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Aunt Sap


Laurence Lemarr Brasfield (March 1, 1898–September 9, 1966) and Neva Inez Fisher Brasfield (March 14, 1889–March 19, 1980), better known as Uncle Cyp and Aunt Sap, were an American country comedy duo with acting careers beginning in the late 1910s that spanned vaudeville to network television. Laurence played on Broadway, and the married couple had leading roles in hundreds of dramatic and comedic performances on Southern and Midwestern tent repertory show circuits before joining ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee from 1955–1960.

Laurence Brasfield was born in Smithville, Mississippi and cited his mother Nonnie's humor as a major influence in becoming a comedian. In 1912, at age 14, he joined the Mighty Haag Circus as a roustabout. The next year he did blackface comedy with a horse-and-wagon show and later joined a New Orleans, Louisiana stock company. Soon he was traveling with the Redpath Chautauqua tent circuit which often featured William Jennings Bryan. Early in his career, he adopted the nickname Boob.

For the next ten years, Brasfield appeared on Broadway and in the road companies of hit shows. In 1920, he had a part in Miss Lulu Bett, and was stage manager for Enter Madame which had a two-year Broadway run. In 1922, he became stage manager for the smash hit Abie’s Irish Rose at the Republic Theatre.

Neva I. F. Greevi was born in Luther, Michigan and attended Ouachita Baptist College in Arkadelphia, Arkansas for three years. She worked as a cashier before marrying Brasfield, nine years her junior, in 1919; and was a leading lady with the W. I. Swain tent show.

Beginning in the mid-1920s, the Brasfields were featured players with (Jess) Bisbee's Comedians, a popular touring tent repertory troupe based in Memphis, Tennessee which was part of Bisbee's Dramatic Shows. Boob played the requisite "Toby" character as a hillbilly, and was known as the King of Tobys for his quick ad-libbing ability and comic facial contortions. Brasfield was the highest-paid of the Bisbee troupe; he wrote, directed and appeared in most of its plays. His younger brother, comedian Rod Brasfield, joined him and they performed with the troupe with Rod as Boob's straight man.


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