Way Down South [INSCRIBED AND SIGNED]
Hollywood, CA: David Graham Fisher, 1932. Sloan, Blanding. First edition. Hardcover. Quarto (10-1/2" x 8"). 146 (2)pp. Original punch-tied, pictorial orange boards. Illustrated title page. Illustrated with 7 striking full-page woodcuts on colored stock as well as 10 full-page b/w text woodcuts by Blanding Sloan. Edition limited to 1000 numbered copies (this is #6), inscribed and signed on the limitation leaf by David Arlen to his parents. One of the woodcuts on colored stock has been separated at inner margin but is still present. Edges of boards a bit shelf-worn
A novel about black entertainers in the South.
An outspoken proponent for the positive treatment of black performers, Muse (1889-1979) fought demeaning stereotypes for most his career. Ironically, he was a staunch supporter of the controversial black-oriented TV series The Amos 'n Andy Show (1951). He insisted that, despite the standard caricatures of the title players, the series allowed black actors to portray white-collar roles such as doctors, bankers, judges, and professors, generally not done in white-oriented series.
Clarence Muse was one of the first African American actors to star in a major motion picture. He appeared in more than 150 movies and wrote the script to the musical film adaptation of Way Down South with Langston Hughes. Good +. Item #51103
Price: $575.00