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332:. White started out as a chauffeur to the singer, entertaining her with jokes as he drove. When she was late arriving on stage one evening, Washington, worried about the waiting audience, asked White to go on stage and "say something funny" while she prepared for her performance. "Slappy" was such a hit with the patrons, she kept him on as her opening act. He was once also married to
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comedians targeting whites in this manner. The manager fired White, but changed his mind about the comedian's employment when Dinah
Washington indicated she would withdraw her entire act because of White's firing. White spent four years with Dinah Washington before establishing himself as a solo act.
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White was a performer in Las Vegas for many years. In the 1950s while he was on the bill with Dinah
Washington, White performed his routine which made the nightclub's manager the target of his jokes. While there was nothing offensive about the jokes White told, there was an unwritten rule about black
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in
Baltimore, where by the age of 10, he used to dance outside for coins and sold candy at the theater. He left Baltimore at the age of 13 because he was in danger of being sent to reform school because of his school absences. White joined a traveling carnival and made a living as a tap dancer with
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the troupe. He was eventually picked up by police and returned to his family, but could not trade show business for school. He received his nickname from the manager of a local theater where he entered a talent contest with a friend; the manager billed them as "Slap and Happy".
383:. The pair entertained at the White House in May of the same year. Rossi and White also performed their act aboard a National Overseas Airlines flight from Chicago to Spain. The airline had hoped that providing live entertainment on their flights would boost ticket sales.
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He began his career as a dancer and did not turn to comedy until 1940 when he joined with a fellow hoofer in the "Two
Zephyrs" to replace one of its members who had previously passed away. White and his partner, Clarence Schelle, had appeared on
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White wrote and performed a comedy routine called "Brotherhood Creed" using one black and one white glove while reciting his poem about equality between men. White performed the routine many times during the
433:. White enjoyed a minor renaissance after his death owing to bootleg recordings of Friars' Club roasts that became available through comedy record outlets. His name was used on an episode of
459:. At the time of his death, White was preparing to retire from acting and was in the process of moving from Los Angeles to New Jersey. He had no children from either of his marriages.
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while White was still struggling in lesser venues. The marriage was in trouble at the time White and Foxx first met. The couple divorced. Years later, when White and dancer
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After "Two
Zephyrs" came "Lewis and White" his second successful comedy team. "Lewis and White" traveled together for several years and appeared with such greats as
305:, when both of them were still relatively unknown professionally. Bailey's career was on the rise; she was performing in the better nightclubs with people like
983:"Steve Rossi and Slappy While are a brand-new comedy team, the first such integrated act in show business history, and they re off to a last ...(pay-per-view)
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partner and as an employee in the music store owned by Berle's character. At one time, Berle hoped to syndicate the program.
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once gave it a personal commendation. In 1965, White was invited to perform the "Brotherhood Creed" before the
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and many others. With his team "Slappy" was first introduced to
Californians, making his West Coast debut in
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State Senate. He was also well known as a comedian who eschewed offensive material in his nightclub act.
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as Fred's friend, also named Melvin, and had a million-dollar contract to perform at the
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Later in life, he performed under his given name on his friend Redd Foxx's TV show
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of stand-up comedy during the 1950s and 1960s. He appeared on the television shows
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Orchestra for more than four years. Some years before, White had met and married
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in 1947 and formed a comedy team. They toured from coast to coast with the
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Black
Comedians on Black Comedy: How African-Americans Taught Us to Laugh
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In 1969, he formed a new comedy team called Rossi and White with
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Gates, Louis Henry; Higginbotham, Evelyn Brooks, eds. (2004).
558:"Slappy White, 74, Who Brought Black Humor Into White Clubs"
443:", in which Seinfeld uses "Slappy White" as his own name.
455:, just 38 days after the death of his long-time friend
1212:
858:"Singer Kept A Secret Because She Wanted To Be 'Evil'"
1213:
Pryor-Trusty, Rosa; Taliaferro, Tonya, eds. (2003).
1132:"Slappy White:Gained Fame in White-Black Comedy Act"
403:planned to introduce a new situation comedy called
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280:. Lewis and White made a television appearance on
910:"Art Prysock, Slappy White, Sammy Davis' bonanza"
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1079:"White-Rossi Team Set Live Flight Entertainment"
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1167:. Salt Lake City. April 14, 1986. p. 12C
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884:"Lavern Baker marries comedian Slappy White"
451:White died of a heart attack at his home in
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320:"Slappy's" solo career started in 1951 when
293:and 'Slappy' White". Foxx and White met in
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324:requested him to introduce her act at the
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289:The team with which he is best known is "
1159:"White and Berle in 'Moscow & Vine'"
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1358:Actors from Atlantic County, New Jersey
937:"'Gregory Helped Us' says Slappy White"
800:. Oxford University Press. p. 37.
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696:Black and Blue: The Redd Foxx Story
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594:"Slappy White...Home for Christmas"
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1328:People from Brigantine, New Jersey
1219:. Arcadia Publishing. p. 40.
1130:Oliver, Myrna (November 9, 1995).
993:Harold, Chuck (November 8, 1971).
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1333:20th-century American male actors
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1186:Thomas, Bob (November 19, 1982).
699:. Applause Theatre & Cinema.
693:Starr, Michael Seth, ed. (2011).
592:Peters, Ida (December 15, 1979).
856:Still, Larry (January 9, 1964).
837:. September 30, 1954. p. 65
631:. November 4, 1972. p. D-39
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657:White, Slappy (June 23, 1968).
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1111:. October 14, 1991. p. 14
1085:. October 21, 1971. p. 21
973:. August 17, 1969. p. 31H
890:. February 21, 1959. p. 4
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1188:"Red Buttons Gets His Dinner"
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1105:"The Two Sides of Redd Foxx"
995:"Slappy White, Rossi Teamed"
916:. January 5, 1965. p. 6
230:The Major Bowes Amateur Hour
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151:Melvin Edward "Slappy" White
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738:. Hal Leonard Corporation.
379:, who formerly worked with
336:inductee and blues belter,
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1323:Male actors from Baltimore
1000:St. Petersburg Independent
352:in America, and President
334:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
1353:Comedians from New Jersey
1053:"It Happened Last Night!"
775:. April 1966. p. 107
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283:The Morey Amsterdam Show
194:Amazon Women on the Moon
1308:American male comedians
1192:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
1109:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
1024:"Rossi, White top team"
914:Baltimore Afro-American
888:Baltimore Afro-American
628:Baltimore Afro-American
598:Baltimore Afro-American
1057:Middlesboro Daily News
797:African-American Lives
767:"Comedy Row's Top Ten"
600:. pp. 12 & 16
453:Brigantine, New Jersey
396:in Las Vegas in 1973.
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79:Brigantine, New Jersey
1253:Turner Classic Movies
525:New York Friars' Club
471:The Man from O.R.G.Y.
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350:civil rights movement
1029:The Pittsburgh Press
970:The Hartford Courant
555:(November 9, 1995).
553:Van Gelder, Lawrence
523:, cameo part in the
137: 1961;
965:"My Favorite Jokes"
659:"My Favorite Jokes"
463:Partial filmography
62:Baltimore, Maryland
44:Melvin Edward White
564:The New York Times
520:Mr. Saturday Night
373:
205:White was born in
188:Mr. Saturday Night
59:September 27, 1921
1226:978-0-7385-1513-7
1137:Los Angeles Times
807:978-0-1998-8286-1
745:978-1-5578-3730-1
706:978-1-5578-3852-0
503:Comedy Roast for
405:Moscow & Vine
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568:. Retrieved
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122:LaVern Baker
108:Years active
74:(1995-11-07)
23:Slappy White
1303:1995 deaths
1298:1921 births
505:Tommy Chong
427:Pat Buttram
381:Marty Allen
377:Steve Rossi
315:Bill Bailey
270:Count Basie
262:Johnny Otis
253:along with
247:Los Angeles
239:Count Basie
1292:Categories
532:References
439:entitled "
431:Dick Shawn
409:vaudeville
326:Black Hawk
100:television
55:1921-09-27
441:The Money
291:Redd Foxx
207:Baltimore
201:Biography
155:Redd Foxx
111:1940–1995
436:Seinfeld
399:In 1986
371:in 1972.
211:Maryland
1089:May 20,
868:May 20,
841:May 20,
779:May 20,
501:Playboy
249:at the
176:Blossom
157:on the
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1256:. 1981
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664:Parade
419:roasts
295:Harlem
222:Career
182:Cybill
179:, and
116:Spouse
87:Medium
81:, U.S.
64:, U.S.
772:Ebony
527:scene
517:1992
509:1987
499:1986
493:1981
485:1974
476:1972
468:1970
447:Death
133:(
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94:Stage
1283:IMDb
1262:2013
1234:2013
1221:ISBN
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802:ISBN
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606:2013
572:2017
429:and
309:and
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