The First Lady of the Screen: Evelyn Preer (1896-1932)
- jacquelinehamilton6
- Apr 20, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: May 11, 2021
Like her co-star, Iris Hall, in Oscar Micheaux's 1919 The Homesteader, Evelyn Preer rose to fame and gained star status; unlike her co-star, Preer is known as "The first lady of the screen." Evelyn Preer started in Oscar Micheaux's earliest films making her his leading lady in most of his movies. Evelyn Preer was much more than an actress; she was also a singer, Preer like many of her counterparts, she started in most "race movies" targeted at Black audiences. Evelyn Preer was born on July 26, 1896. According to her Imbd biography voices, "Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, pioneering black actress Evelyn Preer was educated in Chicago, where she and her mother moved after her father's death. She entered show business vis vaudeville, and the "chitlin' circuit" of minstrel shows that served the country's strictly segregated black communities at the turn of the century. She also appeared on Broadway, and in 1919 made her film debut in The Homesteader (1919), which was also the first film for pioneering black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. She made nine more films with Micheaux, and in 1920 she joined another pioneering black actress, Anita Bush, in Bush's Lafayette Players theatrical troupe." Evelyn Preer was a part of a time in history when entertainment became a way out for African-Americans to escape their setbacks when it came to race; Oscar Micheaux saw something in Preer that was the driving force into her acting career. Evelyn Preer did not only have a successful acting career, but her music career also took off, using the same source, "She was an accomplished singer and made records on which she was backed by such musical icons as Duke Ellington. She appeared in a few comedy shorts for producer Al Christie and made her feature sound debut in a low-budget independent musical, Georgia Rose (1930)." Evelyn Preer did it all; she was the first major star who was African-American and a woman who found fame and gained her wealth from being both a singer and actress. Many African-American actresses during the Golden Age of Hollywood had to settle into roles that depicted racial stereotypes. Still, Preer became a crossover star not only for the Black audience but also white overlookers. Evelyn Preer did what she loved most; entertain people through her acting and singing. She was essential to the African-American community because she found success without playing degrading roles; she was a part of history because her first role included an all-Black cast. The famous people website explains why Evelyn Preer earned her title "The First Lady of Screen" and why she is a more asset to the African-American community of Hollywood. In addition to the IMDb website, the famous people source comments, "She was the first black actress to earn celebrity and popularity. She appeared in ground-breaking films and stage productions, such as the first play by a black playwright to be produced on Broadway, and the first New York-style production with a black cast in California in 1928, in a revival of a play adapted from Somerset Maugham's short story, Rain." Also, in the same source," By the mid-1920s, Evelyn Preer began garnering much attention from the white press and she began to appear in "crossover" films and stage parts. In 1923, she acted in the Ethiopian Art Theatre's production of The Chip Woman's Fortune by Willis Richardson. This was the first dramatic play by an African-American playwright to be produced on Broadway in New York City." Evelyn Preer became a game-changer because she was a crossover star to both the Black and White audiences; she changed with her career roles, but she remained humble and made history with her being herself. Also, to continue with the success story of Evelyn Preer, Cassandra Geraghty's blog on Noman Studios.org comments, "Unlike their depictions in Hollywood films of maids and servants, Michaeaux's films fought those stereotypes by depicting them as educated and respectable. Evelyn's starring roles in these pictures gained her the title of "The First Lady of Screen" among African American audiences. After leaving Micheaux, Evelyn made three films as a contract player for Paramount, "Melancholy Dame," "The Framing of the Shrew" and "Oft in the Silly Night" but she refused to perform in roles she felt demeaned her race. In 1930 she made her first talkie "Georgia Rose," the first black actress to do so. She continued to perform in two more Hollywood films, although uncredited- "Ladies of the Big House" with Sylvia Sidney and "Blonde Venus" in 1932 with Marlene Dietrich. Oscar Micheaux and Evelyn Preer intended to tell tales about Black life on the screen; each shies away from the racial stereotypes found on motion picture screens. Micheaux became the voice to capturing African-American life and introducing those morals and success stories to both Black and White audiences. During those times, African-Americans did not see positive reflections on the mainstream. If they did, they would see themselves as servants and maids; Oscar Micheaux gave African-Americans a voice in films. Oscar Micheaux also gave us the timely and essential Evelyn Preer. She became the driving force for many African-American actresses to have a voice when it comes to their roles. Still, Preer showed many of us that there is no limit to one dream. Success stories like Evelyn Preer deserve to be told because she is a part of Black excellence in success stories of African-American women in Hollywood during the Golden Age. Evelyn Preer was even the first Black woman to start in a talkie. Who knew this information? In the same way, "In April of 1932 Evelyn gave birth to her daughter Edeve. Unfortunately, Evelyn suffered from health complications soon thereafter and she passed away in November of double pneumonia. She was only 36 and thousands attended her funeral. Evelyn Preer had a wealthy and successful career that transcended racial barriers and she deserves to be remembered for her contributions to film and theatre. Evelyn Preer met a tragic ending at just the age of 36, but she left a lifetime of movie hits and theater breakout roles. Preer was ahead of her time because she used her voice and dignity to decline critical roles that negatively displayed African-Americans. Evelyn Preer was a star in her time, and she broke barriers when it came to race and wealth; even though her life ended at the age of 36, her contributions are still found in Black Hollywood today.
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