SPEAKER_01: If you're prescribed NERTEK® ODT,
or MedJapan® 75 mg for migraine attacks, does the fear of running out of medication stop you from treating every migraine attack? If so, ask about two eight-packs per month. That's 16 tablets, and most insurance plans cover it.
SPEAKER_02: NERTEK® ODT is approved for the acute treatment of migraine attacks and preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. Don't take if allergic to NERTEK® ODT or any of its ingredients. Allergic reactions can occur even days after using and include trouble breathing, rash, and swelling of the face, mouth, tongue, or throat. Most common side effects were nausea and indigestion stomach pain. A maximum dose of 75 mg can be taken daily to treat migraine attacks or every other day to prevent them. The safety of using more than 18 doses of NERTEK® ODT in a 30-day period has not been established. For full prescribing information, call 1-833-4-NERTEK® or visit nertek.com.
SPEAKER_01: Double the packs to treat more migraine attacks. Ask your doctor if two eight-packs of NERTEK® ODT is right for you.
SPEAKER_00:
Witness her marvelous voice and acrobatic moves. Let's talk about Florence Mills.
Florence was born on January 25, 1896, in Washington, D.C.
She showed great potential as a singer and dancer from a young age.
But opportunities for Black performers were sparse and often plagued by racism, with Blackface, minstrel shows, and demeaning roles.
When she was three years old, Florence made her stage debut at the Bijou Theater.
A few years later, she was invited to guest star as Baby Florence in the Black musical comedy Sons of Ham.
The press went wild for Florence, particularly when she sang Miss Hannah from Savannah.
Florence had blossomed into a star of the stage by the time she was eight years old.
In 1905, Florence joined the vaudeville circuit. She became part of an act with a prominent burlesque performer named Bonita.
Performing mostly to segregated audiences, Florence played a degrading role that highlighted harmful stereotypes about Black people.
It was one reserved for Black children performing in white comedic entertainment at the time.
Florence performed with dignity and didn't allow old stereotypes to dim her light.
Sometime around 1906, Florence and her family moved to New York City and eventually settled in Harlem.
There, Florence teamed up with her older sisters to form their own touring vaudeville troupe, the Mills Sisters.
They made a name for themselves in Black vaudeville in theaters across Harlem. They also toured throughout the South, Chicago, and Indianapolis.
Eventually, life sent the sisters down different paths.
After performing in Chicago for a while, Florence's next big vaudeville troupe was the Tennessee Ten.
They performed at Black vaudeville theaters all over the country.
Part of the group's success was due to its dance director, Ulysses Slow Kid Thompson.
It wasn't long before Florence and Ulysses evolved from dance partners to romantic partners. They eventually married in the early 1920s. But before that, Florence and Ulysses returned to New York in the midst of the Harlem Renaissance.
Black culture, intellectualism, and arts were exploding in Harlem.
Florence quickly rejoined the New York art scene and began performing at the Baron's Club.
This gig landed Florence on the radar of the directors of Shuffle Along, a groundbreaking Black musical comedy.
Shuffle Along was an all-Black production, the first on Broadway since World War I.
It followed the love story of two Black characters, which was not a storyline often portrayed.
Florence was offered one of the lead roles.
In August of 1921, Florence made her stage musical debut at the 63rd Street Music Hall.
In front of an integrated audience, Florence sang and danced her way through the bright and joyful score.
She entranced the audience with her remarkably high-pitched voice and delighted them with her energetic but graceful style of dance.
Shuffle Along was one of the early pieces of work that introduced Black jazz rhythms and dance to mainstream America.
And the show was just as popular with white audiences as it was with Black audiences.
Florence's run on Shuffle Along solidified her as a star.
In 1923, Florence joined the London production of Dover Street to Dixie.
Florence was not warmly received.
Her British castmates treated her like an outsider, and the team worried that London audiences wouldn't come to see the show because it featured a Black performer.
They were proven wrong.
When Florence appeared on stage halfway through the show, she won over the audience with her rendition of the song, The Sleeping Hills of Tennessee.
A British critic wrote,
Our prejudices melt away when Florence Mills begins to sing.
Eventually, Florence made her way back to New York.
There, a new show, From Dixie to Broadway, was in the works.
It was similar to Dover Street to Dixie, but this show was a fully theatrical affair designed to play in prominent venues.
And indeed, it became the first Black musical comedy in an established Broadway theater.
At the same time, Florence was offered the starring role in Ziegfeld's Follies.
She would have been the first and only Black woman to star in that all-white production. Florence had a choice to make.
In the end, she said she accepted the role in From Dixie to Broadway to, quote, give my people the opportunity of demonstrating that their talents are equal.
From Dixie to Broadway premiered in October of 1924.
Florence stunned audience members with her rendition of I'm a Little Blackbird Looking for a Bluebird.
In the song, Florence was a Black woman asking for a bluebird, which is said to represent freedom and happiness.
It became her signature song and a call for racial justice. It also set off a tidal wave of opportunities for Florence, who now had the nickname Blackbird.
In February of 1925, Florence was featured in a full-page spread in Vanity Fair. And in June, Florence became the first Black woman to headline at the Palace Theater.
This honor didn't just mean her name on the marquee sign.
It meant more money, nicer accommodations, and more publicity around her performance. It meant respect.
Florence was at the top of her game.
Directors built a series of shows around her called Blackbirds.
She lit up the stage at Harlem's Alhambra Theater before taking the hit show to Europe.
It was a huge success.
But the demanding schedule left Florence exhausted, and she had no choice but to withdraw from the show.
Florence did what she could to regain her strength abroad, but it was no good.
She returned to New York in the fall of 1927.
She tried to postpone her medical treatment and slip back into normal life, but eventually, she was admitted to the hospital.
Her illness had already progressed.
On November 1, 1927, Florence Mills passed away.
Approximately 5,000 people attended her funeral at Harlem's Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church, while thousands more mourned in the streets.
All month, we're talking about comediennees. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram, at Womanica Podcast.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!
SPEAKER_01: Does the fear of running out of medication stop you from treating every migraine attack? If so, ask about two eight-packs per month. That's 16 tablets, and most insurance plans cover it.
SPEAKER_02: NURTEC ODT is approved for the acute treatment of migraine attacks and preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. Don't take if allergic to NURTEC ODT or any of its ingredients. Allergic reactions can occur even days after using and include trouble breathing, rash, and swelling of the face, mouth, tongue, or throat. Most common side effects were nausea and indigestion stomach pain. A maximum dose of 75 milligrams can be taken daily to treat migraine attacks or every other day to prevent them. The safety of using more than 18 doses of NURTEC ODT in a 30-day period has not been established. For full prescribing information, call 1-833-4-NURTEC or visit nurtec.com.
SPEAKER_01:
Double the packs to treat more migraine attacks. Ask your doctor if two eight-packs of NURTEC ODT is right for you.
