Vaudeville is a style of multi-act theatre which flourished in North America from the 1880s through the 1920s. An evening's "bill" (or schedule of performances) could run the gamut from acrobats to mathematicians, from song-and-dance duos to trick high divers. Indeed, the scope of the presentations was unique in the history of American live performance: music, comedy, feats of athleticism, magic, animal acts, opera, Shakespeare, banjo, acrobatics and gymnastics, and lectures by celebrities and intellectuals of every scale. It has been suggested that Drama (art form) be merged into this article or section. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... // Events and Trends Technology Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Social issues of the 1920s. ... Magic, including the arts of prestidigitation and conjuring, is the art of entertaining an audience by performing illusions that baffle and amaze, often by giving the impression that something impossible has been achieved, almost as if the performer had magic or supernatural powers. ... Sydney Opera House: one of the worlds most recognisable opera houses and landmarks. ... William Shakespeare—born April 1564; baptised April 26, 1564; died April 23, 1616 (O.S.), May 3, 1616 (N.S.)—has a reputation as the greatest of all writers in English. ... Old 6-string zither banjo For other uses, see Banjo (disambiguation) The banjo is a stringed instrument of African American origin, early or original examples sometimes being called the gourd banjo. Its name is commonly thought to be derived from the Kimbundu term mbanza. ... High wire act Acrobatics (from Greek Akros, high and bat, walking) is one of the performing arts, and is also practiced as a sport. ... Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of sequences of movements requiring physical strength, flexibility, and kinesthetic awareness, such as handsprings, handstands, and forward rolls. ...

A bill usually began with a "dumb act" (e.g., acrobats, trick bicyclists), allowing late arriving audience members to find their seats without interrupting important dialogue; peaked in the penultimate spot with the "headliner" (the biggest draw on the bill and focus of that week's publicity effort); and might conclude with a "chaser", an act considered admirable enough to feature but dull enough to chase the audience from the theatre, an important role in houses that offered continuously revolving performances.

History

Origin

Though often confused with variety, its generically distinct predecessor (c. 1860s-1881), mature vaudeville distinguished itself from the earlier form by its mixed-gender audience, usually alcohol-free halls, and often slavish devotion to inculcating favor among members of the emerging middle class. Its popularity grew in step with the rise of industry and the growth of North American cities during this period, and declined with the introduction of sound films and radio. The origin of the term is obscure, but is often considered a corruption of the expression "voix de ville", or "voice of the city". Another plausible etymology is that it is a corruption of the French Vau de Vire, a valley in Normandy noted for style of songs with topical themes. It should be noted, however, that almost all Western theatre (even original Renaissance productions of Shakespeare's work) revolved around variety performance of one type or another. // Events and trends Technology The First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States is built in the six year period between 1863 and 1869. ... 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ... Night view of Taipei City. ... A sound film (or talkie) is a motion picture with synchronized sound, as opposed to a silent movie. ... In language, a term is a short phrase designating an idea which requires more length and complexity for a true explanation. ... Etymology is the study of the origins of words. ... The River Vire is a river in Normandy in France whose 118 km course crosses the départements of Calvados and Manche, flowing through the towns of Vire, Saint-Lô and Isigny-sur-Mer, finally flowing out into the English Channel. ... Mont Saint Michel, one of the famous symbols of Normandy. ...

Popularity

Though the form gradually developed from the concert saloon and variety hall into its mature form throughout the late 1860s and on through the 1870s, the usual date given for the "birth" of vaudeville rests at October 24, 1881, the night upon which variety performer and theatre owner Tony Pastor, hard in the midst of his seemingly interminable effort to lure women into the male-dominated variety hall, famously staged the first bill of self-proclaimed "clean" vaudeville in New York City. After the incorporation of women into the audience, vaudeville's greatest economic innovation and the principal source of its industrial strength was its development of the circuit, a chain of allied vaudeville houses that foiled the chaos of the single theatre booking system by contracting acts for regional and national engagement that could span from a few weeks to two years. Benjamin Franklin Keith founded the most important circuit of theatres in vaudeville history. Later, E.F. Albee, grandfather of the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee, managed the chain to its greatest success. Albee also gave national prominence to vaudeville's trumpeting of "polite" entertainment, a commitment to entertainment that could be consumed by men, women and children, giving offense to no party. Those acts who violated various dicta supporting this ethos (e.g., using the word "hell") were admonished and threatened with expulsion from the week's remaining bills. (It is worth noting, however, that performers routinely flouted such censorship, often to the delight of the very audience members whose presumed respectability had demanded the rather Orwellian style of the vaudeville house manager in the first place.) The most striking examples of Gilded Age theatre architecture invariably rose from the largess of big time vaudeville magnates, insistent that these houses of juggling dogs and yodelers embody the very pinnacle of high class. On the other end of the scale, small time houses could be converted saloons, rough hewn theatres or multi-purpose halls. By the late 1890s, vaudeville thus found itself in the enviable position of having large circuits, small and/or large houses in almost every decent sized location, standardized booking, broad pools of skilled acts, and a loyal national following. At its height, vaudeville was rivaled by only churches and public schools as the nation's premiere public gathering place. // Events and Trends Technology The invention of the telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... For Tony Pastor the saxophonist and bandleader, see Tony Pastor (bandleader). ... Edward Albee, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1961 Edward Franklin Albee III (born March 12, 1928) is an American playwright known for works including Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Zoo Story, and The Sandbox. ... The Gilded Age (c. ...

Decline

There was no abrupt end to vaudeville. The continued growth of the lower-priced cinema in the early 1910s dealt the most striking blow to the vaudeville, just as the advent of free broadcast television was to later shrink the cultural and economic strength of the cinema. Ironically, cinema was first regularly commercially presented in the United States in vaudeville halls. By the late 1920s, even the hardiest within the vaudeville industry understood the form to be staggered; the wise understood the condition to be terminal. The 1930s, graced with standardized film distribution and talking pictures, and cursed by the economic ravages of the Great Depression, only confirmed the end of the genre. The shift of New York City's Palace Theatre, vaudeville's center, to an exclusively cinema presentation in 1932 is often noted as vaudeville's moment of death, but like the attempts to tie its birth to Pastor's first clean bill, no single event may be accurately considered as anything more than reflective of its gradual withering. Though good-hearted conversations about its resurrection were had throughout the 1930s, the demise of the supporting apparatus of the circuits and the inescapably higher cost of live performance made any resurrection attempts of vaudeville impossible. // Events and trends The 1910s represent the culmination of European militarism which had its beginings during the second half of the 19th Century. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Social issues of the 1920s. ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... The Great Depression was a worldwide economic downturn, starting in 1929 and lasting through most of the 1930s. ... The Palace Theatre, circa 1920. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ...

After the fall

From newspaper promotional for vaudeville character actor Charles E. Grapewin

Some in the industry blamed cinema's drain of talent from the vaudeville circuits for the medium's demise. Lured by greater salaries and less arduous working conditions, many early film and radio performers, such as W. C. Fields, Buster Keaton, the Marx Brothers, Edgar Bergen, Jack Benny and The Three Stooges, used the prominence they first gained in live variety performance to vault out of the medium. Largely, however, vaudeville's performers scattered to the winds. Many later appeared in the Catskill resorts that constituted the "Borscht Belt". Some performers whose eclectic styles did not conform as well to the greater intimacy of the screen, like Bert Lahr, continued to fashion careers out of combining live performance, radio and film roles. Other vaudevillians who entered in its decline, including The Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, Kate Smith, Judy Garland, and Rose Marie used vaudeville as a launching pad for their own careers. And many simply recused themselves from performance and entered the workaday world of the middle class, that group that vaudeville, more than anything else, had helped to articulate and entertain. Image File history File links Character_comedian_charles_e. ... From newspaper promotional for vaudeville character actor Charles E. Grapewin Charles E. Grapewin (December 20, 1869 - February 2, 1956) was a relatively notable vaudeville performer. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ... W.C. Fields in a scene from The Bank Dick W. C. Fields W. C. Fields (April 9, 1879 – December 25, 1946) was an American comedian and actor. ... Joseph Frank Keaton Jr. ... The Marx Brothers were a team of sibling comedians that appeared in vaudeville, stage plays, film and television. ... Edgar John Bergen (born February 16, 1903; died September 30, 1978) was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist. ... Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974), an American comedian, vaudeville performer, and radio, television, and film actor, was one of the biggest stars in classic American radio and was also a major television personality. ... The most familiar and popular Three Stooges lineup: (L to R) Moe, Curly, and Larry. ... Catskill Escarpment and Blackhead Range as seen from Overlook Mountain The Catskill Mountains (also known as simply the Catskills) a natural area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are not, despite their popular name, true geological mountains, but rather a mature dissected plateau... Borscht Belt is an informal term for the summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in Sullivan and Ulster Counties in upstate New York which were frequented by Ashkenazic Jews. ... Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion. ... The Three Stooges was an American comedy act in the 20th century. ... Abbott and Costello (William (Bud) Abbott, 1897-1974; Louis Cristillo, 1906-1959) were an American comedy duo whose work in radio, film, and television made them one of the most popular and respected teams in comedy history. ... Kate Smith on the cover of a posthumous 1991 collection 16 Most Requested Songs Kathryn Elizabeth Smith (May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986) was a Washington, D.C.-born singer best known for her rendition of Irving Berlins God Bless America. She greeted audiences with Hello, everybody! and signed... Judy Garland (June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969), born Frances Ethel Gumm, was an American film actress considered by many to be one of the greatest singing stars of Hollywoods Golden Era of musical film. ... Rose Marie (born August 15, 1923) is an actress who had a career as a child star under the name Baby Rose Marie but is best known for her adult role as Sally Rogers in the The Dick Van Dyke Show. ...

Yet vaudeville, both in its methods and ruling aesthetic, did not simply perish, but rather resounded throughout the succeeding media of film, radio and television. Certainly, the screwball comedies of the 1930s, those exquisite reflections of the all too brief moment of cinematic equipoise between dialogue and physicality, should be viewed as heirs of vaudeville's aesthetic. In form, the television variety show owed much to vaudeville, riding the multi-act format to success in shows such as "Your Show of Shows" with Sid Caesar. Even today, performers such as Bill Irwin, Macarthur Fellow and Tony Award-winning actor, are frequently lauded as "New Vaudevillians". The screwball comedy has proven to be one of the most elusive of the film genres. ... A variety show is a show with a variety of acts, often including music and comedy skits, especially on television. ... Your Show of Shows was a live sketch comedy television series appearing weekly in the United States, from 1950 until June 5, 1954, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. ... Sid Caesar (born Isaac Sidney Caesar on September 8, 1922) is an Emmy-winning comic actor and writer, best known as the leading man on the 1950s television sketch comedy series Your Show of Shows. ... Bill Irwin (born April 11, 1950, Santa Monica, California) is an American clown and actor noted for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. ... What is popularly called the Tony Award (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theater, including musical theater, primarily honoring productions on Broadway in New York. ...

Related forms

• Concert saloon
• Variety hall
• Cabaret
• Burlesque
• Music hall
• "Borscht Belt"
• Nightclub
• 21st Century Vaudeville

Cabaret is a form of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue — a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting around the tables (often dining or drinking) watching the performance. ... Photo of the Burlesque Troupe, Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang Burlesque was originally a form of art that mocked by imitation, referring to everything from comic sketches to dance routines and usually lampooning the social attitudes of the upper classes. ... Music Hall is a form of British theatrical entertainment which reached its peak of popularity between 1850 and 1960. ... Borscht Belt is an informal term for the summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in Sullivan and Ulster Counties in upstate New York which were frequented by Ashkenazic Jews. ... It has been suggested that Disco Bar be merged into this article or section. ...

Noted vaudeville performers

• Abbott and Costello
• Don Ameche
• Adele & Fred Astaire
• Bessie Smith
• The Barrison Sisters
• Nora Bayes & Jack Norworth
• Milton Berle
• Jack Benny
• Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy
• Sarah Bernhardt
• Ray Bolger
• Fanny Brice
• Joe E. Brown
• George Burns & Gracie Allen
• Frank Byron, Jr.
• Marie Cahill
• Eddie Cantor
• Alan Carney
• Charlie Case
• Vernon and Irene Castle
• Charlie Chaplin
• Charmon
• Ching Ling Foo
• George M. Cohan
• Marie Dressler
• Jimmy Durante
• Cliff Edwards aka Ukelele Ike
• Julian Eltinge
• W.C. Fields
• Eddie Foy
• Trixie Friganza
• Joe Frisco
• Gallagher & Shean
• Judy Garland (as part of The Gumm Sisters)
• Charles E. Grapewin
• Gene Greene
• Gypsy Rose Lee
• Great Lester
• Jack Haley
• Buxter Jake, Sr.
• Anna Held
• Hildegarde
• Bob Hope
• Harry Houdini
• May Irwin
• George Jessel
• Al Jolson
• Buster Keaton
• Bert Lahr
• Harry Lauder
• Beatrice Lillie
• The Marx Brothers
• Winsor McCay & Gertie the Dinosaur
• Ethel Merman
• Jimmy Nelson
• The Original Creole Orchestra
• Isabella Patricola
• Joe Penner
• Molly Picon
• Blanche Ring
• Bill "Bojangles" Robinson
• Will Rogers
• Pat Rooney
• Rose Marie
• Lillian Russell
• Chic Sale
• Blossom Seeley
• Red Skelton
• Smith & Dale
• Kate Smith
• Chief Tahachee as Chief Buffalo Nickel
• Eva Tanguay
• The Three Stooges
• Vesta Tilly
• Sophie Tucker
• Ben Turpin
• Van & Schenck
• Jules Vernon
• Weber & Fields
• Donald "Monk" Watson
• Señor Wences
• Mae West
• Bert Williams
• Paul Winchell
• Ed Wynn
• Henny Youngman

Abbott and Costello (William (Bud) Abbott, 1897-1974; Louis Cristillo, 1906-1959) were an American comedy duo whose work in radio, film, and television made them one of the most popular and respected teams in comedy history. ... Dominic Felix Ameche (May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor. ... Adele Astaire, 1927 Adele Astaire (September 10, 1896 -January 25, 1981) was an American dancer and entertainer. ... Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987), born Frederick Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska, was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. ... Bessie Smith photographed by Carl Van Vechten Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) is largely regarded as the most popular and successful blues singer of 1920s and 1930s, and she has had an enormous influence on singers throughout the history of American popular music, including Mahalia Jackson, Janis... The Barrison Sisters were a risque Vaudeville act who performed in the United States and Europe from about 1890 to 1910, advertised as The Wickedest Girls In the World. ... Nora Bayes Nora Bayes (1880 - 19 June 1928) was a popular United States entertainer of the early 20th century. ... Jack Norworth (5 January 1879 - 1 September 1959) was a U.S. songwriter, singer, and vaudeville performer. ... Milton Berle This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ... Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974), an American comedian, vaudeville performer, and radio, television, and film actor, was one of the biggest stars in classic American radio and was also a major television personality. ... Edgar John Bergen (born February 16, 1903; died September 30, 1978) was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist. ... Edgar John Bergen (February 16, 1903 _ September 30, 1978) was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist. ... Sarah Bernhardt (portrait by Nadar) Sarah Bernhardt (October 23, 1844 – March 26, 1923) was a French stage actress. ... Bolger, circa early 1930s Ray Bolger (January 10, 1904 – January 15, 1987) was an American entertainer of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow (and the farmworker Hunk) in the 1939 film classic, The Wizard of Oz. ... Fanny Brice, early Ziegfeld Follies portrait photograph // Biography Fanny Brice (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951) was a United States comedienne, singer, and entertainer. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... George Burns, born Nathan Birnbaum (January 20, 1896 – March 9, 1996), was an American comedian and actor, arguably the greatest straight man of 20th-century American comedy. ... Gracie Allen, wife of comic legend George Burns, who started show business in vaudeville, became famous when teamed with him. ... Frank Byron, Jr. ... Eddie Cantor in the 1920s Eddie Cantor (January 31, 1892 - October 10, 1964) was a comedian, singer, actor, songwriter, and one of the most popular entertainers in the United States of America in the early and middle 20th century. ... Alan Carney (Born David Boughal) (born December 22, 1909 in Brooklyn, New York; died May 2, 1973 in Van Nuys, California) was an American actor and comedian. ... Charlie Case, (d. ... Vernon and Irene Castle in 1914 Vernon and Irene Castle were a husband-and-wife team of ballroom dancers of the early 20th century. ... Chaplin in his costume as The Tramp Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr, KBE, (April 16, 1889 – December 25, 1977), better known as Charlie Chaplin, was a British comedy actor, becoming the most famous actor in the early to mid Hollywood cinema era, and also a notable director. ... Ching Ling Foo ( 1854 - 1922), born Chee Ling Qua, is credited with being the first modern Oriental magician to achieve world fame. ... George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3 or July 4, 1878 – November 5, 1942) was a United States entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, director, and producer of Irish descent. ... Marie Dressler (born November 9, 1869; died July 28, 1934) was an Academy Award-winning Canadian actress. ... Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante, better known as Jimmy Durante, (February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American singer, pianist, comedian, and actor, whose distinctive gravel delivery, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose -- his frequent jokes about it included a frequent self-reference that became his... Cliff Edwards (14 June 1895 – 17 July 1971), also known as Ukelele Ike, was an American singer and musician who enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, and also did voices for animated cartoons later in his career. ... Julian Eltinge (May 14, 1881 - March 7, 1941) was an American actor. ... W. C. Fields (January 29, 1880 - December 25, 1946) was an American comedian and actor. ... Eddie Foy in a 1901 photo Edwin Fitzgerald Foy (March 9, 1856 – February 16, 1928) was an American vaudeville actor and comedian. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Gallagher & Shean was a highly successful double-act on Vaudeville and Broadway in the 1910s and 1920s, consisting of Edward Gallagher (1873 - March 28, 1929) and Al Shean (real name Albert Schoenberg) (May 12, 1868 - August 12, 1949). ... Judy Garland (June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969), born Frances Ethel Gumm, was an American film actress considered by many to be one of the greatest singing stars of Hollywoods Golden Era of musical film. ... From newspaper promotional for vaudeville character actor Charles E. Grapewin Charles E. Grapewin (December 20, 1869 - February 2, 1956) was a relatively notable vaudeville performer. ... Eugene Delbert Greene (June 9, 1881 – April 5, 1930), better known as Gene Greene was an American entertainer, singer and composer, nicknamed The Ragtime King. ... The Screaming Mimi (1958) Gypsy Rose Lee (February 9, 1911 - April 26, 1970) was an American actress and burlesque entertainer. ... Jack Haley August 10, 1898-June 6, 1979, was an American film actor best known for his portrayal of The Tin Man (and farmworker Hickory) in The Wizard of Oz, which role he got only because actor Buddy Ebsen had a near-fatal reaction from ingesting the aluminum dust makeup... Anna Held, 1897 Anna Held (March 8, 1872? - August 12, 1918) was a Polish-born stage performer, most often associated with impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, her common-law husband. ... Hildegarde (February 1, 1906 - July 29, 2005) was an American cabaret singer, best known for the song Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup. ... Bob Hope KBE, KCSG, (May 29, 1903–July 27, 2003), born Leslie Townes Hope, was a famous British-American entertainer who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio and television, in movies, and in performing tours for U.S. Army personnel. ... Harry Houdini (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was one of the most famous magicians, escapologists, and stunt performers of all time, as well as an investigator of spiritualists. ... May Irwin born June 27, 1862 in Whitby, Ontario, Canada – died October 22, 1938 in New York City, United States, was an actress, singer and major star of vaudeville. ... George Jessel (April 3, 1898–May 23, 1981) was a U.S. actor, singer, songwriter, and movie producer. ... Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson to Moshe Reuben Yoelson and Naomi Etta Cantor - the original family name was Hesselson - in Seredzius, Lithuania, on May 26, 1885 or 1886, and died in San Francisco, California, October 23, 1950) was an American singer and the son of Jewish immigrants. ... Joseph Frank Keaton Jr. ... Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion. ... Sir Harry Lauder, KBE (4 August 1870 - 26 February 1950) was a very famous Scottish entertainer, described by Sir Winston Churchill as Scotlands greatest ever ambassador! // Early Years Born Henry Lauder at 4 Bridge Street Portobello, the residence of his mother’s father, he was the eldest son of... Beatrice Lillie (May 29, 1894-January 20, 1989) was the outstanding comedic actress of her time. ... The Marx Brothers were a team of sibling comedians that appeared in vaudeville, stage plays, film and television. ... Zenas Winsor McCay (September 26, 1871 to July 26, 1934) was a prolific artist and pioneer in the art of animation. ... Gertie the Dinosaur is a 1914 animated film short that inspired a generation of animators to bring their cartoons to life. ... Ethel Merman (January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was a star of stage and film musicals, well known for her powerful voice and vocal range. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Joe Penner was a 1930s-era radio comic and vaudevillain noted for his catchphrase Wanna buy a duck? and his low hyuck-hyuck laugh. ... Molly Picon Molly Picon was born Margaret Pyekoon in New York City on June 1, 1898. ... Bill Robinson photo taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1934 Bill Bojangles Robinson (May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949) was a pioneer and pre-eminent African-American tap dance performer. ... Will Rogers. ... Rose Marie (born August 15, 1923) is an actress who had a career as a child star under the name Baby Rose Marie but is best known for her adult role as Sally Rogers in the The Dick Van Dyke Show. ... Lillian Russell (Helen Louise Leonard) (December 4, 1860 - June 6, 1922) was an American actress and singer. ... Richard Bernard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913 – September 17, 1997) was an American comedian whose greatest impact — in a career which began as a teen circus clown and graduated to vaudeville, Broadway, MGM films, and radio — began when he reached television stardom with The Red Skelton Show (NBC, 1951–1952... Smith & Dale was a famous U.S. vaudeville comedy act that consisted of the duo of Charles Marks and Joseph Sultzer. ... Kate Smith on the cover of a posthumous 1991 collection 16 Most Requested Songs Kathryn Elizabeth Smith (May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986) was a Washington, D.C.-born singer best known for her rendition of Irving Berlins God Bless America. She greeted audiences with Hello, everybody! and signed... Chief Tahachee (born Jeff Davis Tahchee Cypert, 4 March 1904 in James Mill, Arkansas - died June 9, 1978 in San Gabriel, California) was an American-born Old Settler Cherokee Indian who was a stage and film actor, expert horseman, circus and wild west performer, contortionist and firewalker. ... Eva Tanguay (born August 1, 1879 in Marbleton, Québec, Canada – died January 11, 1947 in Hollywood, California, United States) was a singer and entertainer known as the girl who made vaudeville famous. ... The Three Stooges was an American comedy act in the 20th century. ... Sophie Tucker, 1917 Sophie Tucker (January 13, 1884 - February 9, 1966) was a singer and comedian, one of the most popular United States entertainers of the first third of the 20th century. ... Ben Turpin (1869-1940) Ben Turpin (center) with two Mack Sennett Studios bathing beauties Ben Turpin (September 19, 1869 - July 1, 1940) was a comedian, best remembered for his work in silent films. ... Van and Schenck were a popular United States Vaudeville duo in the 1910s and 1920s, consisting of Gus Van (real name August Von Glahn, August 12, 1886 - March 12, 1968), baritone and Joe Schenck (born Joseph Thuma Schenck, c. ... Jules Vernon (2 April 1867 - 17 May 1937) was born Walter Lester Pope Knyvette, in East India, as the son of an English officer in the army. ... Donald Watson, a vaudeville performer, acrobat, magician, radio personality, musician and emcee, started the great Bob Hope and toured with Elsie Janis. ... Wenceslao Moreno (April 17, 1896–April 20, 1999), popularly known as Señor Wences, was a prominent 20th century ventriloquist likely best known for his frequent appearances on CBSs Ed Sullivan Show. ... MAE-West is a major Internet peering point located in San Jose, California. ... Bert Williams (November 12, 1874 – March 4, 1922) was the pre-eminent African American entertainer of his era. ... Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Paul Winchell (December 21, 1922 – June 24, 2005), born Paul Wilchin in New York, New York, was a ventriloquist and voice actor whose fame flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. ... Ed Wynn (November 9, 1886 - June 19, 1966) was a popular United States entertainer, born Isaiah Edwin Leopold in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... Henny Youngman performing at the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon Henny Youngman (Henry Youngman, March 16, 1906 - February 24, 1998) was a comedian and violinist famous for one-liners, short simple jokes usually delivered rapid-fire. ...

See also

• Hello Nurse

Hello, nurse! or Hello Nurse can have two meanings, one relating to vaudeville and one relating to the 1990s cartoon televison series Animaniacs. ...

External links

• American Vaudeville Museum
• Virtual Vaudeville
• Glossary of Vaudeville Slang
• Listen to the Song "Will It Play In Peoria"
• University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections – J. Willis Sayre Photographs 9,856 images collected by drama critic and theater promoter J. Willis Sayre. They consist of autographed portraits of actors, vaudeville performers, movie stills, singers, dancers, musicians, comedians and acrobats representing American theater history primarily from the 1890s and onward.
• University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections – Prior and Norris Troupe Photographs 230 Photographs and ephemera relating to the career of Pat Prior and Effie Norris documenting their life on the road while performing on the American vaudeville circuits around the turn of the century, 1886-1915.