Thomas Clifford Dunson (October 5, 1904-March 8, 1963)
Known as Cliff Dunson, La Buster, Buster Dunson
Dancer, Singer, Choreographer & Female Impersonator
By May 1923, at age 19, Dunson had established himself in Southern California, as a popular female impersonator, "La Buster" performing the Charleston and toe dances. In early-1925, he was a member of the Alexander Fulton Revue. However, by that summer, he was touring around California with the Dixie Syncopators Revue, a talented African-American minstrel troupe of 12-16 members, which included the famous Bismark Ferris & his Family Band.
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| RMS Tahiti |
By February 1926, after 19 months, the Ferris Family Band had separated from the Dixie Revue and returned to Los Angeles, accompanied by Dunson. The following month, Ferris announced his upcoming six-month tour of New Zealand and Australia. On September 8th, at 12:00pm the Ferris Jazzland Revue boarded the RMS Tahiti at San Francisco in the direction towards New Zealand. During their 20-day trip across the Pacific Ocean, the luxury liner briefly stopped in Papeete, Tahiti, where the revue gave a small performance, which ended in the natives showering the stage with thousands of Tahitian Centimes (which later proved to be worthless once they landed in Wellington).
Arriving on September 27th, the revue was met by theatrical impresario Alfred Linley of the Wellington Amusement Syndicate Company, who arranged the entire New Zealand tour. On October 1st, the revue opened at Wellington's Paramount Theatre, where it played for a successful twelve days. The 2-part show consisted 14-sketches, the first act began with a massive minstrel-style cakewalk before transforming into modern Charleston dance. The second act was 13-sketches of non-stop dancing, singing and comedy before it closed with the Kentucky Derby finale (another cakewalk). Dunson particularly appeared first in "Essence", the third sketch of the second act, where he performed alongside Comedian Jokey Murray, while pianist Leona Everly played. He later reappears in the ninth sketch, "Solo Dance", performing his eccentric toe and step dancing. Throughout the entire spectacle, Dunson was presented as a fashionably dressed woman, only pulling off his wig towards the end of the show.
On October 13th, the revue departed for a 12-week provincial tour, appearing in Masterton, Stratford, Waverley, Opunake, Palmerston, Nelson, Christchurch, Poverty Bay, Gisborne and Waihi. On December 7th, towards the end of tour, comedian Robert 'Jokey' Murray died suddenly of heart failure caused by Peritonitis at the Napier Public Hospital. On December 26th, the revue opened at Auckland's Town Hall for a week, with a revised version of the show.
On January 1st, 1927, the last performance was given in the Onehunga suburb before the revue packed and three days later boarded the RMS Makura back to America. The additional three-month Australian engagement had been cancelled due to the sudden death of Jokey Murray. Dunson and Louis Godfrey (comedian, tenor singer and end man), quietly signed a three-month contract with the Wellington Amusement Syndicate Company and remained in the country after the revue departed. On January 17th, Godfrey and Dunson opened at the Hippodrome Theatre, where they performed for a week, introducing the Charleston and the Savannah Shuffle to packed houses, before moving on to the Empress Theatre. In February, after an apparent week tour in the provinces, the duo had returned to Auckland, appearing at the Princess Theatre for two weeks before disappearing from the city again.
In March the duo suddenly separated. Soon Dunson and Godfrey were in a dispute with the Wellington Amusement Syndicate, mainly pertaining to on their contractual right to have their return fares covered (including rail from San Francisco to Los Angeles). Due to this dispute, suddenly both performers were unemployed and stranded in Auckland. 38-year old Godfrey, placed numerous ads in local newspapers seeking theatrical work and was able to resume performing around Auckland and Wellington, although in various brief engagements. Meanwhile, 22-year old Dunson was left wandering around Auckland, spending the last of his money sending a telegram to relatives in California. On April 10th, at 4:30am Constable Dunn discovered Dunson asleep in a doorway on Auckland's Grey Street and placed him into the care of the local Salvation Army. Although the American Embassy could offer no help, Senior Sargent Edwards of the local Police Court was able to secure Dunson's ticket back to America (including passage from San Francisco to L.A.). On April 16th, Dunson boarded the RMS Makura, which took 19 days to make its way back to the United States, briefly stopping in Hawaii along the way. Unfortunately, Godfrey wasn't able to return to the States until July.
On May 13th, 1927, upon returning, Dunson discovered that the Jazzland Revue had quickly dissolved and the entire cast had completely went its separate ways. For the next fifteen months, Dunson fades away from the spotlight, likely performing in various nightclubs around California.
In mid-July 1928, American impresario, Richard Wilbur returned to the United States after a extensive fourteen-month tour of the Far East with plans of bringing an African-American revue overseas. For several weeks, he traveled around San Francisco and Los Angeles, assembling a 18-member revue. On August 4th, Harry Bell, Wilbur's personal representative based in Shanghai immediately began preparing for the arrival of Wilbur's creation. Dunson, determined to return to the Far East again, joined in as a member of Wilbur's Blackbirds Revue (whose name was capitalizing of the success of Lew Leslie's similar production).
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| Blackbirds Revue aboard the Shimyo Maro (1928) |
On August 15th, the Blackbirds company boarded the S.S. Shimyo Maro from San Francisco to Maui, where they arrived after a week. The revue debuted at Honolulu's State Theater on the 24th, where it played successfully for 10 days. The show was nearly a replica of the old Ferris Jazzland Revue, offering plantation melodies, Negro spirituals and modern Jazz
On September 4th, the company (except for Wilbur and his wife) boarded the S.S. Siberia Maru for Hong Kong. For the next couple of months, the show appeared in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Yokohama, Japan. Early November was possibly spent in the Philippines. On November 17th, the company arrived in Batavia, capital of the Dutch East Indies on the island of Java, where it opened at the Concordia Theatre, appearing for nine days before leaving for Semarang, where the revue performed for two days at the Pathe Theatre and later two more days back in Batavia at the Stadsshouwburg. On December 3rd, the company boarded the S.S. Plancius from Batavia to Singapore. That same night, the company opened at Singapore's Victoria Theatre, where for a week the production received poor reviews by the unimpressed audiences, although Buddy Deloach's performance of 'Hello Bluebird' did receive positive reviews. From Singapore, the company sailed to Burma, appearing in Rangoon and Mandalay. By Christmas of 1928, the Blackbirds revue had opened in Madras on the first stage of their month-long tour of British India.
Throughout January 1929, the company found itself performing in the exotic destinations of Calcutta, Lucknow and Bombay. The first week of February was likely spent in Colombo, Ceylon. On February 7th, the company arrived in Kuala Lumpur, for an appearance at the Town Hall. Unfortunately before the performance could begin that night, 29-year old Marie Lewis, one of the leading girls, suddenly of pneumonia at the General Hospital. That nights engagement was cancelled and Ms. Lewis was buried at the Cheras Road Cemetery the following day. On February 27th, the entire company boarded the S.S. Shimyo Maru from Kobe, Japan on its return back to America after six-months in the Far East. However, almost like a complete replay of his time with the Ferris Revue, Dunson remained abroad, possibly sailing for the Philippines shortly after the funeral of Marie Brown.
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| Manila (1930s) |
In March 1929, Dunson was performing in various cinemas and theatres around Manila, performing with a clumsy Filipino partner according to journalist John Maynard. By October, Dunson was one of the leading stars of the Philippine stages. He had become one of the main headliners at the Cine Savoy, often choreographing magnificent American, French and Spanish-styled productions in which he was the star. Philippine audiences were constantly raving about his extravagant costumes, and soon the majority of the performers in Manila were wearing his latest creations. Another of his ventures was the recruitment of the Garcia sisters. Florencia and Modesta Garcia (both 12 and 13-years old) were both dancers in John C. Cowper's Savoy Nifties, a troupe of young chorus girls that performed in revues at the Cine Savoy. After witnessing the in several of his revues at the Savoy, Dunson took the sisters under his wing and trained to them into one of the most popular dance team in the South Pacific.
In the summer of 1930, Dunson and the Garcia sisters left Manila for a nine-month tour of Java. In August, the trio were performing in Semarang at the Wijziging Dancing, a cabaret located within the Pasar Malem market. The following month, they appeared in Jogja at the Schouwburgzaal. October was spent back in Surabaya at the La Gaite cabaret. On December 1st, the trio opened at the New Monico cabaret, where they remained successfully for four-and-a-half months before eventually returning to the Philippines. From 1931-1932, Dunson was starring once again at the Cine Savoy and the brand new Metropolitan Theatre.
Early 1933, Dunson travelled to Shanghai, headlining at the Little Club, a popular Jazz cabaret located at 60 Bubbling Wells Road. African-American artists, Nora Holt and Lottie Gee were also appearing at the cabaret during Dunson's brief sojourn there. In July 1933, Dunson and his troupe returned back to Manila, where he was headlining for the next five-months at the Palace Theatre alongside popular Filipino entertainer, Katy de la Cruz. Christmas of '33, was spent at Tom's Dixie Kitchen, one of the leading restaurants in Manila since 1916. The establishment was owned by Tom Pritchard, an African-American businessman who had settled in the Philippines before 1910.
In 1934, Dunson was appearing in the Midnight Revue at the Santa Ana Cabaret, located on H. Santos Street across from the Manila Race Tracks. Located on the outskirts of town, the Santa Ana was owned by the Italian-American businessman, John Canson (Giovani Canzona), and was advertised as the "Largest Cabaret in the World". In May, during a going-away party held at the Santa Ana for Tom Pritchard (Tom and his family were vacationing in California), Dunson engaged in a physical altercation with Tamara Weems, possibly the dancer 'Miss Tamara', that had appeared with him at the Palace the previous year. Four months later, after the revue came to a close, Judge Delfin Jaranilla sentenced Dunson to a brief three day jail sentence. In early-December, Dunson and his troupe departed for a two-month engagement in Cebu.
On February 3rd, 1935, Dunson and his troupe sailed back from Cebu aboard the S.S. Corregidor back to Manila. The spring and summer of 1935, was spent at Cine Astor and later the Bellevue Theatre.
Dunson and the Garcia Sisters opened the year of 1936, performing at Shanghai's Casanova Ballroom, where they were engaged successfully for four months before departing for Tokyo. However, with the rising strain between China and Japan, the trio returned to Manila.
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| July 1938 |
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| December 1938 |
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| Singapore (April 1940) |
Despite the crisis of the Sino-Japanese War becoming increasingly dangerous, Dunson continued touring, flying back-and-forth between Manila and Singapore, accompanied by partners, George D'Almeida and Anita Gonzales. Together, the trio opened on April 21st, 1940, in the Big Apple Revue at the Happy World Cabaret. During the day, Dunson and D'Almeida ran the a brand new dance studio that they operated together on the grounds of the Happy World Amusement Park. Afterhours, the trio performed together in the cabarets. In May, the St. Louis Blues Revue opened, this was followed by the Midnight Scandals Revue in June. After a break in July, Dunson returned alone to the Happy World for a couple more months before his contract ended mid-September. On December 5th, Dunson (and his latest partner Maggie) opened at the Raffles Hotel for a months engagement. They were so successful that four months later, on May 3rd, 1941, the opened back at the Raffles Hotel with a five-month contract. On October 8th, 1941, a week after his contract with the Raffles had ended, Dunson moved on to the New World Amusement Park with a partner named Galloway.
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| Manila (December 1941) |
Returning home to Manila in November, he found his adopted country had mobilized and beginning the process of defending the country from impending invasion.
On December 8th, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Army landed in the Philippines, beginning a month-long bloody invasion. On December 24th, a mass evacuation from Manila was initiated. By December 26th, Manila was declared an open city by General MacArthur. However, the United States military was still using the city for logistical purposes while the city was declared open and the Japanese army ignored the declaration and bombed the city.
At some point during this period, as Filipino and Foreign refugees fled into the woods, Southern regions of the Philippines and to neighboring countries, Dunson fled to the island of Java, which was still safe from the clutches of the Japanese...for the moment.
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| Los Angeles (1943) |
For the next three months, as the Philippines and Singapore was quickly swallowed by the Japanese, Dunson settled in the city of Surabaya, where he quietly lived until the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies began on March 9th, 1942. Around March 9th, as the government of the Dutch East Indies surrendered to the Japanese, Dunson, together with hundreds of other Asian, European and American refugees boarded the S.S. Tjinegara from Surabaya to New Orleans, arriving April 19th.
Back in America after nearly 14 years abroad, the renowned cabaret star had settled in Los Angeles with his cousin June Bennett at 4920 McKinley Avenue and found employment at the Gaylord Apartment building. On June 24th, he was registered with U.S. Army, however shortly afterwards he quickly departed for Phoenix, Arizona where he was listed as staying at 1324 Washington Street on January 24th, 1943.
Dunson's life from 1943-1953 is at the moment undocumented. It's most likely, he didn't return to the Philippines after the war. In 1953, Dunson had retired from performing and settled in Los Angeles as a cook at Cecil's Café, where he remained until January 5th, 1963, when he was admitted into the General County Hospital after catching pneumonia. On March 8th, 1963, Thomas Clifford Dunson succumbed to his ailment. A week later, on March 15th, he was buried at the Roseland Cemetery.
