Billy McClain

Billy McClain (12 October 1866, Indianapolis, Indiana — 19 January 1950, Los Angeles, California) was an African-American acrobat, comedian, choreographer, songwriter, theatrical producer, stage manager, and film actor. He began playing cornet with a local band and first appeared on stage at only fifteen. Billy subsequently performed with various Minstrel troupes and circuses, touring across the United States and Canada. On many occasions, McClain was the sole black cast member — when he joined Sells Bros. & Forepaugh's Circus in 1886, for instance, or played in the "Swanee River" musical drama. In 1892, Billy and his wife, Cordelia McClain (1871—1922), joined the "South Before the War" vaudeville extravaganza, with McClain serving as the stage manager and starring as the comedian (he was among the first to demonstrate the iconic "cake walk" dance routine in this production). One of the earliest mixed-race performing groups in US history, "South Before the War" featured over 60 dancers, actors, and singers — and the blatantly exploitative and ideologically biased narrative, with Antebellum South black slaves celebrating their supposedly prosperous and careless happy lives. In 1895, producer Nathan "Nate" Salsbury (1846—1902) hired McClain to stage "Black America" — a large-scale outdoor variety show featuring an all-black cast of over 500 performers, elaborate decorations with a life-size replica of a plantation village, a 300-voice choir, and The Ninth Cavalry Band of the US Army. Even though it was still a purely entertaining show promoted as the "lovable bright side of the true Southern negro," McClain finally got a chance to present a stage production without at least the most egregious and blatant Confederacy propaganda. For instance, the finale featured a choir singing to giant portraits of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, John Brown (1800—1859), and other white abolitionists and Union patriots, like William Tecumseh Sherman (1820—1891) and Ulysses S. Grant (1822—1885). The "Black America" became a critical and commercial success, staged in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. At this point, McClain was already a reputable theatrical manager and producer; The New York Times review of "Fun for the Darkies" in June 1895, one of his Brooklyn shows, described Billy and Cordelia as the "aristocracy of Ambrose Park." In June 1899, McClain joined the All-Star American Minstrels troupe led by M.B. Curtis (1849—1920) on the Australian tour; after arriving in Sydney, Billy and his wife suddenly quit and instead joined another US troupe, Georgia Minstrels under Orpheus McAdoo (1858—1900). They remained in Australia for several years, performing with various groups while Billy served as the manager for local boxer Peter Felix (1866—1926). After returning to the USA, McClain joined Gus Hill's Smart Set company circa 1902, co-writing vaudeville shows with Ernest Hogan. He also published a collection of popular songs with The John Church Co. Between 1906 and 1913, Bill McClain lived in Europe. He worked with impresario Fred Karno (1865—1941) and his comedy troupe, staging shows at Casino De Paris and Folies Bergère and touring in London; among the cast members was a still-unknown comedian Charlie Chaplin. In 1911, McClain established in Belgium, running a boxing school in Brussels and managing heavyweight Sam McVey (1884—1921), among others. Since 1931, McClain has lived in Los Angeles, working as a physical trainer for Pasadena PD. Billy returned to acting and appeared in several movies, such as Nagana (1933) drama, starring Melvyn Douglas or Dimples (1936) with Shirley Temple. He also sang in a short comedy, A Rhapsody in Black and Blue (1932), featuring Louis Armstrong and Sidney Easton. His final appearance on the Hollywood screen was portraying "Uncle Ben" in Vincente Minnelli's 1946 suspense drama Undercurrent; several other minor roles between 1933 and 1946 were uncredited. Billy McClain died in his sleep at 84 when his trailer caught on fire.