Uncle Cyp And Aunt Sap Brasfield
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Laurence Lemarr Brasfield (March 1, 1898 – September 9, 1966) and Neva Inez Fisher Brasfield (March 14, 1889 – March 19, 1980), better known as Uncle Cyp and Aunt Sap, were an American country comedy duo. Their acting careers, which began in the late 1910s, spanned the
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 ...
era and extended to appearances on network television. Laurence also performed on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
. The married couple had leading roles in hundreds of dramatic and comedic performances on Southern and Midwestern tent
repertory A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...
show circuits before joining ABC-TV's ''
Ozark Jubilee ''Ozark Jubilee'' is a 1950s American television program that featured country music's top stars of the day. It was produced in Springfield, Missouri. The weekly live stage show premiered on ABC-TV on January 22, 1955, was renamed ''Country Mu ...
,'' where they performed from 1955 to 1960.


Biographies


Laurence "Boob" Brasfield

Laurence Brasfield was born in
Smithville, Mississippi Smithville is a town in Monroe County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 509 at the 2020 census, down from 942 in 2010. History Smithville is located on lands purchased from Chickasaw chief Che-lah-cha-chubby in 1836. The town is ...
. He later said that his mother Nonnie's humor was a major influence in his becoming a comedian. In 1912, at age 14, he joined the Mighty Haag Circus as a
roustabout Roustabout (Australia/New Zealand English: rouseabout) is an occupational term. Traditionally, it referred to a worker with broad-based, non-specific skills. In particular, it was used to describe show or circus workers who put up tents and boo ...
. The next year he did
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 ...
comedy with a horse-and-wagon show.Hinton, Elmer “Along the Sawdust Trail” (July 6, 1958), ''The Nashville Tennessean'' Magazine, p. 8 Later he joined a
New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
stock company. Soon he was traveling with the Redpath
Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...
tent circuit, which often featured attorney
William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...
as a speaker. Early in his career, Brasfield adopted the nickname Boob. For the next ten years, Brasfield performed as an actor and worked as a stage manager in both Broadway productions and the road companies of hit shows.''Country Music Jubilee Souvenir Picture Album'' (third edition, 1957) In 1920, he had a part in '' Miss Lulu Bett.'' He served as stage manager for '' Enter Madame,'' which had a two-year Broadway run. In 1922, he became stage manager for the smash hit '' Abie’s Irish Rose'' at the Republic Theatre.


Neva Brasfield

Neva I. F. Greevi was born in Luther, Michigan. After attending local public schools, she attended Ouachita Baptist College in
Arkadelphia, Arkansas Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,380. The city is the county seat of Clark County. It is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Hender ...
for three years. She worked as a cashier for a time before marrying Brasfield in 1919. He was nine years her junior. She became a leading lady with the W. I. Swain tent show.


Career together

Beginning in the mid-1920s, the Brasfields were featured players with (Jess) Bisbee's Comedians, a popular touring tent repertory troupe based in
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
. It was part of Bisbee's Dramatic Shows. Boob played the requisite "Toby" character as a
hillbilly ''Hillbilly'' is a term historically used for White people who dwell in rural area, rural, mountainous areas in the United States, primarily in the Appalachian region and Ozarks. As people migrated out of the region during the Great Depression, ...
. He established a reputation as "King of Tobys" for his quick ad-libbing ability and comic facial contortions. Brasfield was the highest-paid performer of the Bisbee troupe. He also wrote and directed performances, in addition to appearing in most of its plays. His younger brother, comedian
Rod Brasfield Rodney Leon Brasfield (August 22, 1910 – September 12, 1958) was an American comedian who was prominently featured on the Grand Ole Opry from 1947 until his death in 1958. In 1987, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Life and ...
, joined him. They performed with the troupe with Rod serving as Boob's straight man. In 1933, during the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, their tent show folded in
Lewisburg, Kentucky Lewisburg () is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Logan County, Kentucky, Logan County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 810 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, down from 903 at the 2000 census. ...
. It was a difficult period for many performing troupes. Brasfield was the headliner; he organized the performers into his own troupe, known as the Century Players. They were based in
Centerville, Tennessee Centerville is a town in Hickman County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,489 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. It is the county seat and the only incorporated town in Hickman County. It is best known for being the ...
, during the winter of 1933–34. They performed in schoolhouses in such surrounding towns as Little Lot, Bon Aqua and Hohenwald. On their nights in Centerville, hometown girl and native
Minnie Pearl Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (October 25, 1912 – March 4, 1996), known professionally as her stage character Minnie Pearl, was an American comedian and country singer who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years (1940–1991) ...
often performed. Boob also owned a "circle stock company" from 1939 to 1942 that played in the Gadsden Theatre in
Gadsden, Alabama Gadsden is the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is located on the Coosa River about northeast of Birmingham and southwest of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statist ...
.


Uncle Cyp and Aunt Sap

In the mid-1940s, Brasfield adopted the Uncle Cyprus character, shortened to "Cyp," when he began performing on radio programs with his brother Rod. Neva became his frequent stage partner as "Aunt Sap." Rod developed the characters for his routines about fictional residents in his adopted hometown of Hohenwald, Tennessee. Cyp and Sap were portrayed as an older married couple who quibbled over everyday matters, with Cyp often coming off as a henpecked husband. They continued touring the country through the 1940s, doing tent shows and
sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
. Boob also wrote
Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...
skits for Rod and
Minnie Pearl Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (October 25, 1912 – March 4, 1996), known professionally as her stage character Minnie Pearl, was an American comedian and country singer who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years (1940–1991) ...
, among others. By the early 1950s, the Brasfield couple retired to their ranch called Rancho Pocito in the Rio Grande Valley near
Edinburg, Texas Edinburg ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 100,243 at the 2020 census, and in 2022, its estimated population was 104,294, making it the second-largest city in Hidalgo County, and th ...
. Both Brasfields were designated as
Kentucky colonel Kentucky Colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the US state of Kentucky. It is the most well-known colonelcy in the United States. A Kentucky Colonel Commission (the certificate) is awarded in the name of the Commonwealth by the go ...
s, an honorary title bestowed by the governor of the state. In 1955, their long-time friend Red Foley convinced them to return to show business on ABC-TV's ''Ozark Jubilee,'' produced in
Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...
. They became mainstays and were among the few performers with the show for its entire run. The couple, often introduced by the opening bars of "Turkey In The Straw", usually performed small-town domestic sketch comedy together. They sometimes involved others on the show. Uncle Cyp also performed solo, or with Foley, Bill Ring, announcer Joe Slattery, or singer
Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Primarily performing rockabilly, pop, country and Christmas music, she achieved her first ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' hit aged 12 i ...
. Their one child was a daughter, Bonnie Inez Brasfield, who sometimes appeared in their routines. Rod Brasfield appeared once with "Cyp" on the show in 1957. Boob appeared on other TV programs as well, including ''
The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...
'' in 1956. In January 1958, ''
The Billboard The Billboard () is a massive granite monolith in the Sarnoff Mountains of the Ford Ranges of Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, standing just west of Mount Rea between Arthur Glacier and Boyd Glacier. History It was discovered in November 193 ...
'' reported that the Brasfield couple and Rod had begun filming a series of 52 fifteen-minute comedy programs for syndicated distribution on television. During the summer of 1958, the couple toured with Bisbee's Comedians in Kentucky and Tennessee. During this time, they flew to Springfield on alternate Saturdays to appear on the ''Jubilee.'' On August 29, 1959, Uncle Cyp was a fill-in host on the show. and In October 1959, Boob sustained minor injuries from a backstage fall during a Cotton Bowl performance with Foley and a ''Jubilee'' touring unit at the Texas State Fair. After the ''Jubilee'' was canceled in 1960, the Brasfields appeared on its spin-off, ''
Five Star Jubilee ''Five Star Jubilee'' is an American country music variety show carried by National Broadcasting Company, NBC-TV from March 17–September 22, 1961. The live program, a Spin-off (media), spin-off of ABC-TV's ''Ozark Jubilee, Jubilee USA'', wa ...
'', in 1961. That summer Boob toured with Foley through 22 states."Red Foley Set on 58 Fair Dates" (July 3, 1961), ''Billboard'', p. 9 The couple retired from show business for the final time and returned to Texas. Uncle Cyp was recorded in performance on the 1963 Decca LP record, ''The Red Foley Show'' (DL-4341).


Deaths

Laurence Brasfield died in
Raymondville, Texas Raymondville is a city in and the county seat of Willacy County, Texas, Willacy County, Texas, United States. The population was 10,236 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Willacy County is also the Raymondville micropolitan area. R ...
on September 9, 1966, at age 68 from lung cancer. His widow Neva survived him by more than a decade, dying March 19, 1980 in Raymondville at 91. She was buried next to him in Raymondville Cemetery.


Notes


References

* ''Ozark Jubilee Souvenir Picture Album'' (first edition, 1955) * ''Country Music Jubilee Souvenir Picture Album'' (third edition, 1957) * "Red Foley Set on 58 Fair Dates" (July 3, 1961), ''Billboard'' * Hinton, Elmer “Along the Sawdust Trail” (July 6, 1958), ''The Nashville Tennessean'', Magazine * . * Sachs, Bill "Folk Talent & Tunes" (April 14, 1958), ''
The Billboard The Billboard () is a massive granite monolith in the Sarnoff Mountains of the Ford Ranges of Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, standing just west of Mount Rea between Arthur Glacier and Boyd Glacier. History It was discovered in November 193 ...
'' * Sachs, Bill "Folk Talent & Tunes" (August 24, 1959), ''The Billboard'' * Sachs, Bill "Folk Talent & Tunes" (November 9, 1959), ''The Billboard''


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brasfield, Uncle Cyp And Aunt Sap 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American male actors American comedy duos American male radio actors American male television actors American male stage actors American stage actresses American radio actresses American television actresses Married couples American vaudeville performers 20th-century American comedians