Odessa Warren Grey

Odessa Warren Grey in Lime Kiln Field Day (1913)

Odessa Warren Grey (August 13, 1883 - April 28, 1960), a prominent milliner, entrepreneur, and performer in Harlem, New York. She is best known as the star of a recently rediscovered silent film, Lime Kiln Field Day (1913) where she co-stars with Bert Williams.

Early life

Little is known of Odessa Warren's early life. According to her entry in Frank Lincoln Mather's Who's Who of the Colored Race: A General Biographical Dictionary of Men and Women of African Descent (1915), she was born in Greenfield, Ohio on August 13, 1883 to Edward A. and Sadie K. (Tyre) Warren.[1] However, the 1900 Federal Census lists Edward and Sadie Warren as having been married for six years (or since 1894), with daughter Odessa aged 17.[2]

Odessa Warren exhibited a number of talents from an early age. An accomplished seamstress, clothes designer and milliner, she also was a dancer and singer in minstrel shows, vaudeville, and the musical productions that heralded the beginning of the tradition of African-American musical theater. She, with her cousin, actress Madge Warren (born Madge Wadkins), were in the traveling companies of Williams and Walker's The Policy Players(1899-1900).[3] After Madge left the stage to marry the world lightweight boxing champion Joe Gans,[4] Odessa continued on the boards, and in 1902, joined Williams and Walker's production of In Dahomey.

In 1903 this production, with music by Will Marion Cook and lyrics by Paul Laurence Dunbar moved to New York City, where it became the first black musical to open on Broadway.[5] When the show went to London, she went also, returning to New York City with the company on the S.S. Aurania in June 1904.[6] In 1906, again with her cousin Madge (who was separated from her husband)[7] Odessa Warren was in Ernest Hogan's show Rufus Rastus. [8]

Odessa Warren continued on the stage while attending to the costume needs of the women of the theatrical profession. In 1908, she announced her retirement from the stage, in order to "confine her labors in the direction of business pursuits." She decided to go full-time as a milliner after making the "Bon Bon Buddy" hats for the women of the "Williams and Walker Show, and was praised in the highest terms by the management for her work."[9]

An ad for Odessa Millinery in a newspaper in 1913, when it was at the 41 West 135th Street location.

Her millinery business was called the "Pioneer millinery establishment by Negroes in Harlem" in a newspaper article in February 1921. Mrs. Grey started the business in her home and then moved to a small shop at 41 W 135th Street, Harlem. Her business continued to grow and after five years, moved to a larger location at 2221 Seventh Ave. In 1921, the store reportedly had one of the largest stocks of any millinery store in Harlem, and had trained and employed several young women as milliners .[10]

In June 1909, she married musician and actor Joseph W. Grey (1879-1956).[11] Mrs. Grey continued to prosper in her business, and also continued to participate in social and entertainment-oriented affairs, including presentations designed for charitable purposes where she either supplied costumes, or actually performed, or both. For example, in May 1909, "Miss Odessa Warren" participated in a benefit for the "Children's Home" of St. Philip's Episcopal Church of Harlem, that was organized by Aida Overton Walker, Richard C. McPherson and John E. Nail and held at the old Grand Central Palace at Lexington Avenue and East 43rd Street. Coming on after the opening number, Warren, with fellow dancer and actress Maggie Davis (who later married Jesse Shipp) gave a spirited rendition of Joe Jordan's "That Teasin' Rag"; "Misses Davis and Warren are considered two of the best chorus girls in the business, and they lived up to the reputations they established." [12] In January 1912, Odessa Warren Grey was crowned “Queen Odessa” at the New Star Casino during a Mardi Gras celebration.[13]

Lime Kiln Field Day

Odessa Warren Grey and Bert Williams in Lime Kiln Field Day (1913) with black cast and white crew member

In unedited footage of a film shot in 1913, Odessa Warren Grey stars opposite Bert Williams as a local beauty he’s trying to woo. The seven reels of what is now being called Bert Williams' Lime Kiln Field Day features a black cast and white crew, and is now the earliest surviving feature-length film in which the main characters are black and middle class.

The cast is made of black performers from Harlem five years before what is thought of as the official start of the Harlem Renaissance. In addition to the legendary Bert Williams the film also features Sam Lucas, Abbie Mitchell and J. Leubrie Hill with members of the Darktown Follies Company.[14]

The film is remarkable in a number of ways. One of the three directors of the film was a black man, and the footage shows a lot of interaction between the black cast and white crew. Bert Williams is seen in blackface before he became famous on Broadway, and the romance between Bert Williams and Odessa Warren Grey is a first example of affection for black characters in film. The film also has one of the longest early records of black vernacular dance on film, an elaborate cakewalk scene. The film features some racial stereotypes but also shows interactions between black cast members and white crew members. The film "documents the effort by a community of virtuoso performers to achieve increased visibility in a time of segregation”, framed with a blend of minstrel and contemporary performance styles.[15]

The film was being produced by the Biograph Company for Klaw and Erlanger, and was directed by Edwin Middleton, T. Hunter Hayes, and Sam Corker Jr. However, the film was never released and the reels were found in 1938 by Museum of Modern Art staff members at an abandoned Biograph Studios site in New York. The reasons that Biograph did not finish the film are unknown, but Ronald S. Maggliozzi, an associate curator in the Museum of Modern Art’s film department, theorizes that D. W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation (1915) had something to do with it.[16][17] The Lime Kiln Field Day footage has been recently discovered and restored by the Museum of Modern Art after 101 years, and is currently on display in the museum.[18]

Amsterdam News, Second Marriage, and Later Years

Grey's parents were involved in the ownership and operation of the weekly newspaper, the Amsterdam News. Edward A. "Easy Ed" Warren, an entrepreneur who rose from janitor to real estate promoter, joined with the paper's founder, James H. Anderson, as a co-owner in the paper, placing it on a "sound financial footing" despite the fact "that, on three occasions, he was forced to pawn a large diamond ring in order to meet the mounting debts of the paper." However, when Warren died suddenly,[19] "the diamond ring that had saved the Amsterdam News on numerous occasions was still on his finger."[20]

Sadie Warren took over her husband's share of the newspaper; she hired Jesse Shipp as its managing editor and T. Thomas Fortune to write editorials. After eighteen months, Mrs. Warren bought out James Anderson's estate and took control of the paper, with her new husband, William H. Davis,[21] becoming president and general manager of the Amsterdam News Company, Inc.; with Mrs. Warren-Davis (as called herself) as treasurer, and Odessa Warren Grey as vice president.[22]

While involved with the day-to-day operations of the newspaper, Grey also continued with her millinery shop, which in September 1923 moved to 2293 Seventh Avenue, just below West 135th Street.[23] Also during this time, she remarried, to Roy Francis Morse (1898-1971), who worked as a Deputy Collector for the U.S. Department of the Treasury.[24] Morse was also known in his day as a champion athlete.[25]

In 1914, he tied the indoor track record for the 100 yard dash—9 4/5 seconds; the next year he established a record for the 50 yard dash—5 1/4 seconds. Running for a number of amateur clubs, primarily the Salem Crescent Athletic Club of Manhattan, Morse won no less than eighteen major sprint matches, while at his peak.[26] He also played professional baseball, and served in World War I as a member of the 369th Infantry Regiment (United States), the "Harlem Hellfighters." [27] Staying in the Army National Guard of the United States, Morse was called to service during World War II, where he rose to be a Major in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He served as director of the ground school and secretary of the Tuskegee Army Air Field Advanced Flying School[28] before going to McChord Field, in Pierce County, Washington where he commanded "C Squadron"[29]

Odessa Warren Morse and her mother Sadie Warren-Davis lost control of the Amsterdam News in 1935, after a number of years of struggle. Issues with labor unions finally forced them to sell to Dr. C. B. Powell and Dr. P. M. H. Savory.[30] Mrs. Warren-Davis died in 1946 [31] and Odessa Warren Morse remained in business at the Seventh Avenue address until about 1950.

Odessa Warren Grey Morse died on April 28, 1960 at the Pilgrim State Hospital on Long Island [32] and was buried with the help of the Negro Actors Guild at the Long Island National Cemetery on May 4.[33]

References

  1. ↑ Mather, Frank Lincoln. "Grey, Odessa Warren." Who's Who of the Colored Race: A General Biographical Dictionary of Men and Women of African Descent. Vol. 1. Chicago: F.L. Mather, 1915. 123. Print.
  2. ↑ 1900 Federal Census for Borough of Manhattan (New York County Enumeration District 720, Sheet 3-A, Lines 20-24 [223 West 40th Street])
  3. ↑ New York Dramatic Mirror, 9 September 1899, p. 4; Brooklyn (NY) Standard-Union, 20 March 1900, p. 3
  4. ↑ "Fistiana and Thespia in a Matrimonial Bout," National Police Gazette, 12 April 1900, p. 14
  5. ↑ Charters, Ann. Nobody: The Story of Bert Williams. (The MacMillan Company, London: 1970) p. 69.
  6. ↑ Supplemental Manifests of Alien Passengers and Crew Members Who Arrived on Vessels at New York, New York, Who Were Inspected for Admission, and Related Index, compiled 1887-1952. Microfilm Publication A3461, 21 rolls. ARC ID: 3887372. RG 85, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; National Archives, Washington, D.C. ancestry.com
  7. ↑ "Trouble for Gans," New York Morning Telegraph, 1 August 1905, 15; "Divorce for Madge Gans," Indianapolis Freeman, 25 July 1908, 5
  8. ↑ "Rufus Rastus Company. Indianapolis Freeman, 5 September 1906, p. 5
  9. ↑ "Odessa Warren Quits Stage to Engage in Business," The New York Age, 5 March 1908, vol. 21, no. 23, 6. Print.
  10. ↑ "Pioneer Millinery Store Odessa Warren Grey Opened Shop Ten Years Ago." The New York Age 26 Feb. 1921, 34th ed., sec. 23: 1. Print.
  11. ↑ "Joe Grey and Odessa Warren Marry," The New York Age, 1 July 1909, vol. 22, no. 39, 7. Print.
  12. ↑ Walton, Lester A., editor. "Music and the Stage." The New York Age, 9 May 1909, vol. 22, no. 31, p. 6
  13. ↑ "Crowning of King and Queen." Rev. of Celebration/performance at New Star Casino. The New York Age 25 Jan. 1912, vol. 25., no. 17: n. pag. Print.
  14. ↑ Magliozzi, Ron. "EXHIBITIONS." MoMA. Museum of Modern Art, 24 Oct. 2014. Web. 06 Dec. 2014 <http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1528>.
  15. ↑ Magliozzi, Ron. "EXHIBITIONS." MoMA. Museum of Modern Art, (24 October 2014; Website, 06 December 2014)<http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1528>.
  16. ↑ Lee, Felicia R. "Coming Soon, a Century Late: A Black Film Gem." The New York Times (20 September 2014; Website, 2 November 2014)<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/nyregion/coming-soon-a-century-late-a-black-film-gem.html>.
  17. ↑ Watson, Walter R. "Rare Silent Film With Black Cast Makes A Century-Late Debut." NPR. NPR, 25 Oct. 2014. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.
  18. ↑ Magliozzi, Ron. "EXHIBITIONS." MoMA. Museum of Modern Art, 24 Oct. 2014. Web. 06 Dec. 2014 <http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1528>.
  19. ↑ "Obituary News," The New York Times, (29 May 1921) 15
  20. ↑ Poston, T. R. [Ted], "The Inside Story. Newspaper Is Mirror of People It Served 25 Years", The Amsterdam News (22 December 1934) A-4.
  21. ↑ "Mrs. Edward A. Warren Becomes Bride of William H. Davis," The New York Age, 24 April 1926, 3; "W. H. Davis, Former Publisher, Dead." The New York Age, 8 January 1938, 1
  22. ↑ Poston, "The Inside Story," A-4.
  23. ↑ "Odessa's Hat Salon Off to a Flying Start," The Amsterdam News, 19 September 1923, 11
  24. ↑ "Roy Morse Is Made Deputy. Officer in 369th Placed on Staff of U.S. Collector Here," The Amsterdam News, 20 April 1935, 3
  25. ↑ [Young, Frank A. "Fay."] "Roy F. Moss {sic], Champion Runner Enroute West. star of the East Pays Defender Office A Visit and Poses for a Minute Photograph--Wears Medal for 220-Yard Dash--Will Run in the Great Races at the California Exposition. High School Graduate. Says He Will Win the Junior Stakes in the 100, 200 and 220-Yard Dash--Will Meet Drew, Dismond and Butler" Chicago Defender, 31 July 1915, 7
  26. ↑ Carroll, Ted. "Dan Burley's 'Confidentially Yours,' " The Amsterdam News, 17 January 1948, 1
  27. ↑ Eck, Frank. "Athletes In Service," Schenectady (NY) Express, 23 August 1944, 16; Young, Frank A. "Fay". "Big Name Athletes in Army." Chicago Defender, 12 May 1945, 1.
  28. ↑ 99th Pursuit Squadron Turns Flying Cadets into Lieutenants Who Will Instruct Other Flyers," (Baltimore) Afro-American, 31 January 1942, 3
  29. ↑ "Former Sprint Champion, Captain Roy F. Morse, Teaches Flying Cadets," Atlanta (Ga.) Daily World, 5 March 1942, 5; "Promoted," Chicago Defender, 26 August 1944, 14
  30. ↑ Dolinar, Brian.The Black Cultural Front: Black Writers and Artists of the Depression Generation. (University Press of Mississippi: Jackson, Miss., 2012), p. 174
  31. ↑ Death Certificate no. 26300 for Manhattan--1946. Municipal Archives of the City of New York, 31 Chambers Street, Room 103, New York City 10003
  32. ↑ Walker, Jesse H., "Theatricals," The Amsterdam News, 14 May 1960, 17
  33. ↑ "Odessa Warren Moss [sic] Buried", The Amsterdam News (23 May 1960) 13; Ancestry.com. U.S. National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Interment Control Forms, 1928–1962. Interment Control Forms, A1 2110-B. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985, Record Group 92. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

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