[1][2][6] Other work on Broadway included the roles of Scipio in Arthur Schwartz's Virginia (1937)[7] and Rum in Oscar Hammerstein II's Carmen Jones (1946).

[8] Though unable to read music, Bubbles was chosen by George Gershwin to create the role of Sportin' Life in his opera Porgy and Bess in 1935.

[10] In 1963, in a studio recording of Porgy and Bess featuring Leontyne Price and William Warfield, he performed Sportin' Life's two main arias from the opera, "It Ain't Necessarily So" and "There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York".

In the number "Bojangles of Harlem" from Swing Time (1936), Astaire dresses in blackface as the Sportin' Life character and dances in the style of Sublett while ostensibly paying tribute to Bill Robinson.

[12] There has long been a widespread misattribution that Sublett was Ethel Waters' uncredited dancing partner in the historic film On with the Show!

[13] In 2011, Ryan Friedman, supplying no support for his belief that Sublett was the dancer, surmised that "Angelus Babe" was a pseudonym, and published this in a book.

[citation needed] Sublett appeared in Hollywood films of the late 1930s and 1940s, including Varsity Show in 1937, Cabin in the Sky in 1943 and A Song Is Born in 1948.

In later life, he also made television appearances, one of his last being on a musical episode of The Lucy Show, which also guest-starred Mel Tormé and a featured performance on Barbra Streisand's 1967 TV special, The Belle of 14th Street, a tribute to the bygone era of vaudeville.

[9] In 1965, he appeared with Eddie Fisher on a USO tour, visiting many outposts and camps in the early war years.

"[18] That same night, Bubbles mentioned that Astaire had brought him into the rehearsal hall to work on "Bojangles of Harlem" and John's chops are right there in the number.

[16] Sublett was remembered by many celebrities; his catchphrase, "Shoot the liquor to me, John Boy,"[24] has been quoted in songs by several artists, including The Manhattan Transfer,[25] The Ink Spots,[26] and Louis Armstrong.