How Alonzo Fields took a survival job and turned it into a history-making career.
Photo credits: Presidential Portraits of President Hoover, President Roosevelt, President Truman, and President Eisenhower (The White House Historical Association), Kelcey Watson* as Alonzo Fields (Photo by Brennen Russell), and Mr. Alonzo Fields, Chief Butler of the White House 1931 – 1953 (Courtesy of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Washington, DC)
In the theatre, there is a term that most actors begrudgingly know – survival job. This is the job a performer has that pays the bills between acting contracts. Often, performers will be servers at restaurants, work the floor of a retail store, or now, in our digital age, they can be content creators or work remotely on social media. This is all to say that performers are rarely just performers – they have to be multifaceted people for their art and survival.
Now, what does this have to do with Alonzo Fields? The lead character of Looking Over the President’s Shoulder was a real-life butler who served at the White House for 21 years. Well, Alonzo was an artist – an opera singer to be more exact, but as it happens, for many artists who are not born into the industry or do not have the financial help needed to create a career in the arts, Alonzo had to put his opera dreams on hold to provide for his family.
Field’s stated in his book, My 21 Years in the White House, “I had always wanted to be a concert singer and it took a lot of wrenching to get this artistic streak out of my system. As a matter of fact, I am not sure that I ever got it completely out my system. In a way perhaps it was the artistic viewpoint that helped me adjust to life with the Presidents. I believed that in a small way I was a part of history; I felt that I was playing some role for the man who holds the greatest job in the world.”
Alonzo was born in 1900 in Lyles Station, Indiana. His father ran the local General Store and was the leader of the town’s Colored brass band, and his mother ran a boarding house. Fields left Lyles Station in 1925 and attended Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music. Dr. Samuel Stratton, President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, sponsored Alonzo in his studies (by having Alonzo work in his household), allowing him to pursue his dream of music. When Dr. Stratton died in 1931, so did Alonzo’s ability to pursue his degree.
While working for Dr. Stratton, Alonzo had tended to Mrs. Lou Henry Hoover, the wife of President Herbert Hoover. When Mrs. Hoover heard of Dr. Stratton’s passing, she recalled Alonzo’s service and recommended him for a job as a butler at the White House. Alonzo moved his family to Washington, D.C. and began his work. Within a year, Alonzo had become Chief Butler, leading a staff of 12 employees, and would go on to serve in the White House for 21 years. He was the butler to Hoover, FDR, Harry Truman (his favorite), and ended his time with Eisenhower in 1952. He created a 21 year long career serving at the most important house in the country, meeting presidents and dignitaries, serving through World Wars and the Great Depression, all because he had a passion for the arts. And not to worry, he was able to sing for White House staff during the holidays.
“He looked back at his twenty-one years of White House service and remembered as his greatest thrill, the day he performed in the East Room of the White House, at the Christmas Party held in 1932 for the mansion’s domestic staff.” – Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Washington, DC
Some artists may see this career transition as a failure; he didn’t make it as an opera singer – such a waste of talent. But the beautiful thing about being an artist is that the skills and work they put into their craft often translate into success in many other careers. The precision and care Alonzo had to use in his work would have been something he perfected while rehearsing for an opera – a much more strict and precise art form than musical theatre. The work his parents did as musicians and housekeepers gave him a foundation of structure, creativity, and service.
Hearing Alonzo’s story now may seem like he gave up on the path of fame and notoriety as a performer, but because of his “survival job,” he was able to bridge communities, create trust, and be privy to some of the most important moments in American history. Mr. Fields didn’t just survive; he thrived. And he did so with a foundation of hard work and art.
Now, through the writing of James Still, direction of Chanel Bragg, and performances by Kelcey Watson* and understudy Calvin J Worthen, The Phoenix Theatre Company is proud to bring Alonzo’s story, Looking Over the President’s Shoulder, to our Judith Hardes stage beginning on October 29th.
Event Details
What: Looking Over the President’s Shoulder
When: October 29 – December 14, 2025
Where: The Phoenix Theatre Company, Judith Hardes Theatre, 1825 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85004
Tickets: Available at www.phoenixtheatre.com or by calling the Box Office at (602) 254-2151
Click here for a PDF of the full article.
*Courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the U.S.
