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SPEAKER_01: Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica. This month we're talking about comedienne, women throughout history who've made us laugh. They transgressed societal norms through comedy and often spoke out about injustice using their sharp wit. Today we're talking about not one, not two, but four iconic performers. They were the brightest stars of the black vaudeville circuit and spent 40 years shuffling, shimmying, and tap dancing across the country. Please welcome to the stage the Whitman sisters. The famous foursome started out with three sisters. Mabel, Essie, and Alberta, in that order, grew up in Kansas and Georgia at the end of the 19th century. Their father, Reverend Albrea Allson Whitman, taught his daughters how to dance the double shuffle just for exercise, he said. He also taught them religious songs so they could join him on evangelical tours and at church benefits. He'd preach while Mabel, Essie, and Alberta would dance, sing, and play guitar by his side. This would serve as the foundation for their onstage careers to come. In 1899, the three sisters got out from behind the church pulpit and formed a vaudeville act. Vaudeville took the U.S. by storm at the turn of the century. Theaters were filled to the brim with Americans excited to see a mixture of specialty acts like burlesque, comedy, juggling, trained animals, and song and dance. The Whitman sisters' comedy company built their repertoire and brought it to the stage, from Augusta, Georgia to Jacksonville, Florida, all around the major southern theaters. At that time, segregation in the theater was standard. Black people sat all the way up in the balcony while white people sat closer to the stage in the auditorium. The sisters didn't want to stick to the status quo. They demanded black people be allowed to sit in the dress circle and on the main auditorium floor. One magazine article from 1904 claimed it was the first time in all of Birmingham, Alabama that black people were allowed to sit in those sections. The Whitman sisters welcomed people of all races, genders, and social classes to be part of their audiences. By 1909, another sister joined the group, Alice. She was 10 years old when she became part of the family business. Each sister played an integral role. Mabel handled all the bookings and served as the group's manager. She was ever protective and the oldest sister. She did not let the industry underpay or take advantage of the group. She always made sure they got what they deserved. One stop on their tour was the Regal Theater in Chicago. But before the show, Mabel realized the theater was trying to shortchange them, so she walked across the street to the Metropolitan Theater. They didn't have a stage, so she directed them to build a new one, and the Whitman sisters performed there instead. They tanked the Regal Theater's business for two weeks. Mabel quit performing soon after, but she stuck around as the group's manager and dance coach. Essie made the costumes and was the one who fussed over her appearance the most. One night, Alice took 12 encores on stage, stalling while her sister Essie perfected her last spit curl. Then Essie headed to the stage to wiggle her hips and stun the audience with her clear contralto voice. She retired in the late 1920s and became a lay preacher in Chicago. Alberta composed the music. For her act, she donned a short hairstyle and a man's suit and went by the name Bert. She was widely considered one of the best male impersonators of the era. Essie once boasted that Vesta Tilly, another womannequin from this month, was too intimidated to perform on the same bill as Bert. On stage, Bert was a flash dancer, with sky-high kicks and struts and other acrobatics. Baby Alice was the star dancer, known as the Queen of Taps. She was an expert at dances such as Ballin' the Jack, Walkin' the Dog, and the Shim-Sham Shimmy. In 1919, Alice married another performer named Aaron Palmer and had a baby named Albert. When Albert was just four years old, he got dressed up in a tiny tuxedo and took to the stage as the final member of the family show. The Whitman sisters troupe had 20 to 30 performers and they varied the format from six to eight different programs at any one time. A lot of Black Vaudeville performances incorporated elements of minstrel shows alongside other acts. That meant in a single night you'd see a jazz band, jubilees, cake walks, comedians, cross dressers, and everything in between. It was a fast-paced touring environment and Mabel was quick to hire and fire people. But anyone who could survive it got their big break in the industry. The Whitman sisters showcased dancers who were skilled in and of themselves, not dancing just for laughs. And it made them a standout act in the world of vaudeville. Altogether the Whitman sisters spent more than 40 years performing all around the country, making them the highest paid and longest running act on the theater owners booking association circuit. That's what they called the vaudeville circuit for Black performers. Mabel passed away in 1942. Essie, Alberta, and Alice kept the show going for another year, but it wasn't the same without their oldest sister at the helm. Essie and Alice went on to live in their family home in Chicago. Alberta ended up in Chicago for a while too, after living in Arizona. In 1964, Alice buried Essie and Alberta back in their childhood hometown of Atlanta. Alice herself died in 1969. All month we're talking about comedienne's. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram at Wamanica Podcast. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Tune in tomorrow for a special episode brought to you by Nerd Tech. Talk to you then.
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