Artist:James "Stump" Cross
Song:What the Well-Dressed Man in Harlem Will Wear
Album:Composers on Broadway: Irving Berlin
Most classic film fans have probably seen the 1943 film This Is the Army. The film is Public Domain so it can be viewed on YouTube. This is Irving Berlin's all star WWII tribute to the US Army. It was a Broadway show and then a film. The film stars George Murphy and Joan Leslie with musical appearances by Kate Smith, Frances Langford and Berlin himself. If you have seen the film, you probably remember the all black number What the Well-Dressed Man in Harlem Will Wear. But you know nothing about James "Stump" Cross who performed it. That's who I'm going to discuss. Back in those days, most black performers were anonymous anyway. And don't forget when this film was shown in the segregated South, the scene was deleted. This was common practice. James Cross was one half of the duo Stump and Stumpy with Harold J. Cromer. Cromer was replaced in the film by William Wycoff probably because Cromer refused to appear in drag. Heavyweight boxing champ Joe Louis makes a special appearance. Cross was born Jan. 17, 1902 in Clarksville, TN. Both guys were great tap dancers. So Stump and Stumpy were a mix of tap dancing, music and comedy. They were very popular on the chitlin circuit. But they were never big stars as they had a limited audience. After Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis became popular, Lewis admitted that he stole many of their routines from Stump and Stumpy. And in his autobiography, Sammy Davis Jr. wrote that Cross was supposed to be part of The Rat Pack. But he was an alcoholic so Frank Sinatra chose Davis instead. So I guess Cross is an example of great talent killed by racism. Cross appeared in a few other films. But this appearance in This Is the Army is his most memorable appearance. He died on Dec. 5, 1969 in St. Louis. This Is the Army is available on CD but expensive. Decca released a Composers on Broadway 6CD box set in 2000. That is available on CD. But this individual album featuring Berlin from that collection is available as a digital download. Here's James "Stump" Cross performing What the Well-Dressed Man in Harlem Will Wear from the 1943 film This Is the Army. The audio is very low on this clip.
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