From the early days of minstrelsy to Black Broadway; this book is the story of African American entertainment as seen through the eyes of some of its most famous as well as others of its practitioners. The book moves from the beginning of African American participation in show business up through the present age. Will Marion Cook and Billy McClain are discovered in action at the very dawn of black parity in the entertainment field; six chapters later; the young Sammy Davis; Jr.; breaks through the invisible ceiling that has kept those before him ldquo;in their place.rdquo; In between; the likes of Valaida Snow; Nora Holt; Billy Strayhorn; Hazel Scott; Dinah Washington; and others are found making contributions to the fight against racism both in and out of ldquo;the business.rdquo;
#436079 in eBooks 2004-09-01 2004-09-01File Name: B005L2B54C
Review
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Stan is his own man. and has taken lumps to prove it.By Michael GriffithIn comicdom. there are a few creators (Stan Lee. Jim Shooter. various editors at DC Comics. et al) who are seen as bad guys for one reason or another.Here we have what I think is a balanced account of Stan Lee. who has been seen as everything as a genius to a thief to a visionary to a hack.Did Stan lie about his creator status of the Marvel Universe. Yes. Did he overstate his role in the creation of Spider-Man. the Fantastic Four. Iron Man. Doctor Doom. etc.? Yes. and he has sometimes stated as much (with an uncomfortable squirm. I bet).Is he a bad guy for doing so? Well....if honest is the best policy. Stan is one for bad policies. I guess.Love him or hate him. he IS one of the great figures in comic books and it is easily argued that without Stan Lees contributions. comic books would not have been the social force and just plain fun that they were in the 1960s and certainly Marvel would not be. to this day. on top of the heap of comic book companies.This book is well-written and holds back only in the slightest. Stan gets the black eye he deserves. But he also gets the pat on the back he deserves. too.Ill now go on to read his own "Excellsior" with one eye on this book to remind me of the hype that Stan is famous for pulling.This is a fast read and very entertaining. It offers super pictures (which Ronin Ros biography of Jack Kirby sadly lacks) of Stan at various stages of his life. ALL Marvel fans and fans of the Silver Age of comics should read it!Nuff Said!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A great read about StanBy A guyFactually this jives with the other books about Marvels history (except the ones written by Stan himself). A great bit of nostalgia mixed in with some myth-busting revelations. Nothing terribly new here. but a poignant and bittersweet summary of Stan Lees career up to about 2003-2004.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Great bookBy Haley WinnerI chose this rating because it is a great bookIt helped on a report on him for my school
