Here Comes The Showboat!

219 Pages·2010·138.594 MB·English

by  Betty Bryant

OHIO RIVER VALLEY SERIES
Rita Kahn and William Lynwood Mantell
Series Editors
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HERE COMES THE
BETTY BRYANT
THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF KENTUCKY
Publication of this book was assisted by a grant from the Indiana Humanities Council.
“Down by the Winegar Woiks” by Don Bestor, Roger Lewis, and Walter Donovan. Copyright
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copyright secured. Used by permission.
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Publisher, Inc., Chicago, IL 60646. Used by permission.
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Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., Inc., New York. Renewed. Al Sherman Music, New York. All rights
reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
“Mary Is a Grand Old Name” and “The Great Easter Sunday Parade” by George M. Cohan. Used by
permission of George M. Cohan Music Publishing Company.
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Music. All rights on behalf of Elvis Presley Music administered by Unichappell Music, Inc. All
rights reserved. Used by permission.
Copyright © 1994 by The University Press of Kentucky
Paperback edition 2010
Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth,
serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky
University, The Filson Historical Society, Georgetown College, Kentucky Historical Society,
Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky
University, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western
Kentucky University.
All rights reserved.
Editorial and Sales Offices: The University Press of Kentucky
663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508-4008
www.kentuckypress.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Bryant, Betty
Here comes the showboat! / Betty Bryant.
p. cm.—(Ohio River Valley series)
ISBN 0-8131-1862-X :
1. Billy Bryant’s Showboat. 2. Showboats—History—20th century. 3. River life—Ohio River—
History—20th century. 4. Bryant family. I. Title. II. Series.
PN2293.S4B79 1994
792’.022—dc20 93-47998
ISBN 13- 978-0-8131-2967-9 (pbk. : alk. paper)
This book is printed on acid-free recycled paper meeting
the requirements of the American National Standard
for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
Member of the Association of
American University Presses
to
Manase, David, Michael, and Michaeline
(in order of their appearance)
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CONTENTS
Series Foreword vii
Preface ix
Introduction 1
Cast, Bred on the Waters 4
Home Sweet Showboat 12
Lady Violet 19
The Four Bryants 25
The Play! The Play! 32
The Actors Have Arrived 36
Willie 44
Dead Men Tell No Tales 52
Up the Monongahela 56
Perennial Pals 64
Screeching Pipe of Pan 72
Down by the O-HI-O 79
Put Them All Together, They Spell "Huckster" 89
Then There Was Dad 98
Phone It In III
Vic Faust 117
That Old-Time Religion 124
The Season Ends 129
Sweet Bird of Youth 134
viii CONTENTS
The Right Place at the Right Time 139
Cincinnati 143
A Lady and a Queen 150
Lure of City Lights 157
Olio 167
Rainin' and Risin' 173
Where Have All the Showboats Gone? 184
Showboat Chronology 191
For Further Information 194
Index 195
SERIES FOREWORD
T
he impact of the Ohio River in the context of the larger Ameri
can story gained widespread public attention as a result of the '~l­
waysaRiver: TheOhioRiverandtheAmericanExperience"project
sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the
humanities councils of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentuck}j
Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, with a mix of private and
public organizations.
The Ohio River Valley Series, conceived and published by the
UniversityPress ofKentucky, extendstheworkoftheAlwaysaRiv
erprojectthrough thepublicationofanongoingseriesofbooks that
examine and illuminate the waterwa}j the land in its watershed,
and the waves of people who made this fertile and desirable area
theirplaceofresidence, ofrefuge, ofcommerceandindustr}j ofcul
tural development and, ultimately, of engagement with American
democracy.
The goal of the Always a River project has been to aid our un
derstanding of the implications of change caused through natural
and human interrelationships with the Ohio River. The unifying
theme for the Ohio River Valley series carries forward this initial
goal as each author contributes to a wider understanding of Ohio
River Valley history and folklife. Each title's story is told through
people interacting within their particular place and time. Each re-