Clarence Muse
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- October 13, 1889
- Died
- October 13, 1979 (aged 90)
- Birthplace
- Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Clarence Muse (October 14, 1889 – October 13, 1979) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, composer, and lawyer. He was inducted in the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1973. Muse was the first Negro to "star" in a film. He acted for more than sixty years appearing in more than 150 movies. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Alexander and Mary Muse, he studied at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and received an international law degree in 1911. He was acting in New York by the 1920s, during the Harlem Renaissance with two Harlem theatres, Lincoln Players and Lafayette Players. Muse moved to Chicago for a while, and then moved to Hollywood and performed in Hearts in Dixie (1929), the first all-black movie. For the next fifty years, he worked regularly in minor and major roles. While with the Lafayette Players, Muse worked under the management of producer Robert Levy on productions that helped black actors to gain prominence and respect. In regards to the Lafayette Theatre's staging of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Muse said the play was relevant to black actors and audiences "because, in a way, it was every black man's story. Black men too have been split creatures inhabiting one body.". Muse appeared as an opera singer, minstrel show performer, vaudeville and Broadway actor; he also wrote songs, plays, and sketches. In 1943, he became the first African American Broadway director with Run Little Chillun. Muse was also the co-writer of several notable songs. In 1931, with Leon René and Otis René, Muse wrote "When It's Sleepy Time Down South", also known as "Sleepy Time Down South". The song was sung by Nina Mae McKinney in the movie Safe in Hell (1931), and later became a signature song of Louis Armstrong. He was the major star in Broken Earth (1936), which related the story of a black sharecropper whose son miraculously recovers from fever through the father's fervent prayer. Shot on a farm in the South with nonprofessional actors (except for Muse), the film's early scenes focused in a highly realistic manner on the incredible hardship of black farmers, with plowing scenes. In 1938, Muse co-starred with boxer Joe Louis in Spirit of Youth, the fictional story of a champion boxer which featured an all black cast. Muse and Langston Hughes wrote the script for Way Down South (1939). Muse performed in Broken Strings (1940), as a concert violinist who opposes the desire of his son to play "swing". From 1955-56, Muse was a regular on the weekly TV version of Casablanca, playing Sam the pianist (a part he was under consideration for in the original Warner Brothers film), and in 1959, he played Peter, the Honey Man, in Porgy and Bess. He appeared on Disney's TV miniseries The Swamp Fox. Other film credits include Buck and the Preacher (1972), The World's Greatest Athlete (1973) and as Gazenga's Assistant, "Snapper" in Car Wash (1976). His last acting role was in The Black Stallion (1979).
Known For
Filmography
The Black Stallion
Movie · as Snoe
Passing Through
Movie · as Papa Harris
Car Wash
Movie · as Snapper
Black Shadows on a Silver Screen
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The World's Greatest Athlete
Movie · as Gazenga's Assistant
A Dream for Christmas
Movie · as Donald Freeland
Buck and the Preacher
Movie · as Cudjo
Porgy and Bess
Movie · as Peter
Jungle Safari
Movie · as Kyba
The 20th Century Fox Hour
TV · 1 ep
Casablanca
TV · 10 eps
She Couldn't Say No
Movie · as Diaper Delivery Man
Jamaica Run
Movie · as Mose
The Sun Shines Bright
Movie · as Uncle Zack
Caribbean
Movie · as Quashy
The Las Vegas Story
Movie · as Train Porter (uncredited)
Four Star Playhouse
TV · as Phil · 1 ep
Apache Drums
Movie · as Jehu
My Forbidden Past
Movie · as Pompey
Riding High
Movie · as Whitey
Katie Did It
Movie · as Mose
County Fair
Movie · as Romulus (uncredited)
Lux Video Theatre
TV · as Albert · 1 ep
The Great Dan Patch
Movie · as Voodoo
An Act of Murder
Movie · as Mr. Pope
Silver River
Movie · as Servant (uncredited)
Welcome Stranger
Movie · as Clarence, Train Waiter (uncredited)
A Likely Story
Movie · as Porter (uncredited)
My Favorite Brunette
Movie · as Second Man on Death Row (uncredited)
The Peanut Man
Movie · as Dr. George Washington Carver
Unconquered
Movie · as Jason
Joe Palooka in the Knockout
Movie · as Smoky
Two Smart People
Movie · as Train Porter
Jungle Terror
Movie · as Lightin'
She Wouldn't Say Yes
Movie · as Porter (uncredited)
God Is My Co-Pilot
Movie · as Frank (uncredited)
Jungle Queen
Movie · as Kyba
Scarlet Street
Movie · as Ben - Bank Janitor (uncredited)
Without Love
Movie · as Train Porter (uncredited)
Double Indemnity
Movie · as Man (uncredited)
Stars on Parade
Movie · as Carter (uncredited)
In the Meantime, Darling
Movie · as Henry
San Diego I Love You
Movie · as Porter (uncredited)
The Soul of a Monster
Movie · as Entertainer (uncredited)
The Racket Man
Movie · as George the Butler
Jam Session
Movie · as Henry
The Thin Man Goes Home
Movie · as Porter on Train (uncredited)
Follow the Boys
Movie · as Singer (uncredited)
Shadow of a Doubt
Movie · as Pullman Porter
The Sky's the Limit
Movie · as Colonial Club Doorman (uncredited)
Watch on the Rhine
Movie · as Horace
Flesh and Fantasy
Movie · as Jeff (uncredited)
Heaven Can Wait
Movie · as Jasper (uncredited)
Sherlock Holmes in Washington
Movie · as George
Honeymoon Lodge
Movie · as Porter
Over the Wall
Movie · as Sam
Johnny Come Lately
Movie · as Butler
The Talk of the Town
Movie · as Supreme Court Doorkeeper (uncredited)
The Black Swan
Movie · as Margaret's Servant (uncredited)
Tough as They Come
Movie · as Eddie
Twin Beds
Movie · as George
Strictly in the Groove
Movie · as Durham's Valet (uncredited)
Tales of Manhattan
Movie · as Grandpa
Love Crazy
Movie · as Robert - Hat Check Man at Party
Invisible Ghost
Movie · as Evans the Butler
The Flame of New Orleans
Movie · as Samuel, Carriage Driver
Among the Living
Movie
Kisses for Breakfast
Movie · as Old Jeff
Adam Had Four Sons
Movie · as Sam (uncredited)
Belle Starr
Movie · as Bootblack in Saloon (uncredited)
Gentleman from Dixie
Movie · as Jupe
Murder Over New York
Movie · as Party Server
Broken Strings
Movie · as Arthur Williams
Alice in Movieland
Movie · as Train Porter
Sporting Blood
Movie · as Jeff
That Gang of Mine
Movie · as Ben
Chad Hanna
Movie · as Henry Prince
Maryland
Movie · as Reverend Bitters
Zanzibar
Movie · as Bino
Way Down South
Movie · as Uncle Caton
Secrets of a Nurse
Movie · as 'Tiger', Lee's Handler
Spirit of Youth
Movie · as Frankie Walburn
The Toy Wife
Movie · as Brutus
Prison Train
Movie · as Train Steward / Sam
High Hat
Movie · as Congo MacRosenbloom
Jungle Menace
Movie · as Lightning
Deep South
Movie
Laughing Irish Eyes
Movie · as Deacon
Daniel Boone
Movie · as Pompey
Mysterious Crossing
Movie · as Lincoln
Spendthrift
Movie · as Restaurant Table Captain
The Green Pastures
Movie · as Angel (uncredited)
Muss 'em Up
Movie · as William
The Broken Earth
Movie · as The Farmer
Show Boat
Movie · as Sam
O'Shaughnessy's Boy
Movie · as Jeff
So Red the Rose
Movie · as Cato
Red Hot Tires
Movie · as Bud's Truck Partner
After the Dance
Movie · as Cook
Alias Mary Dow
Movie · as 'Rufe'
Harmony Lane
Movie · as Old Joe
East of Java
Movie · as First Mate Johnson
Beautiful Dreamer
Movie
Black Moon
Movie · as 'Lunch' McClaren
Broadway Bill
Movie · as Whitey
Massacre
Movie · as Sam
A Very Honorable Guy
Movie · as Black Man
The Personality Kid
Movie · as Shamrock
Kid Millions
Movie · as Native (uncredited)
The Wrecker
Movie · as Chauffeur
Flying Down to Rio
Movie · as Caddy in Haiti (uncredited)
Hollywood on Parade No. A-12
Movie · as Self
Laughter in Hell
Movie · as Abraham Jackson
From Hell to Heaven
Movie · as Sam
The Mind Reader
Movie · as Sam
Fury of the Jungle
Movie · as Sunrise
Frisco Jenny
Movie · as Voice of Singer (uncredited)
The Life of Jimmy Dolan
Movie · as Masseur
Man Against Woman
Movie · as Smoke Johnson
Winner Take All
Movie · as Rosebud, the Trainer
Lena Rivers
Movie · as Curfew
Is My Face Red?
Movie · as Horatio
The Woman from Monte Carlo
Movie · as Tombeau
Night World
Movie · as Tim Washington, the Doorman
Washington Merry-Go-Round
Movie · as Clarence
Prestige
Movie · as Nham
Hell's Highway
Movie · as Rascal
If I Had a Million
Movie · as Death Row Singing Prisoner (uncredited)
Attorney for the Defense
Movie · as Jefferson Q. Leffingwell
Big City Blues
Movie · as Nightclub Singer (uncredited)
The Wet Parade
Movie · as Taylor Tibbs
The Cabin in the Cotton
Movie · as A Blind Negro
The Death Kiss
Movie · as Shoeshine Man
White Zombie
Movie · as Coach Driver
X Marks the Spot
Movie · as Eustace Brown
Secret Service
Movie · as Jonas Polk
The Last Parade
Movie · as Alabam' / Singing Voice of Condemned Man (uncredited)
Huckleberry Finn
Movie · as Jim
Safe in Hell
Movie · as Newcastle
The Secret Witness
Movie · as Jeff - Building Janitor
Dirigible
Movie · as Clarence
The Fighting Sheriff
Movie · as Curfew
Guilty?
Movie · as Jefferson
Outside the Law
Movie · as Party Guest (uncredited)
Derelict
Movie · as Driver (uncredited)
The Thoroughbred
Movie · as Stablehand
Rain or Shine
Movie · as Nero
Swing High
Movie · as Singer
Honey
Movie · as Black Revivalist
A Royal Romance
Movie · as Rusty
Election Day
Movie · as Farina's father
Hearts in Dixie
Movie · as Nappus
Hallelujah
Movie · as Church Member (uncredited)
New York Nights
Movie · as Cabaret Singer (uncredited)
The Custard Nine
Movie