Ebony Showcase Theater, when I found this picture of the Ebony Showcase Theater, I realized that this was where Zena Ayo got me my first paid acting gig at the age of eight years old. I did some digging to find out if there are some records of me ever being there and to my surprise, I wasn’t the only person that appeared on stage at the Ebony Showcase Theater back in the day. I found this clip. . .
Chris Rock
Arsenio Hall
Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer and director.
After working as a stand-up comedian and appearing in supporting film roles, Rock came to wider prominence as a cast member of Saturday Night Live in the early 1990s. He went on to more prominent film appearances, with starring roles in Down to Earth (2001), Head of State (2003), The Longest Yard (2005), the Madagascar film series (2005–2012), Grown Ups (2010), its sequel Grown Ups 2 (2013), Top Five (2014), and a series of acclaimed stand-up specials for HBO. He developed, wrote, and narrated the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris (2005–2009), which was based on his early life.
Rock hosted the Academy Awards twice, in 2005 and in 2016. He has won four Emmy Awards and three Grammy Awards. He was voted the fifth-greatest stand-up comedian in a poll conducted by Comedy Central. He was also voted in the United Kingdom as the ninth-greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4‘s 100 Greatest Stand-Ups in 2007, and again in the updated 2010 list as the eighth-greatest stand-up comic.
Arsenio Hall (born February 12, 1956) is an American actor, comedian, talk show host, writer and producer. He is best known for hosting The Arsenio Hall Show,[4] a late-night talk show that ran from 1989 until 1994, and again from 2013 to 2014.
Other television shows and films Hall has appeared in are Martial Law, Star Search (host), Coming to America (1988), Coming 2 America (2021), and Harlem Nights (1989). Hall is also known for his appearance as Alan Thicke‘s sidekick on the talk show Thicke of the Night.
In 2012, Hall won NBC‘s reality-competition game show Celebrity Apprentice 5.[5]
Uncle Ray
In the early 1940s, a fortuneteller revealed to the matriarch of the Murphys’ that one day someone in her family would be a world-famous entertainer. Almost immediately, her children Henry Roosevelt, William Leroy, James Earl, Virginia Mae, Raymond “Ray” Leon and Charles Edward began applying their varied talents – singing, tap dancing and comedy. In anticipation of becoming that superstar, Ray teamed up with his brother Leroy, and formed “The Comedy of Roy and Ray.” Challenges preceded them. Blacks were systematically barred from performing without a partner and minstrel shows represented the only performing opportunities of any kind. However, taking on the racial inequalities on the comedy circuit, Ray remained optimistic about his future in entertainment and formed the Doo Wop group “The Akrons.”
AN ENTERPRISING LIFE
Born November 27, 1938, in Brooklyn, NY to Rosa and Henry R. Murphy, Sr., Raymond wore many hats throughout his lifetime. He attended the New York School of Printing High School; worked various jobs in the garment district; served his country in the U.S. Army; owned two bars and a nightclub, including the famous “Sugar Rays” (as he was also known); and served as Borough Coordinator of School Safety for the Board of Education. In his role with the school board, he provided leadership and guidance to those charged with keeping New York’s students safe, and was instrumental in formalizing system-wide programs such as its first School Safety Training Academy, which was implemented in schools nationwide
