Beyond Dark Makeup: Comparing Noble Sissle to Al Jolson

Noble Sissle shown performing a spiritual with his arms raised in a scene from a lost sound film made in 1927. Although he does not wear blackface, his pose is similar to that used by blackface performers like Al Jolson in the photo below.

Noble Sissle: A Black Performer on the White Stage

Noble Sissle was the lyricist for Shuffle Along and also appeared as a singer on stage. Along with his composing partner, Eubie Blake, he had performed on vaudeville for several years before Shuffle Along opened. Unlike Miller and Lyles who wore Blackface makeup and comic costumes, Sissle and Blake always appeared without makeup and wore tuxedos on stage. It is interesting to compare his performance to another star of vaudeville, Al Jolson.

In April 1923, Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake made an early sound film of their act. In this excerpt, you can see them introducing and then singing their song "Affectionate Dan." As we've seen, Eubie said that their act was geared to appeal to a white audience and didn't rely on Blackface stereotypes. But listen carefully to the introduction and watch how Sissle performs the song, using gestures and facial expressions that for some recall the minstrel/blackface tradition.

While the lyrics are free of most Blackface dialect, the opening dialogue between Sissle and Blake is spoken in a light version of minstrel dialect. Also, in the introduction Sissle refers to the song's protagonist as the "jiggiest jig" in the land ("Jig" was a slang term for a Black man). Why do you suppose the stars used this language when they refused to wear dark makeup or cater to other minstrel stereotypes?

TRANSCRIPT

Introduction

Sissle: "Dapper Dan," yes.

Blake: "Sweet Henry."

Sissle: "Sweet Henry," yes.

Blake: And "Lovin’ Sam."

Sissle: Yes sir.

Blake: But you tell them about "Affectionate Dan."

Sissle: "Affectionate Dan?"

Blake: Yes.

Sissle: Oh man, the jiggiest jig that you ever did see.

Lyrics:

Now listen folks, lay aside all jokes,

Honestly I’m not kidding you,

But we know a man, and is name is Sam

And the gals go wild about him that they don’t know what to do.

Of all the men, he may not be the best, heh,

But goodness knows he’s no different than the rest.

You never saw such a lovin’ man-an,

That’s why they called him Affectionate Dan.

Chorus: Affectionate Dan, Affectionate Dan,

He does that thing called lovin’ like no one else can,

He’s got such a pleasin’ and line of talk

And a way of pleasin’ that no one can walk,

And his eyes, they hypnotize you,

Yes hypnotize, just mesmer-i-ize you

And, oh, oh, he’s the kissin’ man what am, that Sam.

But the thing he does that sets the girlies crazy,

Is when he holds them in his arms and calls ‘em “Ba-by,”

And Lord, chile, how thru this land, there’s no other man,

Like that lovin’ Daddy, Affectionate Dan.

Repeat chorus

Al Jolson in a typical pose from his vaudeville performances. Note that he is on his knees in a similar pose that Noble Sissle used in his act.

Al Jolson: White Performer in Blackface

Compare Sissle's performance with this clip from a film by Al Jolson, a white vaudeville performer who was Sissle and Blake's contemporary. Jolson was famous for his Blackface performances.

Jolson's dark makeup and tattered costume are both holdovers from the Blackface tradition. The backdrop suggests a Southern plantation, with the figures behind Jolson the kind of "happy slaves" who were depicted in minstrel songs like Stephen Foster's "The Old Folks at Home." Nonetheless, Jolson professed to be a great admirer of Black musicians--he was a huge fan of Sissle and Blake's and helped them along when they ran into problems on the road. And Jolson doesn't use stereotyped dialect in his singing, and his expressions and vocal projection are not that different from Sissle's in the earlier clip.