Maceo Bruce Sheffield Explained

Maceo Bruce Sheffield (September 8, 1897 – August 20, 1959)^[1] was a police detective and an actor in American films. He worked in Los Angeles as a policeman^[2] before acting and assisting in the production of films with African American casts. He was also a stuntman and pilot.^[3] He portrayed a swindler in Lucky Ghost as Dr. Brutus Blake in the sequel to Mr. Washington Goes to Town. He was the associate producer of both Lucky Ghost and Mr. Washington Goes to Town.^[4]

He was notorious for his work as a police officer with the Black press describing him as someone who beat people up and he and his partner producing a large number of arrests of African Americans. Protests in 1927 resulted from his shooting in the head of a suspect.^[5] He later owned a cafe and club.^{[6] [7]}

He was critical of the opportunities for African Americans in the film industry and referred to the exploited actors as "stooges". He was involved with the production company behind Harlem on the Prairie, a groundbreaking Western themed musical film featuring Black actors.^{[8] [9]} He is credited with inspiring Count Basie's song "Every Tub".^[10]

Filmography

• The Adventures of Tarzan (1921) as Waziri Chief^[11]
• Harlem on the Prairie (1937) as Wolf Cain
• Double Deal (1939)^[4]
• Reform School (1939)^[4]
• Gang War (1939) as Bull Brown^[4]
• Up Jumped the Devil (1941)^[4] as Bad News Johnson
• Mr. Washington Goes to Town (1942)^[12] as Brutus Blake
• Lucky Ghost (1942) as Dr. Brutus Blake
• Professor Creeps^[4] (1942) as Shylock the Landlord
• Look-Out Sister (1946)^[13]

Notes and References

1. Book: The Ultimate Directory of Silent and Sound Era Performers: A Necrology of Actors and Actresses. 9780810835474. Doyle. Billy H.. Slide. Anthony. 1999.
2. Book: Robinson, Cedric J.. Forgeries of Memory and Meaning: Blacks and the Regimes of Race in American Theater and Film before World War II. September 1, 2012. UNC Press Books. 9781469606750. Google Books.
3. Web site: The Light-Years and Micromillimeters of Our History. . 24 February 1999.
4. Book: Sampson . Henry T. . Blacks in Black and White : A Source Book on Black Films . 1995 . Scarecrow Press . 0-8108-2605-4 . 374, 391, 403, 623, 680 . 27 October 2020.
5. Book: Hernández, Kelly Lytle. City of Inmates: Conquest, Rebellion, and the Rise of Human Caging in Los Angeles, 1771–1965. February 15, 2017. UNC Press Books. 9781469631196. Google Books.
6. Book: Govenar, Alan. Untold Glory: African Americans in Pursuit of Freedom, Opportunity, and Achievement. December 10, 2008. Crown. 9780307492418. Google Books.
7. Web site: Letter from the Los Angeles Police Department to the NAACP Los Angeles branch, May 14, 1927.
8. Book: Sampson, Henry T.. Blacks in Blackface: A Sourcebook on Early Black Musical Shows. October 30, 2013. Scarecrow Press. 9780810883512. Google Books.
9. Web site: Indianapolis Recorder 23 October 1937 — Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana's Digital Historic Newspaper Program.
10. Book: Central Avenue--its Rise and Fall, 1890-c. 1955: Including the Musical Renaissance of Black Los Angeles. 9780965078306. Cox. Bette Yarbrough. 1996.
11. Book: Lemmo, David. Tarzan, Jungle King of Popular Culture. January 26, 2017. McFarland. 9781476626222. Google Books.
12. Web site: The Film Daily Year Book of Motion Pictures. October 12, 1941. Film and Television Daily. Google Books.
13. Web site: Maceo Sheffield. https://web.archive.org/web/20201017145219/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba5815a7b. dead. October 17, 2020.