PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The African American Museum in Philadelphia has been recognized for its exhibit on local legend Pearl Bailey.
Bailey spent her formative years of the 1920s and ’30s on North 23rd Street in Philadelphia before she was discovered as a teenager at a talent contest at the Pearl Theater. She went on to global stardom, perhaps best known for her starring role in “Hello, Dolly!” The revival with an all-Black cast earned her a Tony Award in 1968.
“This woman who has a global presence has a foundation right here in Philadelphia,” said Michael Wilson, curator of “The Pearl Bailey Showcase,” which is the winner of this year’s Excellence Award by the Association for State and Local History.
Pearl Bailey, Cab Calloway and cast on stage during a performance of "Hello, Dolly!" on Oct. 31, 1967.Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images
Bailey transcended entertainment. Richard Nixon named her ambassador of love to the United Nations. Ronald Reagan gave her the Medal of Freedom. And she was not the only star in the family. Her brother, Bill Bailey, a celebrated dancer, invented the moonwalk.
Wilson said Bailey was also an avid scrapbooker, and her husband donated nearly 100 of them to the museum when she died in 1990. They were preserved for scholars, but last year, the museum digitized them and created a permanent home for them on its website.
“There’s this very long trajectory and spanned so many generations,” said Wilson. “There’s a lot of personal artifacts but then also professional correspondence from when she traveled internationally and was the ambassador of love for the United Nations.
“There’s a letter from Grace Kelly on Palace of Monaco letterhead saying, ‘Hey, girl, I miss you, thanks for the books.’”
There are also letters from heads of state and pictures with other celebrities.
You can view the entire exhibit online here.
