*PAUL ROBESON RARE 1954 CONCERT PROGRAM McCARTHY ERA BLACKLIST PERIOD*

Description: A rare original June 1954 program for Paul Robeson singing spirituals, a Chinese folk song, works by Beethoven, Schubert, and Dvorak, excerpts from Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, and Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's "Ol' Man River" in concert at his brother Ben's A. M. E. Mother Zion Church in Harlem at the height of the McCarthy era blacklist, when Robeson was unable to sing at major concert halls as he did earlier in his remarkable career. Two pages front and back. Dimensions eight and a half by five and a half inches. Light wear otherwise good. See Paul Robeson's extraordinary biography below. Shipping discounts for multiple purchases. Credit cards accepted with Paypal. Inquiries always welcome. Please visit my other eBay items for more early theatre, opera and historical autographs, photographs and programs and great singer, actor and actress cabinet photos and CDV's. From Wikipedia: Paul Leroy Robeson (April 9, 1898 - January 23, 1976) was an American singer and actor who became involved with the Civil Rights Movement. At university, he was an outstanding American football player, then had an international career in singing, as well as acting in theater and cinema. He became politically involved in response to the Spanish Civil War, Fascism, and social injustices. His advocacy of anti-imperialism, affiliation with Communism, and his criticism of the US government caused him to be blacklisted during McCarthyism. Ill health forced him into retirement from his career. To the end he remained unapologetic for the unpopular political stances he took. Robeson won a scholarship to Rutgers University, where he became a football All-American and a class valedictorian. He attended Columbia Law School, while playing in the National Football League (NFL). At Columbia, he sang and acted in off-campus productions and post-graduate, he became a participant in the Harlem Renaissance with performances in The Emperor Jones and All God's Chillun Got Wings. Robeson initiated his international artistic career with a theatrical role in Great Britain before settling in London for the next several years with his wife Essie. His portrayal of Othello in London has been considered a high point in English Shakespearean theatre in the 20th Century. While Robeson became an international cinematic star in roles in Show Boat, Bosambo, and Sanders of the River, he became increasingly attuned towards the sufferings of all cultures and peoples. Acting against advice, which foretold of his economic ruin if he became politically active, he relegated his theatrical career to advocate the cause of the Republican forces of the Spanish Civil War, and he then became active in the Council on African Affairs. During World War II, he supported America's war efforts and won accolades for his portrayal of Othello on Broadway. However, his history of supporting pro-Soviet policies brought scrutiny from the FBI. After the war ended, the CAA was placed on the Attorney General's List of Subversive Organizations and he was investigated during the age of McCarthyism. Due to his decision not to recant his public advocacy of pro-Soviet policies, he was denied a passport by the U.S. State Department, and his income, consequently, plummeted. He moved to Harlem and published a periodical critical of US policies. His right to travel was eventually restored by Kent v. Dulles, but his health broke down. He retired and he lived out the remaining years of his life privately in Philadelphia.

Price: 59.99 USD

Location: New York, New York

End Time: 2024-02-21T05:26:11.000Z

Shipping Cost: 7.95 USD