Billy Gould (comedian)
William J. Flannery (May 1, 1869 – February 1, 1950) was a vaudeville comedian and minstrel show performer. He also sang in operettas and musical comedies. He was a member of the National Variety Artists. He went by the stage name of Billy Gould. Biography He was born as William J. Flannery in 1869 in New York City, New York (state), New York. His parents were migrants from Ireland. He made his stage debut at age 15 in 1884 in Billy Emerson's Minstrels in San Francisco, California. In New York City he played in comedies with Fay Templeton, Kate Castelton, and Verna Jarbeau. He appeared in The Belle of New York (musical), The Belle of New York in 1897 as Count Patsi Rattatoo. He appeared in Pretty Mrs. Smith (musical) in 1914. He then appeared in The New Yorkers (musical). He married Nellie Marietta Burt on March 24, 1889, in Hurley, Wisconsin, and they formed an act. Their act consisted of flirtatious dialogue. Early in his career, Gould performed with the Charles Red organizati ...
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Minstrel Show
The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of racist theatrical entertainment developed in the early 19th century. Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people specifically of African descent. The shows were performed by mostly white people wearing blackface make-up for the purpose of playing the role of black people. There were also some African-American performers and black-only minstrel groups that formed and toured. Minstrel shows caricatured black people as dim-witted, lazy, buffoonish, superstitious, and happy-go-lucky.The Coon Character
, Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, Ferris State University. Retrieved 29 January 2016.John Kenrick

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