Do i really have to explain why this is great?
Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham was primarily in music and dance during the 1920's and 30's, but during the 1940's, he moved into film. Despite the fact that this came after the period known as the Harlem Renaissance- spanning the 20's and 30's, I saw this video and knew i had to analyze it.
First of all, "Love Making Bureau" was recorded in 1949. The very premise of a love making bureau would have been considered profane and inappropriate. Second, the woman in the skit, who looks white at first, is actually Vivian Harris, a mixed race actress. This was over a decade before the civil rights movement; her parents probably put themselves in serious danger by courting. Also, despite her actual racial identity, she looks and sounds like a really, really white woman, going to two black guys for advice on how to have sex correctly. Towards the end, she even starts stripping. This was the kind of thing that people were brutally murdered over in the south.
Although this skit is from 1949, it continues the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance by wildly overstepping social norms through art. Also, it's funny.
I chose this piece because of it's humor, its obvious significance, and primarily, the fact that it's theater, as opposed to music, dance, or visual art. I wasn't aware that there was popular theater included in the Harlem Renaissance.
This is so cool! I've never even heard of this before! Nice job breaking it down.
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