Tony Langston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tony Langston
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| Born |
Detroit
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Entertainment writer and critic |
| Era | Late teens to mid-1920s |
| Employer | The Chicago Defender and the Chicago Bee |
| Known for | Reviews of Black film, music and theater |
Tony Langston was a very important writer and critic. He helped people discover new Black artists and their amazing work. He was known as a "tastemaker" because he could tell what was good and what was going to be popular. Tony also used his writing to speak out against unfair and racist ideas.
As the entertainment editor for the Chicago Defender, a big Black newspaper, Tony wrote about plays, movies, and music. He reviewed everything from the amazing singer Bessie Smith to the very unfair movie Birth of a Nation. Millions of people read his articles every week.
Tony Langston's Powerful Voice
Tony Langston wrote mostly from the late 1910s to the mid-1920s. His work covered many topics and was often about important social issues. For example, he was very upset with the Ebony Film Corporation. This company showed Black people in a very bad and disrespectful way.
Tony encouraged movie theaters in Chicago to stop showing these films. In 1920, he wrote an article for Competitor magazine. In it, he talked about rules for movies and how they should be controlled. He also wrote letters to George Johnson from the Lincoln Film Company.
In 1921, another writer named William Henry Harrison, Jr. said something special about Tony. He called Tony Langston "the most popular Colored theatrical writer." He also said Tony was "the highest paid writer in the history of Colored journalism." This shows how respected and important Tony was.
Beyond Journalism: Tony's Other Ventures
Tony Langston left the Chicago Defender after some wrong accusations. He then worked at the Chicago Bee for about a year. In 1926, he left the Bee to lead the sales team at "Baby Calculator."
Tony had also been an actor before becoming a writer. Later, he became a part-owner of several theaters. He also started his own business, the Langston Slide and Advertising Co. This company was in Bronzeville, a busy Black neighborhood in Chicago.
Tony was born in Detroit. He grew up when movies were silent, meaning they had no sound. Like another critic, Lester Walton, Tony started by writing about silent films. Later, he moved on to reviewing "talkies," which were movies with sound.
See also
- Sylvester Russell of The Freeman
- D. Ireland Thomas
- Lester Walton of The New York Age
