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{{Short description|American actor, playwright, and screenwriter}} |
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'''J. Augustus Smith''', also known as '''Gus Smith''' (born January 14, 1891),<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|date=1936-08-22|title=WPA Lafayette All-Negro Staff|pages=9|work=The New York Age|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54439977/wpa-lafayette-all-negro-staff/|access-date=2020-06-30}}</ref> was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter.<ref>https://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:168486/datastream/PDF/</ref> |
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[[File:Gus-Smith-Turpentine.jpg|thumb|Gus Smith as Forty-Four in the Federal Theatre Project production of his play ''Turpentine'' (1936)]] |
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'''J. Augustus Smith''', also known as '''Gus Smith''' (born January 14, 1891; died December 1964),<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|date=1936-08-22|title=WPA Lafayette All-Negro Staff|pages=9|work=The New York Age|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54439977/wpa-lafayette-all-negro-staff/|access-date=2020-06-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Augustus Smith {{!}} Actor, Writer, Soundtrack |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0807383/ |access-date=2024-11-24 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}</ref> was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:168486/datastream/PDF/|title=Ashley Street Blues: Racial Uplift and the Commodification of Vernacular Performance in Lavilla, Florida, 1896-1916|website=diginole.lib.fsu.edu | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606111655/https://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:168486/datastream/PDF/ | archive-date=2021-06-06}}</ref> In 1936 he was one of three theatre artists who succeeded [[John Houseman]] in leading the Negro Theatre Unit of the [[Federal Theatre Project]] in New York City. |
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== Biography == |
== Biography == |
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[[File:Turpentine-poster-1936.jpg|thumb|Poster for the [[Federal Theatre Project]] production of ''Turpentine'' at the [[Lafayette Theatre (Harlem)|Lafayette Theatre]] (1936)]] |
[[File:Turpentine-poster-1936.jpg|thumb|Poster for the [[Federal Theatre Project]] production of ''Turpentine'' at the [[Lafayette Theatre (Harlem)|Lafayette Theatre]] (1936)]] |
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Smith was born in [[Gainesville, Florida]], in 1891.<ref name=":0" /> He made his stage debut during childhood, playing in [[ |
Smith was born in [[Gainesville, Florida]], in 1891.<ref name=":0" /> He made his stage debut during childhood, playing in [[minstrel show]]s.<ref name=":0" /> |
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In 1911, Smith formed his own minstrel company, with which he toured the United States. He went on to have a career in acting and writing for theatre and film.<ref name=":0" /> |
In 1911, Smith formed his own minstrel company, with which he toured the United States. He went on to have a career in acting and writing for theatre and film.<ref name=":0" /> |
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Smith wrote and appeared in ''[[Drums O' Voodoo]]'' (1934).<ref name="afi">{{Cite web|url=http://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/16905|title=AFI|Catalog|website=catalog.afi.com}}</ref> The film was based on his play ''Louisiana'',<ref name="board">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bsoUXGZSxZcC& |
Smith wrote and appeared in ''[[Drums O' Voodoo]]'' (1934).<ref name="afi">{{Cite web|url=http://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/16905|title=AFI|Catalog|website=catalog.afi.com}}</ref> The film was based on his play ''Louisiana'',<ref name="board">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bsoUXGZSxZcC&q=%22augustus+smith%22+film&pg=PA340|title=Within Our Gates: Ethnicity in American Feature Films, 1911-1960|first1=America Film Institute|last1=Staff|first2=Alan|last2=Gevinson|first3=American Film|last3=Institute|first4=American Film|last4=Afi|date=May 25, 1997|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=9780520209640|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Johns|first=Vere E.|date=1934-05-19|title=In the name of art|pages=4|work=The New York Age|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54439873/in-the-name-of-art/|access-date=2020-06-30}}</ref> which premiered in 1933 on [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]], starring Smith.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1933-02-19|title=At the Majestic|pages=53|work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54439682/at-the-majestic/|access-date=2020-06-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=1933-02-21|title="Louisiana," a play of the South, at Majestic Theatre|pages=7|work=Times Union|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54439811/louisiana-a-play-of-the-south-at/|access-date=2020-06-30}}</ref> The stage production featured an all-Black cast, members of the New Negro Repertory Theater Group, founded by Smith. The cast members reprised their roles for the film.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|date=1934-04-28|title=Broadway stars prominent in voodoo talkie|pages=18|work=The Pittsburgh Courier|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54440112/broadway-stars-prominent-in-voodoo/|access-date=2020-06-30}}</ref> |
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Smith co-wrote, co-directed, and co-starred in ''Turpentine'', a play about conditions in [[turpentine]] camps in the American South,<ref>{{Cite news|date=1942-10-11|title=Actor-author will appear at Gibbs High|pages=20|work=Tampa Bay Times|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54440227/actor-author-will-appear-at-gibbs-high/|access-date=2020-06-30}}</ref> for the [[Federal Theatre Project]]. In 1936 he was one of a triumvirate of African-American theatre artists who succeeded [[John Houseman]] in leading the Negro Theatre Unit of the [[Federal Theatre Project]].<ref name="Houseman RT">{{cite book |last=Houseman |first=John |author-link=John Houseman |title=Run-Through: A Memoir |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |location=New York |date=1972 |page=209 |isbn=0-671-21034-3}}</ref> |
Smith co-wrote, co-directed, and co-starred in ''Turpentine'', a play about conditions in [[turpentine]] camps in the American South,<ref>{{Cite news|date=1942-10-11|title=Actor-author will appear at Gibbs High|pages=20|work=Tampa Bay Times|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54440227/actor-author-will-appear-at-gibbs-high/|access-date=2020-06-30}}</ref> for the [[Federal Theatre Project]]. In 1936 he was one of a triumvirate of African-American theatre artists who succeeded [[John Houseman]] in leading the Negro Theatre Unit of the [[Federal Theatre Project]].<ref name="Houseman RT">{{cite book |last=Houseman |first=John |author-link=John Houseman |title=Run-Through: A Memoir |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |location=New York |date=1972 |page=209 |isbn=0-671-21034-3}}</ref> |
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Smith also wrote ''Just Ten Days'', a folk-comedy that played at parks in [[the Bronx]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=1937-08-21|title=15,000 see Negro folk play on caravan|pages=9|work=The New York Age|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54440328/15000-see-negro-folk-play-on-caravan/|access-date=2020-06-30}}</ref> |
Smith also wrote ''Just Ten Days'', a folk-comedy that played at parks in [[the Bronx]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=1937-08-21|title=15,000 see Negro folk play on caravan|pages=9|work=The New York Age|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54440328/15000-see-negro-folk-play-on-caravan/|access-date=2020-06-30}}</ref> |
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Smith and [[Oliver Foster]] had the lead roles in the theatrical production ''Walk Together Chillun''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y36KqUL1jSAC& |
Smith and [[Oliver Foster]] had the lead roles in the theatrical production ''Walk Together Chillun''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y36KqUL1jSAC&q=%22augustus+smith%22+film&pg=PA200|title=Early Black American Playwrights and Dramatic Writers: A Biographical Directory and Catalog of Plays, Films, and Broadcasting Scripts|first=Bernard L.|last=Peterson|date=May 25, 1990|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=9780313266218|via=Google Books}}</ref> |
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== |
==Theatre== |
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*''Louisiana'' (1933) |
*''Louisiana'' (1933) |
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*''Turpentine'' (1936)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sources.com/SSR/Docs/SSRW-Federal_Theatre_Project.htm|title = Federal Theatre Project}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://moma.jl/interactives/exhibitions/2015/onewayticket/panel/30|title=Jacob Lawrence The Migration Series, Panel 30|website=moma.jl}}{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200216703/|title=Turpentine|website=Library of Congress}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nypl.org/research/collections/shared-collection-catalog|title=Shared Collection Catalog | NYPL|website=Shared Collection Catalog | NYPL}}</ref> |
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*''Turpentine'' (1936)<ref>https://www.sources.com/SSR/Docs/SSRW-Federal_Theatre_Project.htm] |
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*''Walk Together Chillun'' (1936)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/musftpplaybills.200222225/|title=Walk Together Chillun|website=Library of Congress}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://search.alexanderstreet.com/preview/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cbibliographic_details%7C3605608|title=Production stills from Walk Together, Chillun by Frank Wilson, February 2, 1936 | Alexander Street, a ProQuest Company|website=search.alexanderstreet.com}}</ref> |
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*''Walk Together Chillun'' (1936)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/musftpplaybills.200222225/|title=Walk Together Chillun|website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://search.alexanderstreet.com/preview/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cbibliographic_details%7C3605608|title=Production stills from Walk Together, Chillun by Frank Wilson, February 2, 1936 | Alexander Street, a ProQuest Company|website=search.alexanderstreet.com}}</ref> |
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*''Just Ten Days'' (1937) |
*''Just Ten Days'' (1937) |
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*''The Case of Philip Lawrence'' (1937), director |
*''The Case of Philip Lawrence'' (1937), director |
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==Filmography== |
==Filmography== |
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===Actor=== |
===Actor=== |
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*''[[Chloe Love |
*''[[Chloe Love Is Calling You]]'' (1934)<ref name=afi/> |
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*''[[Drums O' Voodoo]]'' (1934)<ref name=":1" /> |
*''[[Drums O' Voodoo]]'' (1934)<ref name=":1" /> |
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*''[[Murder on Lenox Avenue]]'' (1941) as Pa Wilkins |
*''[[Murder on Lenox Avenue]]'' (1941) as Pa Wilkins |
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*''[[Junction 88]]'' as Chinka Lin<ref name=board/> |
*''[[Junction 88]]'' as Chinka Lin<ref name=board/> |
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*''[[Boarding House Blues]]'' (1948) as Norman Norman |
*''[[Boarding House Blues]]'' (1948) as Norman Norman |
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*''[[Killer Diller (1948 film)]]'' as Stage Hand |
*''[[Killer Diller (1948 film)|Killer Diller]]'' as Stage Hand |
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===Writer=== |
===Writer=== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* {{IBDB name | 6489 | J. Augustus Smith }} |
* {{IBDB name | 6489 | J. Augustus Smith }} |
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* {{IMDb name|id=0807383|name=Augustus Smith}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, J. Augustus}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, J. Augustus}} |
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[[Category:1891 births]] |
[[Category:1891 births]] |
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[[Category:20th-century African-American people]] |
[[Category:20th-century African-American people]] |
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[[Category:African-American actors]] |
[[Category:African-American male actors]] |
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[[Category:African-American writers]] |
[[Category:African-American writers]] |
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[[Category:American dramatists and playwrights]] |
[[Category:American dramatists and playwrights]] |
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[[Category:Federal Theatre Project administrators]] |
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Latest revision as of 20:27, 26 December 2024
J. Augustus Smith, also known as Gus Smith (born January 14, 1891; died December 1964),[1][2] was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter.[3] In 1936 he was one of three theatre artists who succeeded John Houseman in leading the Negro Theatre Unit of the Federal Theatre Project in New York City.
Biography
[edit]
Smith was born in Gainesville, Florida, in 1891.[1] He made his stage debut during childhood, playing in minstrel shows.[1] In 1911, Smith formed his own minstrel company, with which he toured the United States. He went on to have a career in acting and writing for theatre and film.[1]
Smith wrote and appeared in Drums O' Voodoo (1934).[4] The film was based on his play Louisiana,[5][6] which premiered in 1933 on Broadway, starring Smith.[7][8] The stage production featured an all-Black cast, members of the New Negro Repertory Theater Group, founded by Smith. The cast members reprised their roles for the film.[9]
Smith co-wrote, co-directed, and co-starred in Turpentine, a play about conditions in turpentine camps in the American South,[10] for the Federal Theatre Project. In 1936 he was one of a triumvirate of African-American theatre artists who succeeded John Houseman in leading the Negro Theatre Unit of the Federal Theatre Project.[11]
Smith also wrote Just Ten Days, a folk-comedy that played at parks in the Bronx.[12]
Smith and Oliver Foster had the lead roles in the theatrical production Walk Together Chillun.[13]
Theatre
[edit]- Louisiana (1933)
- Turpentine (1936)[14][15][16][17]
- Walk Together Chillun (1936)[18][19]
- Just Ten Days (1937)
- The Case of Philip Lawrence (1937), director
- On Whitman Avenue (1946)[20]
Filmography
[edit]Actor
[edit]- Chloe Love Is Calling You (1934)[4]
- Drums O' Voodoo (1934)[9]
- Murder on Lenox Avenue (1941) as Pa Wilkins
- Stolen Paradise (1941)[4]
- Sunday Sinners (1941)[4]
- Hi-De-Ho (1947 film) as Preacher
- Junction 88 as Chinka Lin[5]
- Boarding House Blues (1948) as Norman Norman
- Killer Diller as Stage Hand
Writer
[edit]- Drums O' Voodoo (1934)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "WPA Lafayette All-Negro Staff". The New York Age. 1936-08-22. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
- ^ "Augustus Smith | Actor, Writer, Soundtrack". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
- ^ "Ashley Street Blues: Racial Uplift and the Commodification of Vernacular Performance in Lavilla, Florida, 1896-1916". diginole.lib.fsu.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-06-06.
- ^ a b c d "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com.
- ^ a b Staff, America Film Institute; Gevinson, Alan; Institute, American Film; Afi, American Film (May 25, 1997). Within Our Gates: Ethnicity in American Feature Films, 1911-1960. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520209640 – via Google Books.
- ^ Johns, Vere E. (1934-05-19). "In the name of art". The New York Age. p. 4. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
- ^ "At the Majestic". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1933-02-19. p. 53. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
- ^ ""Louisiana," a play of the South, at Majestic Theatre". Times Union. 1933-02-21. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
- ^ a b "Broadway stars prominent in voodoo talkie". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1934-04-28. p. 18. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
- ^ "Actor-author will appear at Gibbs High". Tampa Bay Times. 1942-10-11. p. 20. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
- ^ Houseman, John (1972). Run-Through: A Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 209. ISBN 0-671-21034-3.
- ^ "15,000 see Negro folk play on caravan". The New York Age. 1937-08-21. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
- ^ Peterson, Bernard L. (May 25, 1990). Early Black American Playwrights and Dramatic Writers: A Biographical Directory and Catalog of Plays, Films, and Broadcasting Scripts. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313266218 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Federal Theatre Project".
- ^ "Jacob Lawrence The Migration Series, Panel 30". moma.jl.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Turpentine". Library of Congress.
- ^ "Shared Collection Catalog | NYPL". Shared Collection Catalog | NYPL.
- ^ "Walk Together Chillun". Library of Congress.
- ^ "Production stills from Walk Together, Chillun by Frank Wilson, February 2, 1936 | Alexander Street, a ProQuest Company". search.alexanderstreet.com.
- ^ "J. Augustus Smith". Playbill.