Johnny Hudgins (May 5, 1896 – May 5, 1990) was 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 ...

performer. He sometimes performed in

blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...

. Hudgins was nicknamed the Wah-Wah Man ( wah-wah) and was known for his

mime A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek language, Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a the ...

performances accompanied by accomplished trumpeters. He was friends with fellow vaudevillian

Josephine Baker Freda Josephine Baker (; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalized as Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to s ...

who he performed with in the show ''

Chocolate Dandies ''The Chocolate Dandies'' is a Broadway musical in two acts that opened September 1, 1924, at the New Colonial Theatre and ran for 96 performances – finishing November 22, 1924. Initial production The 1924 debut of ''The Chocolate Dandies ...

''. He was also in the show ''

Lucky Sambo ''Lucky Sambo'' was a 1925 musical comedy staged on Broadway. It originally toured as ''Aces and Queens'' in 1923 and 1924. It was by Porter Grainger and Freddy Johnson. It played at the Colonial Theatre (New York City). Time magazine described i ...

''. He used burnt cork to blacken his face and performed with exaggerated white lips in many of his performances. His performances drew rave reviews and imitators. Hudgins sought to copyright his performance art. Hudgins performed with

Florence Mills Florence Mills (born Florence Winfrey; January 25, 1896 – November 1, 1927), billed as the "Queen of Happiness", was an American cabaret singer, dancer, and comedian. Life and career Florence Mills (Florence Winfrey) was born a daughter of for ...

in the ''

Blackbirds of 1926 ''Blackbirds of 1926'', also known as Lew Leslie's Blackbirds, Lew Leslie's ''Blackbirds'' of 1926 was a musical revue with an all African Americans, African American cast created and produced by impresario Lew Leslie that starred Florence Mills, ...

'' and was accompanied by trumpeters including

Doc Cheatham Adolphus Anthony Cheatham, better known as Doc Cheatham (June 13, 1905 – June 2, 1997), was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader. He is also the grandfather of musician Theo Croker. Early life Doc Cheatham was born in Nashvi ...

Johnny Dunn Johnny Dunn (February 19, 1897 – August 20, 1937) was an American traditional jazz trumpeter and vaudeville performer, who was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He is probably best known for his work during the 1920s with musicians such as Perry ...

, Joe Smith (trumpeter), Louis Metcalf and

Rex Stewart Rex William Stewart Jr. (February 22, 1907 – September 7, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist who was a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra. Career As a boy he studied piano and violin; most of his career was spent on cornet. Stewart dro ...

. Hudgins was born in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Career

Hudgins performed in Harlem's clubs, toured America, and toured Europe where he was referred to as a "colored"

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

. He also performed with his wife Mildred Martien and

Fredi Washington Fredericka Carolyn "Fredi" Washington (December 23, 1903 – June 28, 1994) was an American stage and film actress, civil rights activist, performer, and writer. Washington was of African American descent. She was one of the first Black Americans ...

. Martien was lifelong friends with

. Hudgins featured in films including a

Pathé Pathé SAS (; styled as PATHÉ!) is a French major film production and distribution company, owning a number of cinema chains through its subsidiary Pathé Cinémas and television networks across Europe. It is the name of a network of Fren ...

film of Hudgins performing to "

Renoir Charleston Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that " ...

" in

Jean Renoir Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. His '' La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and '' The Rules of the Game'' (1939) are often cited by critics as among the greate ...

's ''

Charleston Parade ''Charleston Parade'' (''Sur un air de Charleston'') is a short 1927 futuristic sensual dance fantasy film directed by Jean Renoir, starring Renoir's wife Catherine Hessling and the African American mime artist Johnny Hudgins. Hudgins performs in ...

'' with

Catherine Hessling Catherine Hessling (born Andrée Madeleine Heuschling; 22 June 1900 – 28 September 1979) was a French actress and the first wife of film director Jean Renoir. Hessling appeared in 15, mostly silent, films before retiring from the acting profe ...

and in the film''

A Night in Dixie ''A Night in Dixie'' is a Phonofilm musical short film from 1925. Performers in the film include The Club Alabama Revue with Billy Fowler's band with Abbie Mitchell, Jean Starr, and Johnny Hudgins (in blackface). It is part of the Maurice Zouary ...

''. He was photographed by

Edward Elcha William Edward Elcha (1885 – November 3, 1939) was an American photographer known for his Jazz Age Broadway photographs of Harlem performers and celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s. The Harry Ransom Center has his photographs in its collection. He ...

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

has a collection of his papers.

Filmography

*''

'', ''Sur un air de charleston'', (1927) with

* ''

'' (1926)

References

External links

Pathé film of Hudgins performing
*

'
Renoir Charleston
with

and Johnny Hudgins (1927)
Hudgins at 2:55 mark
from ''

'' (1926) *
Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library
Emory University
Johnny Hudgins papers, 1927-1988
1896 births 1990 deaths American vaudeville performers Male actors from Baltimore {{US-theat-actor-1890s-stub