Whitey Roberts – The Man with the Cheshire Cat Smile

           Alston Whitey Peterson was born on November 17, 1902, in Butte, Montana. Whitey’s family moved near San Francisco, California, just before the 1906 Earthquake. After the dust had settled and the city started to rebuild, entertainment became a way for the residents to bring their lives back to normal. Whitey tried out at a few talent contests and got noticed. He learned a little tap dancing and that was enough to get him a small part in a show. He watched and learned and developed his own act that included more than just a few dance steps. He was quickly a top performer. One of the earliest publicized advertisements for Whitey was in 1926, while he was performing at the Bakersfield Nile Theater in a vaudeville troupe as one of the five acts billed.

 

            Whitey was billed as Whitey Roberts – “Personality Boy”. He sang a few songs, told funny stories, and filled in with a little juggling. At the Defiance Theatre, in Defiance, Ohio, in 1928, Whitey was performing his same act, but added in songs that were popular for the day. He was between two acts, Georgia Peaches and her “Banjo Oddity” and Bud Boomer’s Orchestra. The audience liked to watch Whitey, who was tall, blonde, and always smiling. His personality and performance stowed the audience’s cares away while he was on stage. In 1928, Whitey stepped into the role of master of ceremonies when necessary and in the latter part of the same year, Whitey was billed as the “America’s Foremost Rope-Skipping Dancer” at the Marlow Theatre in Helena, Montana. From Montana to Missouri and then onto Indiana.
            In the 1930’s, Whitey was still on the road traveling from Indiana to Wisconsin, Montana, and even made his way to Washington D.C. with his act. The juggling portion seemed to be what the audience enjoyed the best. In 1933, Whitey was booked again in Bakersfield, California, at the Fox Theatre. The variety act would keep the audience’s attention as they waited for the evening movie, which was Midnight Club starring Clive Brook and rough guy George Raft. Whitey completed his contacts in Bakersfield and appeared at the Orpheum in Salt Lake City, Utah, with NBC Radio singing star, Grace Hicks, the balancing act, The Three Zechos, and the dancing artistry of the Sunshine Beauties. Whitey packed his bags and was on his way to the next engagement, from Chicago, Illinois to Oakland, California, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and many other locations booked throughout the 1930’s. In 1936, Whitey was publicized as “The Laugh Insurance Man,” with his plate juggling, rope skipping dancing, and singing. In 1939, Whitey was on the playbill with magician Jack Gwynne and four other acts to give the theater audience a well-rounded vaudeville show before the movie 20,000 Men a Year at the Paramount Theater in North Adams, Massachusetts.

Leave it to Whitey to get a 'friend' from the audience to play catch!

             As Whitey eased into the 1940’s, he was back in California. One of his jobs was to help work out the dance steps for Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in the movie The Road to Zanzibar. Although California had its attractions, Whitey still continued to perform in Utah, Idaho, and Indiana to keep his booking attraction alive. In 1942, Whitey was on the playbill with Jack Gwynne and Company at the Paramount in Waterloo, Iowa, as well as Southington, Connecticut. This time, Whitey was a headliner and billed as “Insurance Wonder.” (Whitey said he got the name because the theater managers said he was a guaranteed success whenever he performed his act.) In 1949, Whitey finally made it to Broadway. He was one of the featured acts who headlined with Buddy Ebsen, the Reis Brothers, and a number of other performers. It’s important to know at that time of Vaudeville, other performers who were featured in movies were also performing these one-night stands. Charles Laughton, Nelson Eddy, and others were ‘in between’ performances. At this time of theater’s transition, it was important for actors to be in the public’s eye and be employed. In August of 1950, Whitey was part of the Cumberland Fair in Cumberland, Maryland where he was the Master of Ceremonies. The variety show included The Flying Hartzells, a trapeze act, The Two Adams, a bicycle act, while the feature act of the performance was “The Banana Man.” This act is available online; watch it and be prepared to laugh. The performer was Adolf Proper (November 27, 1886 – December 17, 1950) and he presented an act that never was copied (borrowed from a few times) because it was just too much work. He would appear on stage and begin producing everything from a large magnet, to a clarinet, or a violin. He didn’t stop at just producing musical instruments, though. He would then produce watermelons and then there was that first banana. Then, there was another and another. Each time he produced a banana, he would say in a falsetto voice, “Wow!” The audience was roaring in laughter almost from the beginning of the act to the closing.
            Also in 1950, Whitey was cast in a long-lost movie titled “Chained for Life”, in which he performs a short juggling act. As the 1950’s continued, Whitey kept his bags packed, always prepared to travel to his next performance, whether bound for Indiana, Illinois, or Montana. In the 1950’s, Auto Shows were becoming popular, hosted by the leading auto manufacturing companies. Whitey was the perfect person for those types of shows. He was a story telling, and entertainer, and after all of his time on the road, it gave him a chance to stay in a town for up to two or three days.

From a Emcee to a guest performer, Whitey was there.

 
            The bookings kept coming in and Whitey filled the billing as either a variety act or the master of ceremonies (or both, on several occasions). Whitey accepted bookings for fair dates, specialty clubs, private engagements, or corporation gatherings and he even added a bell-ringing portion to round out his act. Any engagement that kept him busy was the perfect for this special performer. As the 1970’s ended, Whitey was booked on a daytime variety show called The Mike Douglas Show. Douglas’s show would feature celebrities and occasionally a specialty act or two. That was the case for the July 1979 show that aired on a Thursday afternoon. The show included singer Lou Rawls, the Saunders Troupe performing teeterboard acrobatic routines and other feats, and Whitey. Douglas had Whitey return a few more times before the year ended. The audience thoroughly enjoyed watching Whitey skip rope and combine his ending with juggling and plate spinning. One of the highlights of Whitey’s life in the 1970’s was his performance on NBC’s new program called The Gong Show. He was on the pilot and he won first place performing a little rope work and a bit of dancing.

What a smile!

            In his lifetime, Whitey was a member of the Masons, The S.A.M., I.B.M., The Masquers Club and The Academy of Magical Arts. He continued to help younger performers in entertainment whenever he had the opportunity. He worked all the showrooms at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. He would sit all the way in the back of the showroom and enjoy the show any chance he could. He would go up to the performer after the act and give out words of encouragement and, before the conversation was over, he would ask if the performer wanted to work “next week.” He knew all of the local agents and if Whitey helped someone get a booking, he was in seventh heaven.

Whitey was "one of America's Foremost Entertainers a good friend.

            After all that Whitey accomplished on stage and off, time and age caught up to him. He died on September 21, 1999, in Los Angeles, California. He left behind a record of performances that few performers could even come close to today. The dedication to his love for his art shown through with every performance and with anyone who crossed paths with him. He was so enthralled with life that if someone met him on the street and looked into his eyes, Whitey’s smile, personality, and lust for life would have rubbed off on them.