Stepin Fetchit

Portrait of actor Stepin Fetchit, holding a calendar with the date Friday, August 13. Toy stuffed black cat in foreground. Printed on front: "Stepin Fetchit appearing in Fox Pictures. Made in U.S.A." Label on back: "Royal Books. Fetchit, Stepin (entertainer). Original Fox Film Company promotional photograph of Stepin Fetchit, circa 1929. Los Angeles, CA: Fox Film Corporation, circa 1929. Vintage single weight sepia promotional photograph of African American actor and stage entertainer, Stepin Fetchit. Fetchit's first film for Fox was an early talkie, 'The ghost talks,' and we assume that the photo was issued around that time and no later than 1935, when Fox Film Company became Twentieth Century Fox. Stepin Fetchit was the stage name of Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry, who claimed a birthdate of May 30, 1902, but may have been born as early as 1892. He was born to West Indian immigrants, and at the age of 12 ran off to join the carnival, soon thereafter working on his own and even forming his own companies as an entertainer. Fetchit worked part time for the African American newspaper, 'The Chicago defender.' In his spare time he evolved a character called 'The laziest man in the world' as part of a two-man vaudeville act, 'Step and Fetchit,' that broke through to play the white circuits. Eventually he went solo, combining the duo name into a single one, Stepin Fetchit. After some time on the stage and vaudeville circuit, Stepit's film career began in 1925, bringing his unique physical comedy to the screen. He was a rare example of a character actor who achieved superstar status in the 1930s, and was by that time a millionaire. 8 x 10 inches (20 x 25 cm.) A touch of fray and tide marking along the top edge, else Very Good plus."