This guy's name was Porky Stevens. I googled "Porky Stevens" to see if there's more information on him. The name "Porky Stevens" has since been applied to disgraced Alaskan ex-senator Ted Stevens. I know why Ted would be called "Porky," because of all the pork projects he was known for. But whether Porky goes naturally with Stevens or it's just a coincidence, I don't know 100%, but it looks like a coincidence.
Anyway, our Porky Stevens put an ad in Billboard magazine, and it looks like it ran twice. The first one I saw was Jan. 10, 1948, so it's been a while back. Here it is:
I was checking out one of the ads about Vernon Hoff, I believe, and noticed this on the same page. I love the way Porky described himself, "Comic, Stooge, Burlesque Type." So who says people can't be pigeonholed? Or profiled. You can picture him very well, with the added help of this description, "Short, fat, age 30," along with the nickname "Porky." Ba-dee-ba-dee, That's all folks!
The next thing there is, except for the same ad one more time, is the last thing that I saw, the fact that Porky was teaming up with another guy ... reported in February! So that was a fast connection!
Sabo Sam had this addition to his name, "Minstrel Man." Both, it says, had long experience in rep and tent show circles. Up to that time, just reading here, Porky had been entertaining disabled veterans and was on tour with the show, Laugh. Sam had his own show, etc., until some hard luck came his way.
Dateline: STEUBENVILLE, OHIO.
Both graphics are from Billboard magazine. The first is Jan. 10, 1948, p. 68. The second is from Feb. 7, 1948, p. 77.
ADDED:
I checked back and there's a couple of updates on Sabo Sam:
This first one, from the March 26, 1949 issue of Billboard, p. 53, says Sabo Sam combined forces with Cowboy Jack. What that might've meant for the Sabo Sam/Porky Stevens partnership from the previous year, it doesn't say.
The other is just a little blurb, which does give some added information, from the Sept. 9, 1950 issue of Billboard, page 62.
So Sabo Sam's name was Bill Bolitho! That's interesting. And in 1950 he had joined John Hall's Tri-State Ramblers. Hmm.
And one last thing, here's a whole big article about Sabo Sam, who says in the article (maybe misheard by the reporter) that his name was "Sambo Sam."
I haven't got time to look at the whole article and digest it. I'm afraid it might set me forth upon some other obscure search as well!
