Not
So
Black
And
White
Pearl Bailey was a multi-media star who effortlessly moved from the theatre stage and recording studio to the big screen and daytime television.
Photograph of Pearl Bailey on the set of St. Louis Woman, ca. 1958
Her national acclaim during the height of the Civil Rights Movement spoke to her ability to break racial barriers. In addition to mesmerizing audiences with some of the nation’s most well-known white entertainers, Pearl was also part of several groundbreaking all-Black performances, including Carmen Jones (1954), St. Louis Woman (1958), and Porgy and Bess (1959).
In 1967, producer David Merrick retooled the cast of the Broadway smash hit Hello, Dolly! with an entirely Black cast, led by Pearl and Cab Calloway.
The move was such a success it landed Pearl on the cover of the December 8, 1967 issue of LIFE Magazine. Hello, Dolly! served as a pivotal moment for African Americans breaking down barriers in the entertainment world and contributed in its own way to the cause of civil rights.
Within Pearl’s scrapbook collection, there is no documentation of Civil Rights Movement activism. According to Pearl Bailey,
“People ask me why don’t I march… I say I march every day in my heart. When I walk in the street with humanity, I am marching, and you know, my feet are killing me all the way.”
In the December issue of LIFE, Bailey was asked about integration and the objections to the all-Black casting of Hello, Dolly! Pearl says,
“…wherever I am, that’s integration – because there’s love there.” She then stated, “If anyone was worried about integration, why didn’t they worry about it at the time of the first [all white] Dolly?”
In the below photograph, President Lyndon B. Johnson and wife, Lady Bird, stand between Cab Calloway and Pearl Bailey after the matinee performance of Hello, Dolly! at the National Theatre in D.C.
It was said the performance was so packed by the time the First Couple arrived, two chairs had to be placed on the isle to accommodate their late arrival. This was also the first time a U.S. President appeared on a theater stage in front of an audience.
Photograph of Hello, Dolly! cast with President Lyndon B. Johnson and wife Lady Bird Nov 4, 1967.
Life Magazine Cover, December 8, 1967
