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Dusty Fletcher

3 movies on Netflix

Biography

Dusty Fletcher was an African-American vaudeville comedian whose signature act, honed over at least two decades on the vaudeville circuit, became the basis for the 1947 hit record Open the Door, Richard. Born in El Dorado, Arkansas, he appeared in the 1931 revue Fast and Furious, produced by Forbes Randolph, performing in at least five of its numbers on Broadway. In his stage routine he came out in rags, pretended to be drunk, and tried to climb a ladder through a window, shouting the title line as he fell. In 1946 the bandleader Jack McVea turned the routine into a song and had a hit with it; Fletcher, then semi-retired, was tracked down in South Carolina by Herb Abramson of National Records and recorded his own version, which reached number 3 on the Billboard R&B chart and sold more than a million copies. He kept performing the routine at the Apollo Theatre until shortly before his death in 1954.

53years old at death

  • Born
  • Died
  • Star sign: CancerThe sign runs June 21 to July 22

Movie Career

Films
3
Career span
1 year1947 to 1948

Every film, newest first

  1. 1948Boarding House BluesIMDb rating 5.9
  2. 1948Killer DillerIMDb rating 5.6
  3. 1947Hi-De-HoIMDb rating 5.8

Genres

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  1. Big break

    Bandleader Jack McVea turned Fletcher's stage routine into a song in 1946, and the record became a big hit. Herb Abramson of National Records then tracked down Fletcher, who was semi-retired and living in South Carolina, to make his own version.

  2. A role that slipped away

    John "Spider Bruce" Mason, a blackface vaudeville comedian, said Fletcher took the routine from him back in the 1920s. In the end McVea, Fletcher and Mason all shared credit for writing McVea's version.

Dusty Fletcher movies on Netflix

Most often with

Josh Binney directed three of these films. Augustus Smith appears in three of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

Top of the page, the section list
Augustus Smith, 3 films togetherSee the 3 films with Augustus SmithGeorge Wiltshire, 2 films togetherSee the 2 films with George WiltshireMoms Mabley, 2 films togetherSee the 2 films with Moms MableySidney Easton, 2 films togetherSee the 2 films with Sidney EastonEdgar Martin, 2 films togetherSee the 2 films with Edgar MartinFreddie Robinson, 2 films togetherSee the 2 films with Freddie RobinsonJosh BinneyDirector, 3 filmsSee the 3 films by Josh Binney

Films together

  • Augustus Smith3 films together, 1947 to 1948
    Augustus Smith's page
    • Boarding House Blues1948IMDb rating 5.9Fletcher as DustySmith as Norman Norman
    • Killer Diller1948IMDb rating 5.6Fletcher as Dusty(Dusty 'Open the Door Richard' Fletcher)Smith as Stage Hand(Gus Smith)
    • Hi-De-Ho1947IMDb rating 5.8Fletcher as Dusty FletcherSmith as Preacher
  • George Wiltshire2 films together, 1947 to 1948
    George Wiltshire's page
    • Killer Diller1948IMDb rating 5.6Fletcher as Dusty(Dusty 'Open the Door Richard' Fletcher)Wiltshire as Dumdone - the Manager
    • Hi-De-Ho1947IMDb rating 5.8Fletcher as Dusty FletcherWiltshire as Boss Mason
  • Moms Mabley2 films together, 1948
    Moms Mabley's page
    • Boarding House Blues1948IMDb rating 5.9Fletcher as DustyMabley as Moms(Jackie Mabley)
    • Killer Diller1948IMDb rating 5.6Fletcher as Dusty(Dusty 'Open the Door Richard' Fletcher)Mabley as Self(Jackie Mabley)
  • Sidney Easton2 films together, 1948
    Sidney Easton's page
    • Boarding House Blues1948IMDb rating 5.9Fletcher as DustyEaston as Boo Boo(Sid Easton)
    • Killer Diller1948IMDb rating 5.6Fletcher as Dusty(Dusty 'Open the Door Richard' Fletcher)Easton as Policeman(Sid Easton)
  • Edgar Martin2 films together, 1947 to 1948
    Edgar Martin's page
    • Killer Diller1948IMDb rating 5.6Fletcher as Dusty(Dusty 'Open the Door Richard' Fletcher)Martin as Policeman
    • Hi-De-Ho1947IMDb rating 5.8Fletcher as Dusty FletcherMartin as Jive Club Owner
  • Freddie Robinson2 films together, 1948
    Freddie Robinson's page
    • Boarding House Blues1948IMDb rating 5.9Fletcher as DustyRobinson as Freddie
    • Killer Diller1948IMDb rating 5.6Fletcher as Dusty(Dusty 'Open the Door Richard' Fletcher)Robinson as Sarge
  • Josh BinneyDirector, 3 films, 1947 to 1948
    All films by Josh Binney
  • Also two films together1 more actor

    When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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