Leon Dunkins Claxton (April 5, 1902 – November 14, 1967) was an American vaudeville performer turned producer who led the

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

'' Harlem in Havana'', which was staged for several decades and was a feature at the traveling

Royal American Shows Royal American Shows (RAS) was a leading American traveling carnival company that operated from the 1920s to the 1990s in the United States and, until the 1970s, in Canada. The company promoted itself as the "Most Beautiful Show on Earth", with th ...

. An African American, his show featured black performers during the segregation era, and he came to be described as "one of the first African-Americans to find great success and infamy in the outdoor entertainment industry". Claxton also built a resort hotel for African Americans in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

Biography

Claxton was born in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. His father, Overton (O.C.) Claxton, was a drummer who played in

W. C. Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. Handy was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musici ...

's band. When young, Leon joined Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus as a

water boy In the United States, a water boy or water girl (sometimes spelled waterboy or watergirl) was someone who worked in the field, providing water to farm workers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, the name is given to those who work on the ...

for the elephants, and toured the U.S.. By the age of 16, he appeared in shows as a

contortionist Contortion (sometimes contortionism) is a performance art in which performers called contortionists showcase their skills of extreme physical flexibility. Contortion acts often accompany acrobatics, circus acts, street performers and other liv ...

, and in the 1920s featured in vaudeville shows in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. By the early 1930s, he had begun producing shows with African American entertainers, including the Cotton Club Showboat at the

Century of Progress A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, from 1933 to 1934. The fair, registered under the Bureau International des Expositi ...

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

in Chicago in 1934. He took over responsibility for the colored section of the

,"Top Negro Road Show Producer Leon Claxton Dies In Tampa"
'' Jet'', November 30, 1967, pp.58-59 and debuted his first girl show, ''Hep Cats'', in 1936. His ''Harlem In Havana'' shows, incorporating music, dancing and comedy, became the main feature of the Royal American Shows, which toured widely in the U.S. and Canada. The shows were performed in Claxton's 1,600-seater tent during the summer season, and in winter played in

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

s and

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

s. Claxton settled in

, where he built the Claxton Manor hotel. It was one of a small number of hotels for African American performers, athletes, and business people in the American South. Claxton won Tampa's Citizen of the Year Award in 1959. As part of the Dads Club, he was part of a donation of cooled water drinking fountains to Blake High School. Claxton married Gwendolyn Bates in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

, Canada, in 1938. She became co-producer of his shows. He died in Tampa in 1967.

Legacy

Filmmaker Leslie Cunningham is working on an hour-long documentary film called "Jig Show: Leon Claxton's ''Harlem in Havana''".

References

External links

Interview with Claxton's daughter about his life
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Claxton, Leon 1902 births 1967 deaths American musical theatre producers Vaudeville performers