Billy McClain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Billy McClain
Billy McClain circa 1902
Born	(1866-10-12)12 October 1866 Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Died	19 January 1950(1950-01-19) (aged 83) Los Angeles, California, USA
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1933-1950

William C. ("Billy") McClain (born October 12, 1866 – died January 19, 1950) was an amazing African-American performer. He was an acrobat, comedian, and actor. Billy McClain became famous in minstrel shows before World War I.

He was also a talented writer, producer, and director for many big stage shows. He even wrote several popular songs. Billy McClain helped change minstrel shows. He made them appeal to many more people than before. He traveled and performed in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. Later in his life, he helped promote boxing and acted in several movies.

Billy McClain's Life Story

His Early Years as a Performer

William C. McClain was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on October 12, 1866. When he was a boy, he played the cornet in Bell's Band. His first public show was in 1881.

In 1883, he joined Lew Johnson's Minstrels. Minstrel shows were popular performances with music, comedy, and dancing. He then moved to other minstrel groups. In 1886, McClain joined Sells Brothers' and Forepaugh's Circus. He toured the Hawaiian islands with them. He was the first black performer to join this circus.

Billy McClain performed with Cleveland's Minstrels in 1887. He and Tom Brown created a new comedy act. In 1891, he had an accident while performing. He fell from his trapeze and lost three teeth. In 1892, McClain even trained as a boxer.

1895 poster for the Gigantic Exhibition of Negro Life and Character in Brooklyn

In the early 1890s, McClain and his wife, Cordelia, joined the Hyers Sisters Company. In 1892, they joined a big show called South Before the War. McClain was the stage manager and main comedian. This show was special because it had both black and white performers. McClain said he was the first to put a cake walk dance on stage in this show. He also starred in Suwanee River, which was mostly a white show.

In 1893, McClain directed black performers in a huge outdoor show. It was a reenactment of the American Civil War Siege of Vicksburg. In 1894, the McClains joined On the Mississippi. This was a Southern comedy show.

Becoming a Producer and Manager

Billy McClain in 1895, from The New York Times review of Black America

In 1895, Billy McClain was hired to create a show called Black America. The show was presented as educational. It aimed to help people understand African-American life. It was performed outdoors in big cities like Brooklyn and Manhattan.

The show had a huge cast of 500 black performers. It featured replicas of plantation cabins. There was also music, including a choir of 300 singers, dancing, and unique acts. The Ninth Cavalry Band, made up of black musicians, played in the show. At the end, the choir sang to portraits of important figures. These included Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

Billy McClain likely created and directed Black America. His wife, Cordelia, was a soloist in the show. She had trained as an actress under Billy. Later, she became a stage manager and producer herself. A newspaper called Billy and Cordelia McClain the "aristocracy" of the park where they performed.

Billy McClain also starred in A.G. Field's Darkest America. This show toured regular theaters. It included songs, dances, and sketches. It showed African-American life from plantations to modern times. Reviewers praised the show for being "clean, bright and wholesome fun." They said it showed black people as "cultured and accomplished." Billy and Cordelia McClain also performed in Sam T. Jack's The Creole Show. This was more like a variety show than a traditional minstrel show.

Orpheus McAdoo's Georgia Minstrels in Australia in January 1900

In 1899, the McClains joined a show called All-star American Minstrels. They went on a tour of Australia. Another famous performer, Ernest Hogan, was also in this show. The McClains later joined Orpheus McAdoo's Georgia Minstrels. They stayed in Australia even after this company returned to the U.S. While in Australia, McClain also managed a black boxing contender named Peter Felix.

After returning to the USA, McClain appeared in Gus Hill's Smart Set company. This group had stars like Ernest Hogan. They put on vaudeville-style shows. These included comedy sketches, songs, and dances. McClain helped create the original show. He also contributed to a musical comedy called Southern Enchantment. A review in 1902 called Smart Set the "smartest set of colored people ever put together." Another review said the show tried to present a "better front to Negro life."

In 1904, Billy McClain played "Uncle Tom" in a play. A newspaper called him the "foremost colored actor on the stage today." It also mentioned he had played "Svengali" in Trilby and "Uncle Tom" for many months in Australia. Billy McClain also wrote and performed in The Black Politician. This was a musical comedy that toured from 1904 to 1908.

Later Career and Film Roles

Billy McClain lived in Paris, France, from 1906 to 1913. He performed in London and Paris with Fred Karno's comedy group. They had popular shows at famous theaters. An unknown comedian named Charlie Chaplin also performed with them. While in France, McClain drove a car from Paris to Monte Carlo very quickly. He said he was the first black person to produce, play, sing, dance, and speak in French.

In 1911, McClain was in Brussels, Belgium. He ran a boxing school there. He also managed and trained the heavyweight boxer Sam McVey.

In 1931, McClain moved to Los Angeles. He got a job with the Pasadena police department as a physical trainer. In August 1931, he performed on stage again after 21 years. He played two main roles from Uncle Tom: Uncle Tom and the slave owner Simon Legree.

While working for the police, he acted in several movies. These included Nagana (1933) and Dimples (1935), which starred Shirley Temple. Between 1933 and 1946, McClain appeared in many other films. He often played roles like a servant, butler, or cook. His last role was "Uncle Ben" in the movie Undercurrent (1946).

Billy McClain passed away on January 19, 1950. He was a pioneer in creating new styles of minstrel shows. He helped bring in the ragtime era. Even with his great talent, he faced challenges because he was African American. For example, he was once arrested for "having too much jewelry for a colored man." This might have happened because he was still in his stage clothes. During his life, he did not always get full recognition for all his achievements.

Billy McClain's Work

Sheet music cover c. 1910

Plays He Wrote

Billy McClain wrote and performed in several plays, including:

• Down on the Swanee River
• Before and After the War
• From the Jungles to the Senate
• The Black Politician

Songs He Wrote

Billy McClain wrote a number of popular songs:

• Pretty May
• Don't Forget Mother at Home
• Hand Down the Robe
• Dar's Gwine to Be a Great Resurrection
• Phonograph de News
• The Old School House
• Shake, Rattle and Roll (1897)

His Film Roles

Billy McClain appeared in these films: