met Gordon Banks (Late Kick Off 24th March 2013)
Small piece on Gordon Banks and Wolves legend Bert Williams met up from Late Kick Off.
Small piece on Gordon Banks and Wolves legend Bert Williams met up from Late Kick Off.
https://wn.com/When_Bert_Williams_Met_Gordon_Banks_(Late_Kick_Off_24Th_March_2013)
Small piece on Gordon Banks and Wolves legend Bert Williams met up from Late Kick Off.
- published: 03 Apr 2013
- views: 4074
2:55
Bert Williams - O Death Where Is Thy Sting [1918] | Music
Phonograph recording of Bert Williams' O Death Where Is Thy Sting
Bert Williams was one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the mo...
Phonograph recording of Bert Williams' O Death Where Is Thy Sting
Bert Williams was one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He was by far the best-selling black recording artist before 1920. In 1918, the New York Dramatic Mirror called Williams "one of the great comedians of the world."
Williams was a key figure in the development of African-American entertainment. In an age when racial inequality and stereotyping were commonplace, he became the first black American to take a lead role on the Broadway stage, and did much to push back racial barriers during his career. Fellow vaudevillian W.C. Fields, who appeared in productions with Williams, described him as "the funniest man I ever saw – and the saddest man I ever knew."
https://wn.com/Bert_Williams_O_Death_Where_Is_Thy_Sting_1918_|_Music
Phonograph recording of Bert Williams' O Death Where Is Thy Sting
Bert Williams was one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He was by far the best-selling black recording artist before 1920. In 1918, the New York Dramatic Mirror called Williams "one of the great comedians of the world."
Williams was a key figure in the development of African-American entertainment. In an age when racial inequality and stereotyping were commonplace, he became the first black American to take a lead role on the Broadway stage, and did much to push back racial barriers during his career. Fellow vaudevillian W.C. Fields, who appeared in productions with Williams, described him as "the funniest man I ever saw – and the saddest man I ever knew."
- published: 24 Feb 2015
- views: 2734