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John W. Bubbles

February 24, 2023

John William Sublett (February 19, 1902 – May 18, 1986), known by his stage name John W. Bubbles, was an American tap dancer, vaudevillian, movie actor, and television performer. He performed in the duo "Buck and Bubbles", who were the first black artists to appear on television. He is known as the father of "rhythm tap."

John W. Bubbles
Portrait (as Sportin' Life in Porgy and Bess) by Carl Van Vechten, 1935 Dec. 27.
Born(1902-02-19)February 19, 1902
Louisville, Kentucky
DiedMay 18, 1986(1986-05-18) (aged 84)
Baldwin Hills, California
Occupation(s)Vaudeville performer and tap dancer

Life and career

Sublett was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on February 19, 1902,[1] but soon moved with his family to Indianapolis. There, he formed a partnership with Ford L. "Buck" Washington in 1919. Their duo was known as "Buck and Bubbles." Buck played stride piano and sang, and Bubbles tapped along.[2] They were so popular that the duo moved to Manhattan, New York City in September of that year. They played together in the Columbia Theater, the Palace and later played with artists Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor and Danny Kaye.[1]

They appeared in Lew Leslie's Blackbirds in 1930 at the Royale Theatre.[3] This was followed by performances in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1931 at the Ziegfeld Theatre.[4] They also became the first black artists to perform at the Radio City Music Hall. "Buck and Bubbles" performed live in the first scheduled 'high definition' (240-line) television program on November 2, 1936, at Alexandra Palace, London, for the BBC, becoming the first black artists on television anywhere in the world.[1][2][5]

Other work on Broadway included the roles of Scipio in Arthur Schwartz's Virginia (1937)[6] and Rum in Oscar Hammerstein II's Carmen Jones (1946).[7]

 
Buck and Bubbles in a movie still

Though unable to read music, Bubbles was chosen by George Gershwin to create the role of Sportin' Life in his opera Porgy and Bess in 1935. Since he didn't understand the music score, Gershwin spent the time to teach it to him as a tap rhythm. Sublett caused some problems because he often made up rhythms which caused confusion with other members of the cast.[8]: 218  Sublett performed the role occasionally for the next two decades.[9]

In 1963, in a studio recording of Porgy and Bess featuring Leontyne Price and William Warfield, he performed Sportin' Life's two main arias from the opera, "It Ain't Necessarily So" and "There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York".[10]

In 1920, he gave tap dance lessons to Fred Astaire, who considered Sublett the finest tap dancer of his generation. In the number "Bojangles of Harlem" from Swing Time (1936), Astaire dresses in blackface as the Sportin' Life character and dances in the style of Sublett while ostensibly paying tribute to Bill Robinson.[11]

There has long been a widespread misapprehension that Sublett was Ethel Waters' uncredited dancing partner in the historic film On with the Show! (1929). However, the pressbook for the film makes it clear that the dancer was Angelus Babe, providing a bio and two photographs.[12] In 2011, Ryan Friedman, supplying no support for his belief that Sublett was the dancer, surmised that "Angelus Babe" was a pseudonym, and published this in a book.[13] The misinformation has multiplied. That Angelus Babe was a real person is shown by a search on the on-line archive of the Los Angeles Times, where he is mentioned seven times.[citation needed] There is also confirmation in the catalog of the American Film Institute.[citation needed]

Sublett appeared in Hollywood films of the late 1930s and 1940s, including Varsity Show in 1937, Cabin in the Sky in 1943 and A Song Is Born in 1948. In later life, he also made television appearances, one of his last being on a musical episode of The Lucy Show, which also guest-starred Mel Tormé and a featured performance on Barbra Streisand's 1967 TV special, The Belle of 14th Street, a tribute to the bygone era of vaudeville.[14]

During the Vietnam War, John Bubbles toured the war zone with the USO.[8] In 1965, he appeared with Eddie Fisher on a USO tour, visiting many outposts and camps in the early war years. He appeared with Judy Garland in her 1967 concerts at the Palace Theatre in New York City,[15] singing "Me And My Shadow."[16] That same year, he became partially paralyzed due to a stroke.[1]

In 1978, John Bubbles spoke at the Variety Arts Theatre in Los Angeles as a participant in a seminar on vaudeville. Someone asked him who the best tap dancer was. Bubbles answered, "You're looking at him." Then he added, "Honestly, if I had to name the best dancer, it would be Fred Astaire. He could tap. He had a good teacher. But he could ballroom, dance with a partner. All in all, he's the best."[17] That same night, Bubbles mentioned that Astaire had brought him into the rehearsal hall to work on "Bojangles of Harlem" and John's chops are right there in the number.[citation needed]

He performed at the Newport Jazz Festival in New York in 1979, which was one of his last public appearances. Sublett died on May 18, 1986, at his home in Baldwin Hills, California.[1]

Legacy

Sublett is known as the father of "rhythm tap," a form of tap dance. Sublett included percussive heel drops in his tap style, as opposed to the tap dancing of Bill Robinson (Bojangles) who emphasized clean phrases and toe taps. Sublett's taps were made to the traditional eight-bar phrase, but allowed for more rhythmic freedom. He blended the improvisational style of jazz music with the traditional techniques of tap to create a unique style and sound.[18][19] According to Thomas Brothers, Bubbles invented new steps and altered his routines to prevent others from stealing his routine and to please his audience by including their favorite steps.[20]

Sublett received the 1980 Life Achievement Award from the American Guild of Variety Artists.[21] He was inducted into the Tap Hall of Fame in 2002.[15]

Sublett was remembered by many celebrities; his catchphrase, "Shoot the liquor to me, John Boy,"[22] has been quoted in songs by several artists, including The Manhattan Transfer,[23] The Ink Spots,[24] and Louis Armstrong.[25] Michael Jackson admired Bubbles' dancing and studied his steps for inspiration. In the mid-1980s, Jackson named his beloved pet chimpanzee "Bubbles" in memory of John Sublett.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "John Bubbles, The Dancer, Is Dead at 84". The New York Times. May 20, 1986.
  2. ^ a b John M. Murphy and David Day (2015). "John W. Bubbles papers: Creator Info". Prepared for the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Provo, UT.
  3. ^ Library of Congress. John Sublett Bubbles. Performing Arts Database of the Library of Congress. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  4. ^ Wintz, Cary D.; Finkelman, Paul (2004). Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance: A-J. Taylor & Francis. pp. 199–200. ISBN 9781579584573.
  5. ^ "Television Begins". BBC. November 2, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  6. ^ Brooks Atkinson (September 3, 1937). THE PLAY: 'Virginia' Opens the Season With a Large Musical Drama at the Center Theatre Theatre Units' Plays Tonight. The New York Times. p. 13.
  7. ^ THE OPENING; Carmen's Back Again. The New York Times. April 7, 1946.
  8. ^ a b Seibert, Brian (2015). What the Eye Hears: A History of Tap Dancing. New York: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 9780865479531. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  9. ^ a b Jackson, LA (November 2014). Musicology 2102: A Quick Start Guide to Diverse Synergies. MKM Multimedia Works. pp. 52–53. ISBN 9780578154695.
  10. ^ "Gershwin: Porgy & Bess Highlights". Album Liner Notes. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  11. ^ Mueller, John (1985). Astaire Dancing: The Musical Films. Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 108–109. ISBN 978-0517060759.
  12. ^ Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research, Wcftr.commarts.wisc.edu
  13. ^ Friedman, Ryan Jay (July 27, 2011). Hollywood's African American Films: The Transition to Sound. ISBN 9780813550800.
  14. ^ "The Belle of 14th Street: Taping The Show (1967)". Barbra Streisand Archives Television. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  15. ^ a b "John Bubbles". Tap Dance Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  16. ^ Fricke, John (October 2003). Judy Garland: A Portrait in Art & Anecdote. Bulfinch. p. 297. ISBN 9780821228364. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  17. ^ "Famous Tap Dancers in History". Infomory.com. April 7, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  18. ^ . Juba - Masters of Tap & Percussive Dance. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  19. ^ "Tap Dance – An International Coproduction". Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  20. ^ Brothers, Thomas (2014). Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-393-06582-4.
  21. ^ "John William Bubbles Sublett Happy Birthday". Tap Legacy. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  22. ^ Friedwald, Will (2010). A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers. Pantheon Books. p. 372. ISBN 978-0375421495.
  23. ^ "Manhattan Transfer: Safronia B. Lyrics". Lyrics Freak. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  24. ^ "That Cat is High Lyrics". Genius. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  25. ^ "Track Listing: The Boys Are Back in Town". All Music. Retrieved May 24, 2016.

Further reading

  • Brian Harker: Sportin' life : John W. Bubbles, an American classic, New York : Oxford University Press, 2022, ISBN 978-0-19-751451-1

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to John W. Bubbles.

February 24, 2023
john, bubbles, john, william, sublett, february, 1902, 1986, known, stage, name, american, dancer, vaudevillian, movie, actor, television, performer, performed, buck, bubbles, were, first, black, artists, appear, television, known, father, rhythm, portrait, sp. John William Sublett February 19 1902 May 18 1986 known by his stage name John W Bubbles was an American tap dancer vaudevillian movie actor and television performer He performed in the duo Buck and Bubbles who were the first black artists to appear on television He is known as the father of rhythm tap John W BubblesPortrait as Sportin Life in Porgy and Bess by Carl Van Vechten 1935 Dec 27 Born 1902 02 19 February 19 1902Louisville KentuckyDiedMay 18 1986 1986 05 18 aged 84 Baldwin Hills CaliforniaOccupation s Vaudeville performer and tap dancer Contents 1 Life and career 2 Legacy 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksLife and career EditSublett was born in Louisville Kentucky on February 19 1902 1 but soon moved with his family to Indianapolis There he formed a partnership with Ford L Buck Washington in 1919 Their duo was known as Buck and Bubbles Buck played stride piano and sang and Bubbles tapped along 2 They were so popular that the duo moved to Manhattan New York City in September of that year They played together in the Columbia Theater the Palace and later played with artists Al Jolson Eddie Cantor and Danny Kaye 1 They appeared in Lew Leslie s Blackbirds in 1930 at the Royale Theatre 3 This was followed by performances in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1931 at the Ziegfeld Theatre 4 They also became the first black artists to perform at the Radio City Music Hall Buck and Bubbles performed live in the first scheduled high definition 240 line television program on November 2 1936 at Alexandra Palace London for the BBC becoming the first black artists on television anywhere in the world 1 2 5 Other work on Broadway included the roles of Scipio in Arthur Schwartz s Virginia 1937 6 and Rum in Oscar Hammerstein II s Carmen Jones 1946 7 Buck and Bubbles in a movie still Though unable to read music Bubbles was chosen by George Gershwin to create the role of Sportin Life in his opera Porgy and Bess in 1935 Since he didn t understand the music score Gershwin spent the time to teach it to him as a tap rhythm Sublett caused some problems because he often made up rhythms which caused confusion with other members of the cast 8 218 Sublett performed the role occasionally for the next two decades 9 In 1963 in a studio recording of Porgy and Bess featuring Leontyne Price and William Warfield he performed Sportin Life s two main arias from the opera It Ain t Necessarily So and There s A Boat Dat s Leavin Soon For New York 10 In 1920 he gave tap dance lessons to Fred Astaire who considered Sublett the finest tap dancer of his generation In the number Bojangles of Harlem from Swing Time 1936 Astaire dresses in blackface as the Sportin Life character and dances in the style of Sublett while ostensibly paying tribute to Bill Robinson 11 There has long been a widespread misapprehension that Sublett was Ethel Waters uncredited dancing partner in the historic film On with the Show 1929 However the pressbook for the film makes it clear that the dancer was Angelus Babe providing a bio and two photographs 12 In 2011 Ryan Friedman supplying no support for his belief that Sublett was the dancer surmised that Angelus Babe was a pseudonym and published this in a book 13 The misinformation has multiplied That Angelus Babe was a real person is shown by a search on the on line archive of the Los Angeles Times where he is mentioned seven times citation needed There is also confirmation in the catalog of the American Film Institute citation needed Sublett appeared in Hollywood films of the late 1930s and 1940s including Varsity Show in 1937 Cabin in the Sky in 1943 and A Song Is Born in 1948 In later life he also made television appearances one of his last being on a musical episode of The Lucy Show which also guest starred Mel Torme and a featured performance on Barbra Streisand s 1967 TV special The Belle of 14th Street a tribute to the bygone era of vaudeville 14 During the Vietnam War John Bubbles toured the war zone with the USO 8 In 1965 he appeared with Eddie Fisher on a USO tour visiting many outposts and camps in the early war years He appeared with Judy Garland in her 1967 concerts at the Palace Theatre in New York City 15 singing Me And My Shadow 16 That same year he became partially paralyzed due to a stroke 1 In 1978 John Bubbles spoke at the Variety Arts Theatre in Los Angeles as a participant in a seminar on vaudeville Someone asked him who the best tap dancer was Bubbles answered You re looking at him Then he added Honestly if I had to name the best dancer it would be Fred Astaire He could tap He had a good teacher But he could ballroom dance with a partner All in all he s the best 17 That same night Bubbles mentioned that Astaire had brought him into the rehearsal hall to work on Bojangles of Harlem and John s chops are right there in the number citation needed He performed at the Newport Jazz Festival in New York in 1979 which was one of his last public appearances Sublett died on May 18 1986 at his home in Baldwin Hills California 1 Legacy EditSublett is known as the father of rhythm tap a form of tap dance Sublett included percussive heel drops in his tap style as opposed to the tap dancing of Bill Robinson Bojangles who emphasized clean phrases and toe taps Sublett s taps were made to the traditional eight bar phrase but allowed for more rhythmic freedom He blended the improvisational style of jazz music with the traditional techniques of tap to create a unique style and sound 18 19 According to Thomas Brothers Bubbles invented new steps and altered his routines to prevent others from stealing his routine and to please his audience by including their favorite steps 20 Sublett received the 1980 Life Achievement Award from the American Guild of Variety Artists 21 He was inducted into the Tap Hall of Fame in 2002 15 Sublett was remembered by many celebrities his catchphrase Shoot the liquor to me John Boy 22 has been quoted in songs by several artists including The Manhattan Transfer 23 The Ink Spots 24 and Louis Armstrong 25 Michael Jackson admired Bubbles dancing and studied his steps for inspiration In the mid 1980s Jackson named his beloved pet chimpanzee Bubbles in memory of John Sublett 9 See also EditList of dancersReferences Edit a b c d e John Bubbles The Dancer Is Dead at 84 The New York Times May 20 1986 a b John M Murphy and David Day 2015 John W Bubbles papers Creator Info Prepared for the L Tom Perry Special Collections Provo UT Library of Congress John Sublett Bubbles Performing Arts Database of the Library of Congress Retrieved April 21 2021 Wintz Cary D Finkelman Paul 2004 Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance A J Taylor amp Francis pp 199 200 ISBN 9781579584573 Television Begins BBC November 2 2016 Retrieved June 7 2020 Brooks Atkinson September 3 1937 THE PLAY Virginia Opens the Season With a Large Musical Drama at the Center Theatre Theatre Units Plays Tonight The New York Times p 13 THE OPENING Carmen s Back Again The New York Times April 7 1946 a b Seibert Brian 2015 What the Eye Hears A History of Tap Dancing New York Macmillan Publishers ISBN 9780865479531 Retrieved May 24 2016 a b Jackson LA November 2014 Musicology 2102 A Quick Start Guide to Diverse Synergies MKM Multimedia Works pp 52 53 ISBN 9780578154695 Gershwin Porgy amp Bess Highlights Album Liner Notes Retrieved May 24 2016 Mueller John 1985 Astaire Dancing The Musical Films Alfred A Knopf pp 108 109 ISBN 978 0517060759 Wisconsin Center for Film amp Theater Research Wcftr commarts wisc edu Friedman Ryan Jay July 27 2011 Hollywood s African American Films The Transition to Sound ISBN 9780813550800 The Belle of 14th Street Taping The Show 1967 Barbra Streisand Archives Television Retrieved May 24 2016 a b John Bubbles Tap Dance Hall of Fame Retrieved May 24 2016 Fricke John October 2003 Judy Garland A Portrait in Art amp Anecdote Bulfinch p 297 ISBN 9780821228364 Retrieved May 24 2016 Famous Tap Dancers in History Infomory com April 7 2013 Retrieved May 24 2016 Tap History Juba Masters of Tap amp Percussive Dance Archived from the original on March 4 2016 Retrieved December 19 2015 Tap Dance An International Coproduction Retrieved December 19 2015 Brothers Thomas 2014 Louis Armstrong Master of Modernism New York NY W W Norton amp Company p 265 ISBN 978 0 393 06582 4 John William Bubbles Sublett Happy Birthday Tap Legacy Retrieved May 24 2016 Friedwald Will 2010 A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers Pantheon Books p 372 ISBN 978 0375421495 Manhattan Transfer Safronia B Lyrics Lyrics Freak Retrieved May 24 2016 That Cat is High Lyrics Genius Retrieved May 24 2016 Track Listing The Boys Are Back in Town All Music Retrieved May 24 2016 Further reading EditBrian Harker Sportin life John W Bubbles an American classic New York Oxford University Press 2022 ISBN 978 0 19 751451 1External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to John W Bubbles John W Bubbles at the Internet Broadway Database John William Sublett at IMDb John W Bubbles at Find a Grave John W Bubbles discography at Discogs John W Bubbles papers MSS 8026 at Tom Perry Special Collections Brigham Young University Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John W Bubbles amp oldid 1133789363, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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