Jester Hairston: My Black Hollywood

“Jester Hairston: My Black Hollywood and the Legacy of the Spiritual” is a video and a book! This is a unique, media-rich interactive ebook filled with illuminating video and audio clips, stimulating personal text and over 100 still images honoring the life of Hollywood and music legend, Jester Hairston. His name might not be familiar, but what he accomplished in his 100 years of living through the 20th century will be long remembered. This is not just a book about Hollywood. He was a one-man civil rights crusader with a distinctly different approach.  This lively multi-touch ebook celebrates the man who helped save an entire art form and took it all over the world. Jester lived to bring the legacy and cultural heritage of the songs born in slavery, the spirituals, to new audiences and new generations through his work on Broadway, in radio, in Hollywood feature films, in television and through thousands of personal appearances around the world. Selections of Jester’s documentary video are strategically placed throughout his writings to enhance his personal recollections. This is the story of an astounding man, so exceptional for his time and full of life and laughter. It’s a unique glimpse into the life of black Americans through the ten decades of 1900s. He composed the spiritual “Amen” which was first featured in the popular film, “Lilies of the Field” (1961). Jester’s voice was dubbed-in for actor Sidney Poitier while he sang this song. The film won Poitier an Academy Award for Best Actor, the first given to an African-American in a leading role. Jester appeared in numerous Academy nominated “best feature” films and in many classic productions. They ranged from the controversial “Amos and Andy” radio and TV series to the epic, “The Alamo” with John Wayne.

The writings and video material available in “Jester Hairston: My Black Hollywood and the Legacy of the Spiritual” provide an entertaining and educational picture of the contributions of the incomparable composer, conductor, teacher, radio, stage and Hollywood actor and US Goodwill Ambassador. It vividly portrays his extensive world-wide efforts to preserve and share the history, cultural legacy and traditions of the spirituals though his adventures in entertainment and as an African-American with unique talents in Hollywood.