Ernest Whitman Explained

Ernest Whitman
Birth Name:	Ernest Whitman
Birth Date:	February 21, 1893
Birth Place:	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. U.S.
Death Place:	Hollywood, California, U.S.
Other Names:	Ernest R. Whitman
Occupation:	Actor

Ernest Whitman (February 21, 1893 – August 5, 1954) was an American stage and screen actor.^[1] He was also billed in some Broadway plays as Ernest R. Whitman.

Early years

Whitman was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was educated at Tuskegee Institute.^[2] He was ordained as a minister in 1907. His participation in Chautauquas led to his becoming an entertainer in vaudeville.^[3]

Career

Whitman debuted as an entertainer in Purcell, Oklahoma. He performed on stage in The Last Mile and other productions.^[1] He sang in a touring production of Lucky Sambo (1927).^[4]

He appeared in a number of films, including King for a Day (1934), The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936), The Green Pastures (1936), Jesse James (1939), Gone With the Wind (1939), Third Finger, Left Hand (1940), Among the Living (1941), Road to Zanzibar (1941),Cabin in the Sky (1943), Stormy Weather (1943), The Lost Weekend (1945), My Brother Talks to Horses (1947), Banjo (1947) and The Sun Shines Bright (1953), his last movie.

On radio, Whitman was the wartime host of the Armed Forces Radio Service's Jubilee, which was designed for African-American troops and featured mostly African-American entertainers. He portrayed the character Awful on The Gibson Family.^[5] He played Bill Jackson on Beulah on radio^[6] and on TV.^[7]

Death

Whitman died at his home^[8] of a liver ailment on August 5, 1954, in Hollywood,^[9] aged 61.^[8]

Broadway roles

Billed as Ernest Whitman

• The Last Mile (1930) as Vincent Jackson
• Chamberlain Brown's Scrap Book (1932) as Ashley the penitent

—Source: Internet Broadway Database^[10]

Billed as Ernest R. Whitman

• Harlem (1929) as Kid Vamp and in ensemble
• Savage Rhythm (1931) as Sweetback
• Bloodstream (1932) as Duke Taylor
• The Monster (1933) as Caliban
• John Brown (1934) as Frederick Douglass

—Source: Internet Broadway Database^[11]

Filmography

• King for a Day (1934, Short) as Mr. Brown (film debut)
• The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936) as 'Buck' Milford
• The Green Pastures (1936) as Pharaoh
• White Hunter (1936) as Abdi
• They Gave Him a Gun (1937) as Roustabout (uncredited)
• Nothing Sacred (1937) as Policeman (uncredited)
• Daughter of Shanghai (1937) as Sam Blike (uncredited)
• Pacific Liner (1939) as Professor – Black Stoker (uncredited)
• Jesse James (1939) as Pinkie
• Tell No Tales (1939) as Slab Griffin (uncredited)
• 6,000 Enemies (1939) as Black Prisoner Willie Johnson (uncredited)
• Gone With the Wind (1939) as Carpetbagger's Friend (uncredited)
• Congo Maisie (1940) as Varnai
• Castle on the Hudson (1940) as Alexander '8 Ball' Hamilton (uncredited)
• Buck Benny Rides Again (1940) as Colored Gentleman (uncredited)
• Safari (1940) as Witch Doctor (uncredited)
• Maryland (1940) as Dogface
• Mystery Sea Raider (1940) as First Fisherman (uncredited)
• The Return of Frank James (1940) as Pinky
• Third Finger, Left Hand (1940) as Sam
• Santa Fe Trail (1940) as Black Man in Barn (uncredited)
• Back Street (1941) as Porter #1 (uncredited)
• Road to Zanzibar (1941) as Whiteface
• The Get-Away (1941) as 'Moose'
• The Pittsburgh Kid (1941) as Feets Johnson
• Married Bachelor (1941) as Black Men's Room Attendant (uncredited)
• Birth of the Blues (1941) as Fancy-Pants, Doorman (uncredited)
• Blues in the Night (1941) as Black Prisoner #1 (uncredited)
• Among the Living (1941) as Pompey
• Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case (1941) as Sam (uncredited)
• The Bugle Sounds (1942) as Cartaret
• Drums of the Congo (1942) as King Malaba
• Arabian Nights (1942) as Nubian Slave (uncredited)
• The Human Comedy (1943) as Black Man on Train (uncredited)
• Cabin in the Sky (1943) as Jim Henry
• Stormy Weather (1943) as Jim Europe (uncredited)
• The Impostor (1944) as Ekoua
• The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944) as Stoker (uncredited)
• Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears (1944, Short) as Narrator (Voice, Uncredited)
• Dillinger (1945) as Jack – Black Prisoner (uncredited)
• The Lost Weekend (1945) as Black Man Talking to Himself (uncredited)
• She Wouldn't Say Yes (1945) as Train Bartender (uncredited)
• My Brother Talks to Horses (1947) as Mr. Mordecai
• Banjo (1947) as Uncle Jasper
• Blonde Savage (1947) as Tonga
• Half-Pint Pygmy (1948, Short) as Pygmy (Voice, Uncredited)
• Beulah (1952, TV) as Bill Jackson
• The Sun Shines Bright (1953) as Pleasant 'Uncle Plez' Woodford (final film)

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Last Mile. 1930. Internet Broadway Database. 20 February 2012. 24 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924141828/http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=11052. live.
2. News: Ernest Whitman wins admirers . February 5, 2021 . California Eagle . ASN . May 17, 1935 . California, Los Angeles . 8 . . January 7, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240107150810/https://www.newspapers.com/article/california-eagle-ernest-whitman/69416876/ . live .
3. News: Ernest Whitman Gets Role In New 20th Century Film . February 5, 2021 . California Eagle . December 1, 1949 . California, Los Angeles . 14 . . January 7, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240107150752/https://www.newspapers.com/article/california-eagle-ernest-whitman/69419156/ . live .
4. News: Olympic . February 5, 2021 . The Cincinnati Enquirer . February 20, 1927 . 2, Section 3 . . January 7, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240107150810/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer/69423217/ . live .
5. Book: Terrace. Vincent. Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. 1999. McFarland & Company, Inc.. 978-0-7864-4513-4. 131.
6. Book: Dunning. John. On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. 1998. Oxford University Press. New York. 978-0-19-507678-3. 83. Rev..
7. Book: Brooks. Tim. Marsh. Earle. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. 1999. The Ballentine Publishing Group. New York. 0-345-42923-0. 91. 7th.
8. News: Ernest Whitman . February 5, 2021 . The New York Times . August 10, 1954 . 19 . . . March 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220318161732/https://www.proquest.com/docview/112885302 . live .
9. Book: The Week's Census. 19 August 1954. Jet. 21 July 2011. 7 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240107150808/https://books.google.com/books?id=nr8DAAAAMBAJ&q=eddie+anderson+intitle%3Ajet&pg=PA15#v=snippet&q=eddie%20anderson%20intitle%3Ajet&f=false. live.
10. Web site: Ernest Whitman . Internet Broadway Database . The Broadway League . February 5, 2021 . https://archive.today/20210205152421/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/ernest-whitman-64824 . February 5, 2021 . live .
11. Web site: Ernest R. Whitman . Internet Broadway Database . The Broadway League . February 5, 2021 . https://archive.today/20210205152534/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/ernest-r-whitman-56920 . February 5, 2021 . live .