World War II Minstrel Shows in HK camps | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

World War II Minstrel Shows in HK camps

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Submitted by JP--HKU on Fri, 2019-05-17 15:49

Does anyone have information about the minstrel shows that were put on by the folks in the Stanley and Sham Shui Po Camps during World War II?

Stanley seems to have held at least two minstrel shows:

  • 22 Aug 1942 (via the MacNider diary); and
  • 7-9 Jan 1943 (MacNider).

I gather that the 2nd show, called "Uncle Ned's Cabin," was written by Stephe Moring and produced by Bill Colledge, featuring a cast of dozens. It included original songs and "topical" lyrics, mostly written by Moring, but someone named "Khan" contributed music, too. (Who was Khan, do we think?)

SSP had at least three:

  • 1 July 1942, organized by "O'Neil," "Mackinnon," and "others." (Laite diary)
  • 4 Aug 1942, featuring a "French Canadian lad with rifles" playing "Girl of the Golden West." (Laite)
  • April 1943, with Sonny Castro playing the lead. (Roland article) 

Did anyone see these shows, or know someone who did? Does anyone have other information?

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

JP

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Submitted by David on Sun, 2019-05-19 20:40.

Have you seen how to view other diaries written on the same day? They sometimes give another opinion of the shows. Here are links to the other diary entries we have on Gwulo:

I haven't seen the Charter Diaries yet, but I hear they are very detailed. 

Submitted by JP--HKU on Mon, 2019-05-20 09:22.

David,

Thank you for the pointers, both online and the Charter Diaries. It's exactly the kind of help I needed...

JP