In 1920, Emperor Jones was a bona fide Broadway hit. The controversial play’s lead is Charles Gilpin, the first Black man to head up an integrated cast on the Great White Way. Gilpin enjoys fame, accolades, and universal acclaim…but he does have a note for his playwright Eugene O’Neil. A note that will make and break careers and change the course of Black history!
- Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
- Stay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com
- Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy
- Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
- Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy
SOURCES
- The Emperor Jones by Eugene O'Neil
- Preserving African-American Cinema: The Case of The Emperor Jones by Jennie Saxena with contributions from Ken Weissman and James Cozart
- "The Truth About Haiti: An NAACP Investigation" by James Weldon Johnson
- Charles Gilpin. The Kennedy Center
- Jackson Ward and its Black Wall Street. National Park Service
- Beyond Tulsa: The Historic Legacies and Overlooked Stories of America's Black Wall Streets. Time Magazine
- The Richmond Planet is digitized and stored at The Library of Congress.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.