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Items Philip Sterling interviews Lee Whipper and Abbie Mitchell, 1959-07-07, 1959-07-09

Philip Sterling interviews Lee Whipper and Abbie Mitchell, 1959-07-07, 1959-07-09

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LIBRARY DIVISION
Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound

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COLLECTION
Philip Sterling research materials on Bert Williams collection of sound recordings

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Title
Philip Sterling interviews Lee Whipper and Abbie Mitchell, 1959-07-07, 1959-07-09
Names
Sterling, Dorothy, 1913-2008 (Donor)
Whipper, Leigh R. (Leigh Rollin), 1877-1975 (Interviewee)
Mitchell, Abbie, 1884-1960 (Interviewee)
Sterling, Philip, 1907-1989 (Interviewer)
Collection

Philip Sterling research materials on Bert Williams collection of sound recordings

Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1959-07-07
Table of Contents
Part 1 (00:00-31:29 minutes), Part 2 (00:00-17:20 minutes). Philip Sterling, the writer and public relations executive who worked for the Columbia Broadcasting System for many years, interviews African-American film, television and stage actor Leigh Whipper, who talks about Bert Williams, one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He also recalls various black actors of that time such as George Walker, Williams's long-time stage partner, with whom he appeared in The Gold bug (1895), Clorindy (1897), The policy player (1899), Sons of ham (1900) and other plays. ; Part 2 (17:23-22:33). Sterling dictates William's biographical information to his recording device. ; Part 2 (22:33-1:00:30). Sterling interviews Abbie Mitchell, African American soprano singer, who sang the principal role in the 1903 musical "In Dahomey," produced by the team of George Walker and Bert Williams, with music composed by her husband Cook. She talks about her experience working with Williams and Walker, and other directors, producers and actors during her long singing and theatrical career. ; Part 2 (1:00:31-1:18:26). Excerpts from interviews with unidentified actors conducted by Sterling.
Library locations
Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound
Shelf locator: *LT-7-A 3955
Topics
Whipper, Leigh R. (Leigh Rollin), 1877-1975
Mitchell, Abbie, 1884-1960
Williams, Bert, 1874-1922
African American actors
African American actresses
African American singers
African American entertainers
Genres
Interviews
Notes
Content: Title from tape reel container.
Venue: Recorded [New York?] 1959 July 7, 9
Additional physical form: Archival original (1 audio tape reel ; analog, mono ; 7 in) available in *LT-7-A 3955.
Acquisition: Gift; Dorothy Sterling; 1991.
Content: Forms part of the Philip Sterling research materials on Bert Williams, *T-Mss 1991-026.
Physical Description
Audiotape reel
Extent: 1 audio tape reel (approximately 110 minutes) ; analog, mono ; 7 in
Description
Interviews by Philip Sterling, conducted 1959-1962 for his biographical book on the African American entertainer Bert Williams, that never was completed.
Type of Resource
Sound recording
Languages
English
Identifiers
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b20648364
RLIN/OCLC: 911982599
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 82d7f690-b8c7-0133-a9cd-60f81dd2b63c
Rights Statement
The copyright and related rights status of this item has been reviewed by The New York Public Library, but we were unable to make a conclusive determination as to the copyright status of the item. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.

Item timeline of events

  • 1913: Creator Born
  • 1959: Created
  • 2008: Creator Died
  • 2025: Found by you!
  • 2026

MLA Format

Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound, The New York Public Library. "Philip Sterling interviews Lee Whipper and Abbie Mitchell, 1959-07-07, 1959-07-09" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1959. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/870348b0-b8c7-0133-4925-60f81dd2b63c

Chicago/Turabian Format

Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound, The New York Public Library. "Philip Sterling interviews Lee Whipper and Abbie Mitchell, 1959-07-07, 1959-07-09" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed January 29, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/870348b0-b8c7-0133-4925-60f81dd2b63c

APA Format

Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound, The New York Public Library. (1959). Philip Sterling interviews Lee Whipper and Abbie Mitchell, 1959-07-07, 1959-07-09 Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/870348b0-b8c7-0133-4925-60f81dd2b63c

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/870348b0-b8c7-0133-4925-60f81dd2b63c | title= (sound recording) Philip Sterling interviews Lee Whipper and Abbie Mitchell, 1959-07-07, 1959-07-09, (1959)|author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=January 29, 2025 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

Philip Sterling interviews Lee Whipper and Abbie Mitchell, 1959-07-07, 1959-07-09