Dick Campbell (producer) facts for kids

Dick Campbell, born Cornelius Coleridge Campbell (June 27, 1903 – December 20, 1994), was a very important person in black theater during the Harlem Renaissance. This was a time when black artists, writers, and musicians created amazing works.

Even though Campbell was a successful performer himself, he is best known for helping other black actors. As a theater producer and director, he helped start the careers of many black artists. These included famous names like Ossie Davis, Frederick O'Neal, and Helen Martin.

In 1935, he helped start the Negro People's Theatre. Then, in 1937, he co-founded the Rose McClendon Players. This group soon focused only on plays written by African Americans. That same year, he also helped create the Negro Actors Guild.

Campbell worked hard to get more black actors hired on TV. In 1955, he even organized a boycott to make his point. From 1956 to 1964, he worked for the State Department in Africa. He was part of a program that shared American culture with other countries. Later, he worked for New York City Mayor John Lindsay. He spoke about the city's programs to help people escape poverty. In 1972, he co-founded the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of Greater New York. He led this organization until he passed away.

Early Life

Dick Campbell was born Cornelius Coleridge Campbell on June 27, 1903. His hometown was Beaumont, Texas. When he was six years old, he became an orphan. His grandmother, Pauline Snow, then raised him.

Before college, he worked as a janitor at his high school. He later attended Paul Quinn College in Waco, Texas. This was the first historically black college (HBCU) founded west of the Mississippi River.

Starting His Career

In 1926, after finishing college, Campbell moved to Los Angeles. He wanted to become a performer. There, he sang and acted as a straight man in vaudeville shows. Vaudeville was a popular type of entertainment with many different acts.

After two years, Campbell joined the touring Whitman Sisters' Show. This show brought him to New York City. From 1929, he regularly performed in plays in Harlem and on Broadway. In June 1929, Campbell was in the musical Hot Chocolates. This show also featured a young Louis Armstrong in his first Broadway role.

Campbell also appeared in other plays like Hot Rhythm and Singing the Blues. He was also in Brain Sweat, a comedy that ran briefly in 1934. The famous actress Rose McClendon was also in that play.

Helping Black Actors

Campbell was not happy with the few roles available for black actors. He also felt the roles were not very good. So, in 1935, he and Rose McClendon started the Negro People's Theatre. This group was based in Harlem. A big success for them was an all-black production of Waiting for Lefty.

Two years later, after McClendon passed away, Campbell and his wife, Muriel Rahn, started the Rose McClendon Players. They held their activities in the basement of the Mt. Morris Park Library in New York City. Campbell directed the Rose McClendon Players. This group helped start the careers of many black artists. These included Frederick O'Neal, Helen Martin, and Loften Mitchell.

One of Campbell's most famous students was Ossie Davis. Ossie Davis was a young actor who impressed Campbell right away. Campbell helped Davis get an audition for a Broadway play called JEB. Davis got the role and joined Actors Equity, a union for actors. He also met his future wife, Ruby Dee, in that play.

The Rose McClendon Players decided to only perform plays written by black playwrights. During their five years, they produced fifteen plays. This included the first production of On Striver's Row.

Also in 1937, Campbell helped create the Negro Actors Guild. He worked with actress Fredi Washington and musician W. C. Handy. While directing the Rose McClendon Players, Campbell also became director of the Harlem unit of the Federal Theatre Project in 1939. This was part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs to support the arts.

Around 1942, the Rose McClendon Players closed. Campbell was then chosen by the Army to produce Black USO shows. These shows entertained soldiers. His shows featured famous artists like Duke Ellington and Pearl Bailey. After World War II, Campbell started his own talent agency. He represented actors like Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. He also helped start the Harlem Theater Workshop.

Campbell was still upset about the limited roles for black actors. He started a campaign in black newspapers. He wrote articles and press releases. He complained about the types of roles black people played on TV and in movies. He even called for a media boycott. He asked black people to turn off their TVs on Saturday, February 26, 1955. He wanted to show how much power black viewers had.

He explained his reasons in a documentary called Scandalize My Name. "Don't turn on your TV," he told people. "Leave it black, because that's the only way you can make the producers understand that you want a different type of show on television."

This "blackout" boycott got a lot of attention. After the boycott, TV executives asked to meet with Campbell. This led to more opportunities for other actors. However, Campbell himself did not get more jobs. Ossie Davis said about Campbell's boycott, "Dick was sent for. And he talked, and he negotiated, and he opened some doors, and got us some jobs. Of course, they never gave Dick a job." Campbell faced difficulties during this time. He said, "I was blacklisted," meaning he was unfairly prevented from working.

In 1956, Campbell worked as a director and producer for the American National Theatre Association. This was part of the U.S. State Department. He worked there until 1964. He represented the U.S. in Africa through a cultural exchange program.

Later Years

In 1967, Campbell became an assistant director in New York City's Human Resources Administration. This was under Mayor John Lindsay. He spoke in support of the city's programs to help people in need.

Campbell continued to speak out against theater companies that did not hire black people. This included black theater companies that received large grants. In 1968, he was very upset with the new Negro Ensemble Company. They had just received a lot of money from the Ford Foundation. This money was to support plays by African-American writers. But their first season did not include any plays written by African Americans.

In 1972, Campbell and his second wife, Beryl, started the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of Greater New York. They wanted to help people with this genetic disease, which affects many people of African descent. He was the leader of this organization until he passed away.

Family Life

Campbell married Muriel Rahn, a concert singer, in 1932. They were married until she passed away in 1961. They had three daughters: Diana Wilson, Paulette Wilson, and Patricia Wilson Campbell.

Later, he married Beryl Campbell. Together, they founded the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of Greater New York.

Death

Dick Campbell passed away on December 20, 1994. He was at the Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York. He was 91 years old and had been ill for a long time.

Awards and Recognition

• 1991 – Living Legend Award, National Black Theatre Festival

See also

• Harlem Renaissance