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Silas Green from New Orleans

Post Collier
Silas Packs 'Em In Fla. and Ga.; Tent and Houses

MACON, Ga., April 29.—Returning to the road after a year's layoff, Silas Green From New Orleans, all-colored musical, is playing to big business in Georgia. Under new ownership, the show opened in Brunswick, Ga., February 1, and went to Florida, where it played until April 11, grossing heavily.

The late Charles Collier, prominent Negro showman who operated the Silas Green show for more than 30 years, was a native of Macon, and the return of the show here for a one-night stand at Macon Auditorium attracted more than usual interest. The show drew more than 3,000 persons for the performance Monday (24).

Show is transported on one private railroad car, eight trucks and two busses. The regular policy is one-night stands under canvas, but auditorium dates are played in the larger cities. Noon parade of band in minstrel style is retained. Show moved into Macon after passing up billed date in Fort Valley, Ga., on account of high water and storm. It was the first day missed this season.

Another colorful figure connected with the show died recently. He was Ford Wiggins, who played the role of Silas for more than 30 years. Happy Hampton is now in the featured role. Dina Scott is still playing the other comedy role of Tillas.

In the past, the performance was built around a script, but this year it is a series of sketches and vaude numbers, featuring dance routines by the 10 girls in line, lavishly costumed.

Bill includes Four Whippets, acrobatic troupe led by Al Gaines; Johnny Hudgins, pantomime comic; Slick and Slack, novelty tap and acrobatic dancers; Jelli Smith, singer; Billy Mills, comic, and Charles Rule, character performer.

Staff is as follows: R. B. Harris and Wilbur Jones, business men of Athens, Ga., co-owners; Eddie Washington, musical director, with orchestra of 10; Al Gaines, director of personnel; Charles Davis, producer; Freddie Durrah, master of transportation; "Blue Seat" Jimmy Moore, boss canvasman.

The advance, as in the past is composed of staff of white employees. S. B. Warren, who was general agent for the last 10 years, now is business manager, alternating ahead and back. John P. Rogers is general agent, and T. C. Morrison, billposter.

Lead roles

 * Ford Wiggins (1889–1944), a native of New Bern, North Carolina, played the lead role of Silas Green for 34 years seasons, until his death. He died March 10, 1944, during a performance in Palm Beach, Florida. Wiggins was one of only four notable actors in that role. He jeopardized his position in that role when, on August 28, 1924, he shot and killed fellow performer Henry "Slim" Gallman ( Gorman or Gahlam or Gahlman or, on the death certificate, Goldman; 1892–1924) of Winston-Salem in a baggage car parked in a siding of the Southern Railway yard in Lexington over 5 cents in a card game where moonshine – during prohibition – played an important part. Henry Gallman had been a singer in the chorus. Wiggins was arrested and charged with murder with a bond fixed at $1,000 . Wiggins pleaded self-defense. Clarinetist band-member Bob Young ( Robert Young), a witness, provided testimony that corroborated with Wiggins' plea. Within a year, Wiggins was back with the show in the leading role. Young, later, directed the Silas Green band.


 * Katie Mae Smith (1904–1995) joined the troupe at age 17 and left in 1932, moved back to her home in Wilmington, North Carolina, and eventually married Thomas Abraham.


 * Ada Lockhart, leading female actress, started her theatrical career with Black Patti and closed it out in 1929 after fifteen years with Silas Green. On July 29, 1916, she married Lawrence Booker, the show's bandmaster, who had been touring with the show since 1912 and, with Ada, retired in 1929.

Magician

 * Alonzo Moore (1878–1930), a magician, who was born and raised in Tipton, Missouri. He died on his birthday, April 13, in Northwood Park, Cook County, Illinois.
 * (image); courtesy University of Iowa Libraries
 * (image); courtesy University of Iowa Libraries
 * (image); courtesy University of Iowa Libraries
 * (image); courtesy University of Iowa Libraries

Charles T. Hatch
The Hatch family, Charles Randett Hatch (1851–1921) and his brother, Herbert Hazelton Hatch (1854–1925), started the shop in 1879. Around 1921, Charlie's son, Will T. Hatch ( William Thompson Hatch; 1886–1952), took charge of the company, C.R. & H.H. Hatch and "Hatch Show Print" became one of its brands.

Three Hatch posters for Silas Green from New Orleans can be viewed in eleven photographs by Marion Post Wolcott held the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. The images are part of the Farm Security Administration–Office of War Information Photograph Collection, available online through the American Memory Project. The posters are advertising a performance for October 4, 1939 (retrieved January 27, 2021).  Title: "Itinerant salesman selling goods from his truck to Negroes in center of town on Saturday afternoon. Belzoni, Mississippi Delta, Mississippi."  (image)  (image)  (image)  (image)  (image)  Title: "Some of the Negroes watching [an] itinerant salesman selling goods from his truck in center of town on Saturday afternoon. Belzoni, Mississippi Delta, Mississippi".  (image)  (image)  (image)  (image)  (image)  (image)</ol> <li> LCCN slide show (35 images)</ol>

...from a collection courtesy of the University of Georgia: <li> (image)</ol></ol>