Just saw "Babes on Broadway" on cable--it features a little warning at the beginning before the title credits, to wit, "Warning:Contains Racially sensitive material, viewer discretion advised."This Busby Berkeley classic, featuring, Judy and Mickey, features a spectacular finale tribute to the Minstrel shows of old, in blackface--a couple weeks back, I saw an early sound short of an abreviated minstrel show, featuring real performers from the old minstrel circuits-and it was really, really good! So like it or not, it is coming back--

It is worth noting that Philadelphia, which is the home of a particularly elaborarate and extensive mummers tradition. also was the starting point for on of the major minstrel circuits--the Mummer's theme is "Dem Golden Slippers" which was written by James Bland, a , who was both a performer and probably the greatest songwriter of minstrelry, and was also a black man and graduate of Howard University--the capper is that many, many them members of the Philly string bands are Irish-Americans, and on occasion, even in the 90's were marching down Broad Street in blackface--