Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry (May 30, 1902 – November 19, 1985), better known by his stage name Stepin Fetchit, was an American

vaudevillian Vaudeville (; ) is a theatre, theatrical genre of variety show, variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comic ...

, comedian, and film actor of Jamaican and Bahamian descent, considered to be the first black actor to have a successful film career. His highest profile was during the 1930s in films and on stage, when his persona of Stepin Fetchit was billed as the "Laziest Man in the World". Perry parlayed the Fetchit persona into a successful film career, becoming the first black actor to earn $1 million. He was also the first black actor to receive featured screen credit in a film. Perry's film career slowed after 1939 and nearly stopped altogether after 1953. Around that time, Black Americans began to see his Stepin Fetchit persona as an embarrassing and harmful anachronism, echoing negative stereotypes. However, writer

Mel Watkins Melville Henry Watkins (May 15, 1932 – April 2, 2020) was a Canadian political economist and activist and professor emeritus of economics and political science at the University of Toronto. He was a founder and co-leader with James Laxer o ...

has since argued the Stepin Fetchit character is better described as a prankster rather than simply lazy.

Early life

Little is known about Perry's background other than that he was born in

Key West, Florida Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Islan ...

, to

West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED''), the term ''West Indian'' in 1597 described the indigenous inhabitants of the West In ...

immigrants. He was the second child of Joseph Perry, a cigar maker from

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

(although some sources indicate

the Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of ...

) and Dora Monroe, a

seamstress A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician. Notable d ...

from

Nassau, The Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of ...

. Both of his parents came to the United States in the 1890s, where they married. By 1910, the family had moved north to

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, Florida. Another source says he was adopted when he was 11 years old and taken to live in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

. His mother wanted him to be a

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in provi ...

, so Perry was adopted by a quack dentist, for whom he blacked boots before running away at age 12 to join a

carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

. He earned his living for a few years as a singer and tap dancer.

Vaudeville career

In his teens, Perry became a comic

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

. By the age of 20, Perry had become a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

artist and the manager of a traveling carnival show. His stage name was a contraction of "step and fetch it". His accounts of how he adopted the name varied, but generally he claimed that it originated when he performed a vaudeville act with a partner. Perry won money betting on a racehorse named "Step and Fetch It", and his partner and he decided to adopt the names "Step" and "Fetchit" for their act. When Perry became a solo act, he combined the two names, which later became his professional name.

Film career

Stepin Fetchit-Chubby Johnson in Bend of the River

Perry played comic-relief roles in a number of films, all based on his character known as the "Laziest Man in the World". In his personal life, he was highly literate and had a concurrent career writing for ''

The Chicago Defender ''The Chicago Defender'' is a Chicago-based online African-American newspaper. It was founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott and was once considered the "most important" newspaper of its kind. Abbott's newspaper reported and campaigned against Jim ...

''. He signed a five-year studio contract following his performance in the film, '' In Old Kentucky'' (1927). The film's plot included a romantic connection between Perry and actress Carolynne Snowden, a subplot that was a rarity for black actors appearing in a white film during this era. Perry also starred in '' Hearts in Dixie'' (1929), one of the first studio productions to boast a predominantly black cast.

Jules Bledsoe Julius Lorenzo Cobb Bledsoe (December 29, 1897 – July 14, 1943)
by John Troesse ...

provided Perry's singing voice for his role as Joe in the 1929 version of ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 Show Boat (novel), novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the per ...

''. Fetchit did not sing "

Ol' Man River "Ol' Man River" is a show tune from the 1927 musical '' Show Boat'' with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, who wrote the song in 1925. The song contrasts the struggles and hardships of African Americans with the endless, ...

", but he did sing "The Lonesome Road" in the film. In 1930,

Hal Roach Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr. Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director and screenwriter, ...

signed him to a film contract to appear in nine ''

Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, who also pr ...

'' episodes in 1930 and 1931. However, his only appearance in the series was in '' A Tough Winter''. Perry's contract was canceled for unknown reasons after its release. Perry was good friends with fellow comic actor

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

. They appeared together in '' David Harum'' (1934), '' Judge Priest'' (1934), '' Steamboat 'Round the Bend'' (1935), and '' The County Chairman'' (1935). By the mid-1930s, Perry was the first black actor to become a millionaire. He appeared in 44 films between 1927 and 1939. In 1940, Perry temporarily stopped appearing in films, having been frustrated by his unsuccessful attempt to get equal pay and billing with his white costars. He returned in 1945, in part due to financial need, though he only appeared in eight films between 1945 and 1953. He declared bankruptcy in 1947, stating assets of $146. He returned to vaudeville; he appeared at the Anderson Free Fair in 1949 alongside Singer's Midgets. He became a friend of heavyweight boxing champion

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

in the 1960s, allegedly converting to the Nation of Islam shortly before. (Other sources have said he was a lifelong

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

; he was buried at Calvary Cemetery, a Catholic institution in Los Angeles.) After 1953, Perry appeared in cameos in the made-for-television movie ''Cutter'' (1972) and the feature films ''

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written in 1772 and published in 1779 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is possibly the most sung and most recorded hymn in the world, and especially popular in the Unit ...

'' (1974) and '' Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood'' (1976). He found himself in conflict during his career with civil rights leaders who criticized him personally for the film roles that he portrayed. In 1968, CBS aired the hour-long documentary '' Black History: Lost, Stolen, or Strayed'', written by Andy Rooney (for which Rooney received an Emmy Award) and narrated by

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

, which criticized the depiction of black people in American film, and especially singled out Stepin Fetchit for criticism. After the show aired, Perry unsuccessfully sued CBS and the documentary's producers for defamation of character.

Music composition

In late November 1963, Perry collaborated with

Motown Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

founder Berry Gordy Jr. and Esther Gordy Edwards in composing "May What He Lived for Live," a song intended to honor the memory of President John F. Kennedy in the wake of his assassination. Perry was credited under the pseudonym W.A. Bisson. The song was recorded in December 1963 by Liz Lands, who in 1968 performed the work at the funeral of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Death

Perry suffered a stroke in 1976, ending his acting career; he then moved into the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital. He died on November 19, 1985, from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

and heart failure, at the age of 83. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles (), or East L.A., is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) situated within Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, East Los Angeles is designated as ...

following a Catholic funeral Mass.

Legacy

Perry spawned imitators, such as

Willie Best William Best (May 27, 1916 – February 27, 1962), known professionally as Willie Best or Sleep 'n' Eat, was an American television and film actor. Best was one of the first African American film actors and comedians to become well known ...

("Sleep 'n Eat") and Mantan Moreland, the scared, wide-eyed manservant of

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan ...

. Perry had actually played a manservant in the ''Charlie Chan'' series before Moreland in 1935's '' Charlie Chan in Egypt''. Perry appeared in one 1930 ''

'' short subject, ''A Tough Winter,'' at the end of the 1929–30 season. Perry signed a contract to star with the gang in nine films for the 1930–31 season and be part of the ''Our Gang'' series, but for some unknown reason, the contract fell through, and the gang continued without Perry. Previous to Perry entering films, the ''Our Gang'' shorts had employed several black child actors, including Allen Hoskins, Jannie Hoskins, Ernest Morrison, and Eugene Jackson. In the sound ''Our Gang'' era, black actors Matthew Beard and Billie Thomas were featured. The black performers' personas in ''Our Gang'' shorts were the polar opposites of Perry's persona. In the 2005 book ''Stepin Fetchit: The Life and Times of Lincoln Perry'', African-American critic

argued that the character of Stepin Fetchit was not truly lazy or simple-minded, but instead a prankster who deliberately tricked his white employers so that they would do the work instead of him. This

technique Technique or techniques may refer to: Music * The Techniques, a Jamaican rocksteady vocal group of the 1960s * Technique (band), a British female synth pop band in the 1990s * ''Technique'' (album), by New Order, 1989 * ''Techniques'' (album), by ...

, which developed during American slavery, was referred to as "putting on old massa", and it was a kind of con art with which black audiences of the time would have been familiar.

Awards and honors

Fetchit has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

. In 1976, despite popular aversion to his character, the

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

chapter of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

awarded Perry a special

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

. Two years later, he was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.

Personal life

In 1929, Perry married Dorothy Stevenson. She gave birth to their son, Jemajo, on September 12, 1930. In 1931, Dorothy filed for divorce, stating that Perry had broken her nose, jaw, and arm with "his fists and a broomstick." A few weeks after their divorce was granted, Dorothy told a reporter she hoped someone would "just beat the devil out of him," as he had done to her. When Dorothy contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

in 1933, Perry moved her to Arizona for treatment. She died in September 1934. Perry reportedly married Winifred Johnson in 1937, but no record of their union has been found. On May 21, 1938, Winifred gave birth to a son, Donald Martin Perry. Their relationship ended soon after Donald's birth. According to Winifred's brother, Stretch Johnson, their father intervened after Perry knocked Winifred down the stairs and broke her nose. In 1941, Perry was arrested after Winifred filed a suit for child support. When he was released from jail, he told reporters, "Winnie and I were never married. It was all a publicity stunt. I want you and everybody else to know that that is not my baby. Winnie knows the baby isn't mine but she's trying to be smart." Winifred admitted that they were not legally married, but she insisted Perry was her son's father. The court ruled in her favor and ordered Perry to pay $12 a week () for the child's support. Donald later took his stepfather's surname, Lambright. Perry married Bernice Sims on October 15, 1951. Although they separated by the mid-1950s, they remained married for the rest of their lives. Bernice died on January 9, 1985. For at least the great majority of his life, Perry was a devout

, but he allegedly became a member of the Nation of Islam in the early 1960s, following the footsteps of his close friends

and

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

, even appearing in the 1977 movie ''Muhammad Ali, the Greatest''. (Other sources say he was a lifelong Catholic; he was buried at Calvary Cemetery, a Catholic institution in Los Angeles.)

Filmography

*''The Mysterious Stranger'' (1925) *'' In Old Kentucky'' (1927) – Highpockets *'' The Devil's Skipper'' (1928) – Slave's Husband *''Nameless Men'' (1928) *'' The Tragedy of Youth'' (1928) – Porter *''The Kid's Clever'' (1929) – Negro Man *'' The Ghost Talks'' (1929) – Christopher Lee *'' Hearts in Dixie'' (1929) – Gummy *''

'' (1929) – Joe *'' Thru Different Eyes'' (1929) – Janitor *'' Innocents of Paris'' (1929) – Bit Role (uncredited) *''

Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 ''Fox Movietone Follies of 1929'', also known as ''Movietone Follies of 1929'' and ''The William Fox Movietone Follies of 1929'', is an American sound ( All-Talking) Pre-Code musical film released by Fox Film Corporation. This lavishly produced ...

'' (1929) – Swifty *'' Salute'' (1929) – Smoke Screen *'' Big Time'' (1929) – Eli *'' Cameo Kirby'' (1930) – Croup *'' The Big Fight'' (1930) – Spot *'' Swing High'' (1930) – Sam *''La Fuerza del Querer'' (1930) – Spot *'' A Tough Winter'' (1930, Short) – Stepin *'' The Prodigal'' (1931) – Hokey *''

Wild Horse The wild horse (''Equus ferus'') is a species of the genus Equus (genus), ''Equus'', which includes as subspecies the modern domestication of the horse, domesticated horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') as well as the Endangered species, endangered ...

'' (1931) – Stepin *'' The Galloping Ghost'' (1931) – Baxter College Locker Room Attendant *''

Neck and Neck ''Neck and Neck'' is a collaborative album by American guitarist Chet Atkins and British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released on October 9, 1990, by Columbia Records. "Poor Boy Blues" was released as a single. At the 33rd Annu ...

'' (1931) – The Hustler *'' Carolina'' (1934) – Scipio *'' David Harum'' (1934) – Sylvester Swifty *'' Stand Up and Cheer!'' (1934) – Stepin Fetchit *'' The World Moves On'' (1934) – Dixie *'' Judge Priest'' (1934) – Jeff Poindexter *''

Marie Galante Marie-Galante (, or ) is one of the dependencies of Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France. Marie-Galante has a land area of . It had 11,528 inhabitants at the start of 2013, but by the start of 2018 the total was officially estimated to ...

'' (1934) – 'Pacific Gardens' Waiter (uncredited) *''

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

'' (1934) – Bulga *'' The Littlest Rebel'' (1935) *'' Helldorado'' (1935) – Ulysses *'' The County Chairman'' (1935) – Sass *'' One More Spring'' (1935) – Zoo Attendant *'' Charlie Chan in Egypt'' (1935) – Snowshoes *''

Hot Tip ''Hot Tip'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Ray McCarey and James Gleason from a screenplay by Hugh Cummings, Olive Cooper, and Louis Stevens, based on William Slavens McNutt's short story, "Leander Clicks", which had been publish ...

'' (1935) – Cook *'' Steamboat Round the Bend'' (1935) – Jonah *'' The Virginia Judge'' (1935) – Spasm Johnson *'' 36 Hours to Kill'' (1936) – Flash *'' Dimples'' (1936) – Cicero *'' On the Avenue'' (1937) – Herman *'' Love Is News'' (1937) – Penrod *'' Fifty Roads to Town'' (1937) – Percy *'' Super-Sleuth'' (1937) – (uncredited) *'' His Exciting Night'' (1938) – Casper, the Baker Butler *''

Zenobia Septimia Zenobia (Greek: Ζηνοβία, Palmyrene Aramaic: , ; 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner, and she married the ruler of the ...

'' (1939) – Zero *'' Open the Door Richard'' (1945) *'' Big Timers'' (1945, Short) – Porter / Specialty Act *''Swingtime Jamboree'' (1946) *''I Ain't Gonna Open That Door'' (1947, Short) – Richard *'' Miracle in Harlem'' (1948) – 'Swifty', the Handyman *''Harlem Follies of 1949'' (1950) *'' Bend of the River'' (1952) – Adam *'' The Sun Shines Bright'' (1953) – Jeff Poindexter *'' Inquiring Nuns'' (1968, interviewee) *''Cutter'' (1972, TV movie) – Shoeshine Man *''Muhammad Ali, the Greatest'' (1974) *''

'' (1974, cameo appearance) – Cousin Lincoln *'' Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?'' (1975, archival footage) *'' Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood'' (1976, cameo appearance) – Dancing Butler (final film role)

Notes

References

Sources

* * *

External links

Stepin Fetchit
at TCM Movie Database * *
Stepin Fetchit
at Virtual History * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fetchit, Stepin 1902 births 1985 deaths 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century Roman Catholics African-American Catholics American Roman Catholics American actors of Jamaican descent American male film actors American people of Bahamian descent American vaudeville performers Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Los Angeles) Catholics from Florida Deaths from pneumonia in California Former Nation of Islam members Male actors from Florida People from Key West, Florida Vee-Jay Records artists