Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer
( L - R ) Samuels and Belafonte
FOR A simple country boy like Oliver Samuels, there was no bigger celebrity in pre-television Jamaica than Louise 'Miss Lou' Bennett-Coverley.
The St. Mary-born Samuels, who is arguably Jamaica's most famous comedian, made his debut alongside Miss Lou in the pantomime, Queenie's Daughter.
The production marked Samuels' debut in the annual production. He recalled that Miss Lou made a lasting impression on him.
"It was a dream come true working with her, because she was such an enormous personality," Samuels said in an interview with The Gleaner. "She dealt with everybody the same way."
Collaboration
Samuels says he developed an enduring bond with Miss Lou, and appeared with her in several other stage productions. But he says his most memorable collaboration with her came in the early 1980s when they were part of the Jamaica Tourist Board's 'Come Home To Jamaica' campaign in England and the United States.
"Everywhere we went, she was naturally, the star of the show," Samuels said.
Oliver Samuels was at the Norman Manley International Airport last Saturday when Miss Lou's body arrived from Toronto, Canada, where the folklorist and her husband emigrated to in the 1980s.
He said he last saw her in 2004 when he visited Toronto, and last spoke to her by telephone in 2005.
In an interview published on BBC Caribbean's website last week, noted singer Harry Belafonte shared fond memories of Miss Lou.
"Louise Bennett was very, very central to my deep interest in not only the folklore and history of Jamaica, but the literary and academic players in her own verse and the way she spoke with scholars and did analysis on Jamaican life and history.
"Even without those limitations she had an overall view of the Caribbean, because she sang many songs which came from Trinidad, not just those which came from Jamaican lore, although Jamaican folklore was central to her interest.
"I found her a wealth of information, a wonderful performer, very, very clever and keen. She brought a life to so many people and she had a large influence on many things I had come to learn and to understand about the culture of the Caribbean," he continued.
Belafonte, made famous in singing the Banana Boat song, with its signature lyric 'Day-O', recalls his first meeting with the master folklorist.
"I met her in Jamaica, not while there as a youngster, but when I had returned sometime in the mid-20th century, around the 1950s, when I started going back to Jamaica with some regularity, I had occasion to meet her then and visit some of her performances.
"I developed this warm relationship with her. We remained close friends even after she moved to Canada," he added.
