S.H. Dudley(1872-1940)
- Actor
Sherman H. Dudley was a pioneer in the world of entertainment. Working
his way up from itinerant medicine shows and traveling minstrel shows,
Dudley made his greatest success on the stage as an entrepreneur,
although he was a more than competent singer, writer, actor, and
composer. His "Smart Set" company of performers was well-known
throughout the vaudeville circuit, and he himself was best known for a
routine in which a mule dressed in overalls would stand next to him as
he delivered his monologue, periodically nodding its head, giving the
impression that it understood what he was saying. Dudley would
establish the first Black vaudeville theatre circuit (S. H. Dudley
Theatrical Enterprises)the base of which were several theatres that he
owned in and around Washington, D.C.