[Lot of playbills for African American movie theaters in Virginia].

Virginia: Cal’s Quick Printing Co., 921 Church St.; Guide Publishing Co., [1920s–1930s.]. 20 playbills (5” x 3.5” to 6” x 7”), folding in half. 1 illustrated circular (8” x 5”), 4 pp. CONDITION: Very good overall, little wear, old folds; one program good, toned with some damp-staining.

An archive of twenty-one playbills for a group of segregation-era movie theaters for African Americans in Virginia, owned by noted white Jewish businessman Abe Lichtman.

By the time he retired in 1946, Abe E. Lichtman (1889–1965) ran some forty-six theaters in Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina under the umbrella of Lichtman Theatres which were geared towards an African American clientele. During segregation, the majority of new movies could only be viewed at white theaters, but Lichtman’s theatres changed this. “At a time when few white business owners hired African American workers for white-color jobs, Lichtman maintained a predominantly African American theater staff, and he was also active in sponsoring recreational opportunities for youth in the community” (dcpreservation.org). With a staff of 425 employees, about 400 were black—many of them holding managerial positions. Lichtman became a nationally-recognized advocate for equal economic opportunities for black Americans, and was also an influential businessman through his personal ties with Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt. Of his many movie houses, the Howard and Lincoln Theaters were the best known—both of which attracted a wide array of stars such as Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. In the ‘40s, Lichtman succeeded in bringing the Presidential Ball to the Lincoln Colonnade, a period that also saw him financially back The Washington Bears, an all-black professional basketball team.

This lot of theatre playbills is for four Lichtman Theatres in Norfolk and Portsmouth, VA—Attucks, Capitol, Regal and Manhattan. Advertising a diverse range of movies, these playbills announce the following films that would have directly appealed to African Americans: Jazz Heaven (1929); an exclusive showing of Booker T. Washington and St. Joseph (“annual football classic pictures, watch for yourself on the screen”); Hot from Harlem (“hot musical melange”); and the “special all-colored short,” Darktown Revue (featuring “local favorites” Andrew Tribble and Tim Moore, and an added stage attraction). Other movies shown at these theaters included The Apache Kid’s Escape; Glorifying the American Girl; Shanghai Lady; Hell Bound (“see and hear… it will improve your future”); Huckleberry Finn (“the play for old and young”); Laugh and Get Rich; Taming of the Shrew; The Street Girl; Broadway Scandals; Charlie Chann Carries On; Son of India; Daughter of the Dragon; The Public Enemy; Riders of the Cactus; The Connecticut Yankee; Senior Americano; Dixiana; Arizona Terror; Homicide Squad, and more. Advertised on a number of playbills is A Vest Pocket Edition of the Lichtman Theatres Amusement Guide. Matinee was at 12:45 PM for 10-15 cts; nights were 10-25 cts. One circular here was produced on the occasion of the ninth anniversary of the Lichtman Theatres.

REFERENCES: Muller, John. Despite rich history, no theaters remain east of the river at ggwash.org; The Lincoln Theater and The Lincoln Colonnade at gwu.edu; Strand Theater at historicsites.dcpreservation.org