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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHerb Jeffries Trail Dedication - Marketing ProgramCITY OF PALM DESERT Office of the Assistant City Manager Community Services Division Staff Report REQUEST: DATE: Request for Approval of Marketing Program for the Herb Jeffries Trail Dedication February 10, 2005 CONTENTS 1. Herb Jeffries Bio and Background Information 2. Budgets for both Herb Jeffries Trail Dedication and Randall Henderson Trail Dedication Recommendation: By Minute Motion: 1) Approve the program as presented by the City's Marketing Department; 2) appropriate $20,000 from the Unobligated General Fund Reserves to Account # 110-4417-414-3223. Discussion: The Marketing Department has been working with Mayor Buford Crites in the promotion of the opening of new trails within the City of Palm Desert. The Randall Henderson Trail was dedicated on February 5, 2005, at a cost of $6,769.00, the budget for which is attached. While the costs were absorbed by the Special Events and Marketing budgets, they were greater than anticipated. The Herb Jeffries Trail will be dedicated on April 2, 2005, at Cahuilla Park. The program for this event is significantly larger than the Randall Henderson event, as we are recognizing a very important and well-known movie star through this dedication. Mr. Jeffries is of long standing in the Coachella Valley and is most deserving of the recognition that the City is bestowing upon him for his accomplishments as a singer/songwriter and film star. 1 CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT RE: MARKETING PROGRAM FOR HERB JEFFRIES TRAIL DEDICATION FEBRUARY 10, 2005 Staff is requesting appropriation of $20,000, which is approximately $4,000 more than the budget amount for this particular dedication; however, because of the increase in the cost for the Randall Henderson Trail, the additional money would be used to replenish the marketing funds which are already earmarked for other special programs in advertising. Also attached to this staff report is information about Mr. Jeffries (bio and background). Submitted by: Kristy Kneidingi, Marketing Manager Approval: Carlos L. Ortega, Manager 2 Sheila R. Gilligan, AC mmunity Services Paul Gibson, Finance Director WIC Biography - Herb Jeffries Page 1 of 1 Herb Jeffries Awarding Vocalist, Songwriter, Actor Living Legacy Legend Award Herb Jeffries, at 92, is the sole surviving member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He is still going strong with singing engagements booked two years in advance. Amazing! Known to jazz lovers all over the world for his remarkable renditions of "Angel Eyes", "Satin Doll" and "Flamingo", which went platinum and is still being sold after 60 years. Though Herb's voice sounds better than ever, and he records new songs regularly with no plans to stop, most entertainment history books recognize Jeffries as the first African -American movie star. He says to this, "I don't like hyphenated nouns.... It divides people.... I'm just an American who acts in movies and records songs." Born and raised in Detroit, Jeffries decided after seeing that segregated theaters where showing feature films featuring only white cowboys, that there should be black cowboy films as well. After all, since there had been plenty of blacks in the West and, in his words, cowboys never discriminated. He wanted it known if you could ride and do the work, it mattered little what color you where. It took a year for Jeffries to raise the money to start his film project, but he succeeded. The tall, handsome, athletic "Bronze Buckaroo" as he is known, not only starred as Bob Blake, a fearless character, but cast the films and did all his own riding and stunts. When Harlem on the Prairie opened, Jeffries was the first in film history to portray an African -American hero. Herb gave up his film career to perform with the Duke Ellington band during WW II. Recently, President George W. Bush honored Jeffries at the special White House celebration honoring Black Music. Among the attendees were First Lady Laura Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell. Secretary of Education Rod Paige and National Security Advisory Condoleeza Rice. Herb Jeffries is a remarkable man. He is filled with unbound enthusiasm about life and music. His voice is as powerful today as was when he when he broke barriers and opened up a world for many singing stars today. Frankie Laine presents the Legend Award to his friend and colleague. Frankie received the Legend Award in 2000. Women's International Center takes pride in honoring American singing star Herb Jeffries with the LEGEND Award. [ WIC Main Page I Biographies I Words of Wisdom ( Newsletter I Birthdates I Living Legacy Awards ] http://www.wic.org/bio/hjeffries.htm 2/2/2005 The Amazing Talented Herb Jeffries by John DiMezzes Page 1 of 3 u LI I The Amazing Talented Herb Jeffries By John DiMezzes It is the late 1 930's, and up on the theater screen, Herb Jeffries stars as the first b-western black cowboy, the Bronze Buckaroo, in a series of oaters made specifically for the Afro-American audience. (Note the singular spelling of his name on the movie poster.) It is the 1940's, and out of radios and record players, the melodious voice of Herb Jeffries flows, singing his renditions of "Flamingo" and "Satin Doll," songs he made famous while performing with Duke Ellington's band. http://thenostalgialeague.com/olmag/jeffries.html 2/2/2005 The Amazing Talented Herb Jeffries by John DiMezzes Page 2 of 3 It is the 1990s and into the new millennium, and from performance stages and CD players, the voice of Herb Jeffries entertains and.... Well, perhaps the mathematically prone have already done their double -takes over the span of time presented. But, there are no typographical errors here. On September 24, 2004, Herb Jeffries will be 92 years "vintage" (as he likes to call it). "We're subliminally brainwashed with that word 'old,'" he says. The man is a marvel.In appearance and in voice, he seems a person half his age....NO exaggeration. His voice sounds stronger now than it has ever been. The long and continuing career of Herb Jeffries is a phenomenon of American culture. Born of an Irish mother and an Italian father , and with an Ethiopian great-grandmother, Herb "chose to be black" early on, giving Afro-American children a handsome six-gun hero of their own to emulate, unlike the typical black stereotypes available in b- westerns (and most other films) of the period, where "Stepin Fetchits" would portray comic -relief characters who were afraid of ghosts and bereft of dignity. "Harlem on the Prairie" (1937), "Two Guns Made from Harlem" (1938), "The Bronze Buckaroo" (1939), and "Harlem Rides the Range" (1939) presented heroic images with which their audiences could identify. When the demand for b-westerns faded, Mr. Jeffries concentrated on his vocal skills, working with Duke Ellington, among others, where he became identified with such standards as "Flamingo" and "Satin Doll." In the 50's, he appeared in a handful of Hollywood films. He then made a decision to move to France, where he spent a decade running a http://thenostalgialeague.com/olmag/jeffries.html 2/2/2005 "TLi tria The Amazing Talented Herb Jeffries by on D n%IezzesaY Page 3 of 3 night club frequented by many a Hollywood personality. He appeared in some 60's TV shows, had a period of limited exposure, and then re- emerged in the 90's, recording a comeback album. Now, at nearly 92, he is a very busy man, involved in more recordings, live appearances, and, recently, a request performance for the president at the White House. Herb Jeffries is now working on his autobiography. There is talk of a movie of his life story, and, at this writing, I am informed that he is soon to get his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A more thorough assemblage of information regarding the life and times and history of this special man can be found on his own website: www.herbjeffries.com. Imagine a dream where time stands still, and all that was still is, where cowboy heroes of one's childhood continue to ride today's range, and songsters sing youth's ballads into an adulthood's refrain, and that is the wonder known as Herb Jeffries. Copyright 0 2004 by John DiMezzes Return to Return to The Nostalgia League The Library is a part of The Nostalgia League URL: http://thenostalgialeague.com E-Mail: Library@thenostalgialeague.com The names "The Nostalgia League", "TNL Online Magazine", and the domain "thenostalgialeague.com" are owned and © 1999 by Raymond William Stedman. Individual copyrights are as noted. For site questions, contact: webmaster httn://thenostalgialeague.com/olmag/ieffries.html 2/2/2005 Herb Jeffrey/Jeffries - Western Movie Hero Page 1 of 5 BACK (Advertising herald courtesy of Les Adams) (Photo by Roger Karnbad, courtesy of Ancel Cook) Above is a February 6,1999 photo of singin' cowboys Eddie Dean and Herb Jeffries at a fund raiser at the Iverson Movie Ranch to raise money for Dean's Herb Jeffries 'The Bronze Buckaroo' Born in Detroit in 1911, Herb Jeffries is a great singer ... and his rich baritone enhanced the legendary Duke Ellington Orchestra beginning around 1940. Prior to his connection with Ellington, Jeffries had sung with the Earl 'Fatha' Hines. In between all of this, and most often billed as Herbert Jeffrey, he strapped on a six-gun and rode the Hollywood range in a quartet of B westerns in the late 1930s. In westerns (and other films), it was common to typecast performers based on their race, ethnicity, etc. That was a time of Hollywood stereotypes, and black performers were generally given minor roles as a servant, http://www.surfnetinc.com/chuck/herbj.htm 2/2/2005 Herb Jeffrey/Jeffries - Western Movie Hero Page 2 of 5 star in Palm Springs. Dean passed away about a month later. porter, cook, et al. While I'm no expert on the subject, there was a market for films featuring black performers and there were many black only theaters. Herb Jeffries' first oater was HARLEM ON THE PRAIRIE (1937), and the producer was none other than Jed Buell. Handling the directing chores was prolific Sam Newfield. Buell's career began with the Mack Sennett studio and later, he produced many of the Fred Scott singin' westerns which were released by Spectrum. And in 1938, Buell created a film that remains unique in Hollywood history --- the movie was THE TERROR OF TINY TOWN which featured an all midget cast playing cowboys and cowgirls. Over the course of the next year or two, Jeffries did three more sagebrush yarns, TWO GUN MAN FROM HARLEM (1938), THE BRONZE BUCKAROO (1939), and HARLEM RIDES THE RANGE (1939). Buell was not involved in these productions ---Richard C. Kahn had assumed those duties. The films were distributed by Al Sack via his Dallas -based Sack Amusement Enterprises. Three of the four fihns are available on videotape, and have been shown on Ted Turner's cable networks. Cast members in the Jeffries films included Mantan Moreland, best remembered for his role as chauffeur 'Birmingham Brown' in the Charlie Chan series. Spencer Williams worked in front and behind the camera --- Williams was 'Andy Brown' in the AMOS & ANDY TVer of the early 1950s. Hans Wollstein provided info on the vocal groups that appeared in the films: In HARLEM RIDES THE RANGE, two vocal groups appear: The Four Tones (Lucius Brooks, Rudolph Hunter, Leon Buck and Ira Hardin) and The Four Blackbirds (James Davis, Edward Brandon, Reg Anderson and Jack Williams). The Four Tones also appeared in HARLEM ON THE PRAIRIE, THE BRONZE BUCKAROO, and TWO -GUNMAN FROM HARLEM. Another film or two were in the planning stages, but were never made. Any chances to continue the series ended when Jeffries signed on as the lead vocalist with the Ellington band, circa 1939 or '40. He served in WW2 and, after the war, he lived for a dozen years in France. Jeffries was a recipient of a Golden Boot award in 1996. The first and only black hero/lead in the old B westerns deserves a page on the Old Corral. http://www.surfnetinc.com/chuck/herbj.htm 2/2/2005 Herb Jeffrey/Jeffries - Western Movie Hero Page 3 of 5 (Courtesy of Les Adams) CI, N V,-"; (Courtesy of Les Adams) The above are advertising heralds, which were flyers handed out to promote films. Note that Jeffries name is listed as "Herbert Jeffrey". His horse is listed as 'Stardust' in the herald above right, but in the herald at the top of this webpage, the steed is listed as 'Stardusk'. Stardusk (with a K) is the correct name. Note "The Bronze Buckaroo" on the left herald, while the "The one has Happy Cowboy". 2/2/2005 httn://www.surfnetinc.com/chuckJherbi.htm Herb Jeffries Trail Dedication 4/2/2005 Cahuilla Park Invitation Design TG Design Printing Postage Advertising Design TG Design Media 350.00 400.00 100.00 350.00 4000.00 Dedication Event Rentals Classic 1500.00 F & B Desert Cities 1500.00 Photographer 500.00 Entertainment Coyote 150.00 Herb/accomp. 250.00 Program Design TG Design 350.00 Printing 400.00 Signs Design TG Design Printing Sign A Rama Large Small Management FGM 500.00 480.00 132.00 5000.00 15962.00 ' 760/S6$ 9744 PHONE 7E,101-,0 ,0-9784 4f.; 750 ;RANCHO} LASo"PALMAS DR., 6UILDINDw3 •" D UIT NiuM161EIQ, R"ANCHCJ MI A[a CA 51•2.27c1 :. FULLGALLOP�,DG FZR..'D.Q'M Randall Henderson Trail Dedication Budget February 5, Invitation Design TG Design 350.00 Printing Printworks 400.00 Postage Poster Design TG Design Printing Sign A Rama 500.00 666.00 4 large, 6 small, 25 small unmounted Event Rentals Classic/Edward 495.00 stage!, podium, mic, chairs, easels F & B 896.00 Photographer 500.00 Signs Design TG Design 350.00 Temp Signs Sign A Rama 4 large Sign A Rama 6 small Sign A Rama 480.00 mounted, laminated 132.00 mounted Management FGM 2000.00 6769.00 .?SQ/ sa 974:'4 PHC7NE ?6Ci136,Q3 97i34' FAX.:; .;;_ RANCHO LASTPAL,MAS DR: .8U.ILDIN 'D I.J�TIE NUMBER'S.. ., RANCHO _MIRAGE, CA 9:Z27I ", FULLGALL.O P(J D Q. RR._,COM