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Transcription: [00:26:37]
{SPEAKER name="Willie"}
Have no theaters the [w-??] because they have done-
[00:26:39]
Wasn't showing up with pictures then
[00:26:41]
They didn't need ya that's what it really was
[00:26:43]
They used to take children so that they could make more money
[00:26:46]
But after the war, they didn't need it. They were making plenty money, now everybody had plenty money.
[00:26:51]
So the Brown Skin Models bought the Florida Blossoms which were a tent show
[00:26:57]
So we still have someplace to wake
[00:26:59]
So we was waking under tent
[00:27:02]
That's what made the uh 'em buy that show because we couldn't go into the theaters
[00:27:06]
The theaters didn't need us that's what it was
[00:27:09]
[sounds of thunder]
[00:27:12]
{SPEAKER name="Interviewer"}
We're still here [light laughter]
[00:27:15]
{SPEAKER name="Interviewer"}
So what happened to Irvin C. Miller? Here we had a traveling stage show that ultimately bought out a tent show, a minstrel show, went under tent, under canvas continued to tour like that, where did they go from there?
[00:27:32]
{SPEAKER name="Willie"}
Well, he went back in the theaters--he stayed out there a year and he didn't like it.
[00:27:36]
He went back in the theaters, and after went back in the theaters, it still--we, uh, Vaudeville, we had, used to be a week. It went from a week to 3 days. It went from 3 days to 1 day. Then it went from 1 day to just 1 midnight show. And you would have to move another place then.
[00:27:57]
So after that, he, he went out of business and he told me, he said to me, he said uh, "You been handlin' my show, so don't wait for nobody, let's get your own show." That's when I went to the carnival with my own show. And I just closed the carnival 3 years ago, I retired from it.

[00:28:13]
{SPEAKER name="Interviewer"}
So basically, the story is one that comes full circle. Willie Jones started off working with circuses and carnivals, especially carnivals, as a dancer in the "Plantation Top" on the shows.
[00:28:28]
Went from there to doing some Vaudeville tent show work and Vaudeville theater work. Went there into Lindy Hop, which was inside club work and theater work and movies.
[00:28:38]
From there, still as a Lindy Hop dancer, into the Vaudeville stage show, Irvin C. Miller's "Brown Skin Models," which in turn bought out a minstrel show.
[00:28:48]
Went under canvas, traveled on the road under canvas until they went back to theaters and then ultimately closed the show down, at which point Willie went back to where he started in someways on carnivals, except now, instead of working as a dancer with carnivals, he was the owner and manager of his own carnival show.
[00:29:08]
There's one more thing I want to mention here, Willie-

[00:29:10]
{SPEAKER name="Willie"}
One more thing I wanna tell everybody here. Now, I work here.