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A Brief History of Vaudeville

2010-04-07 | 🔗

Vaudeville flourished from the late 19th century into the Depression era. It was one of America's most famous forms of entertainment at the time. Tune in as Katie and Sarah take a look at this family-friendly variety show from America's bygone days.

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This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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Podcast. Will you accept this rose, which is new to the eye heart radio broadcasts network? We re cap every season at the bachelor franchise, including the bachelor, the bachelor at an bachelor in Paradise. We bring in bachelor super funds, including last bass, Nicky Glaser, Debbie, Ryan and more listen to will you accept this rose on the Iheart radio, app apple pocket, wherever you get. Your part, welcome to stuff, you missed in history, class house of works, dot, com, love and welcomes the cast, unclear and unfair down and stays causes brings together to unlikely that fellow, is unjust Baker and Perry who Dini and that's because we're going to give you a brief history, a vaudeville which flourished from the eighty nineties to the nineteen thirties.
And it all started with variety shows in the eighteen, fifty seven sixty use these were geared toward man and, while you know it looks think of today's buddy comedies are not generally known for being particularly highbrow. You might describe them as vulgar or a, but we also have John, like burlesque and circuses dying, museums, medicine shows and wild West shows, and all of these kind of together, along which european me call traditions, minstrel show the nearest theatre. Vaudeville takes all of it, except of course, for the burlesque mixes up, makes it family friendly and puts it on stage. So the wife and kids could come now, along with the guy opening up all sorts of profits for the men who ran the business and theirs
fantastic notice to performers, described by Edwin Royal, who was a vaudevillian. I keep trying really hard, not to say vaudevillian I'll keep trying in scrivener is in eighteen. Ninety, nine- and here it is You are here by warned that your act must be free from all vulgarity and suggestiveness in words, action and costume, or playing in any your blanks houses and all vulgar. Double meaning and profane words and songs must be cut out of your act before the first perform it. If you are in doubt as to what is right or wrong submitted to the resident manager at rehearsal. Such work, Leirus, Laud, son of a gun, devil, Sucker Dam and all other words unfit for the ears, these children. Also any reference to questionable streets. Resorts localities and bark rooms are prohibited under fine of it discharge or son of a gun. Haiti looking go in fair that that's an appropriate, so there
Whom many consider the father a vaudeville, tony pastor stage, the first popular show of this kind in eighteen, eighty one in New York and there's no liquor course, and he might even give you a ham if you come for the shout worth some call so immediately. We friendly. Yet I would be more inclined to go to show of sun giving me a ham. There's an awesome website, it's designed by Rick Easton of UV ay, which you can easily find if you type vaudeville into Google, he's one of them results, and then he says that the guy we should be talking about as the Father a vaudeville as Benjamin Franklin Chief, who started off his we are with a museum featuring baby, Alice, midget, wonder but ended being the man who really understood his american audience. Yeah they wanted hi I'm LAO yeah. They they like this crazy circus stuff, but they also want real, respected actors. Somebody who they could maybe ten
friends. Oh I'm going to see Missus Selwyn Feather respected actor and they get to see some strong man stuff on the side, so like smoking in middle street on the same stage as I explained Sarah, earlier this brought in the respectable crowd, which won over Boston Catholic Church, which was very much in control of the city. So don't underestimate power, and they supported him because they wanted more of this clean and ordinary man, rather than people going to slew family friendly stuff get the guy's taking their wife and kids out till vaudeville show and directly hanging out at the bar. So is a vaudeville shower at its a dozen or so axe. None is longer than thirty minutes and we ve got all kinds of performers: magicians, strong men, acrobats, comedians dancers, singers, jugglers trained animals, and you know how much we love bears Monologue S, impressionist actors performing one acts; contortionists, honest citizens, really fantastic like to go to one, but
like if you're, if you're one of these people, if you're a strong man or a contortionists or a dancer, and it's it's a hard life you're, basically singing for your supper, It was hard to break into show business then, as it is now, and you show up for an Call. You do your best to stand out auditioning for this impassive judge. And then either make it or if you don't, and it's a lot more likely that you don't make it maybe if you're lucky, you have some sort of gimmick that makes you stand out, say seven chap dancing, kids, and then you get your chance on stage and if the audience likes you your end, they might book you again and again you're starting again get the cane alone or withhold from the wings and the experience as an actor. According to Mr Royal, using it might be a little embarrassing for respected after to get on stage with circus freak spent the air. The money might win you over. You can sell your integrity for a little better that it was also steady work.
It was some nice to be part of a company, who arranged on your touring schedules for you. A cardiologist took care of the business of travelling around the country performing all these different theatres, you are essentially looked after and you had a steady salary unaware at least a fairly study salary. We are also talking earlier about advertising because of course, you couldn't lists twenty people on the bell who were performing. No one would even look at it, so you ve got to pick a star someone with name recognition, someone who's, gimmicky and cool enough for people to want to comment on some, unlike the gorgeous Lillian Russell, perhaps, and that made that person the headliner on the posters and fame followed. If you
a key and a darn good salary. But many stars who we think of from later, Jean rose actually started off as one billions. Fred Astaire, for example, starts at each seven and it was an unusual for people to start that young and it was very common for families to be on stage together. Whenever I think of performing families, the first to come to mind is always the flying will end, as I think just because I like their names and our name, but there were a lot more than that. The southern little boys were, these seven tat, dancing, kids Eddie Voice Senior. Apparently, I think my family missed out on a big opportunity, because there are six of us and them slots, landlady dynamo happen, maybe sometimes some better stars worthy three stages. Well, I guess I to affirm our brothers that we're going to count them and the marks brothers, even if GUM Alan set out really work out and the comedian, like the three stages of the marks brothers, are really big heads, even though it with all the
rules, you now know em no flawed Damn this phenomenon of again, it seems like you would probably really really hard for them to make clean jokes. I can't have a Richard prior they're, not think the aristocrats really would have played their am royal. Had a good quote about that too. He said from the artist who balances a set of parlor furniture on his nose to the academic about Boon. There is one concentrated strenuous struggle for a laugh. No artist can afford to do without it. It hangs like a Solomon, obligation over everything. So, consequently, because we can't have sexual jokes with a lot of re space, jokes and including the use of black face like we mentioned and many I've done by two comedians, you sort of play up comedic stereotypes, the jewish,
way, the fat boy in our day they assume a rolling and run with that and insult one another, and just as many comedians, then still each other's jokes as they do now. This early notorious pitfall in the business, but there are a lot of other people who got there. Are in vaudeville, including the father of modern body, building strong man, Eugene Sand, DOW caustic Median W C fields. The adored cowboy comedian which title I enjoy Will Rogers Lillian Russia likely mentioned our entertainment, start our goals and singer Bessie Smell and Houdini, of course, I've court has already talked about, even though vaudeville not exactly Well, you know it wasn't. It didn't highlight his type. I still feel that their doing card tracks and and that's not what you did not allow for he understood showmanship. We ve also got one of my personal favorite, Sophie Tucker, who is known as the last of the red hot Mama's
and she started singing at the kosher diner her family owned. She was actually forced to perform in black face when she started on vaudeville. The oft repeated story is that her producer thought she was too fat and too ugly to be onstage without it and when she lost her make up at a gig. She appeared on stage without it told the audience that book then she'd been forced to perform in it, and people love turn left eye on yeah we ve also got a Goldberg switch, is notable because they become not only a huge radio success after vaudeville meets its end, but
First major american thick com and the one that sort of defines the the thick com shamrock. I also really love even tangley may be saying, remain completely wrong and as a contact article about her by Jody rose and on slate called vanishing act in search of either tank way. The first rockstar would you should definitely reed, but the list of famous VON billions is way too big to tackle and one part costs. I think we're gonna do follow up about some of our favorites and would also like to know about some of your favorite old movie stars offer. Future pod casts a right to us at history pod cast at how stuff works, dot com and see if they make the cat so, we ve talked about the performers, the lot now about God, velvet talking at the business. It's a really really big business and industry fairer, lucrative before Holly, where this is for tv. We have more than twenty.
Five thousand performers in theatres in every community. This is the big entertainment for the country and most Farmville theatres were part of a circuit which meant that one guy controlled a whole chain of theatres, the big ones where the United Booking Office and the Orpheus Sarka the United Booking Office had four hundred theatres. Just to give you an idea. Of the scale of this, and this is why the companies are able to travel, and this is the benefit that comes from being in a vaudeville troop that you go to the four hundred theatres and everything already worked out for you. Some of these theatres opened at breakfast and state open till quite late at night. That way they could give a few performances and one day for five, and if you own the circuit, you could get tens of thousands of people in and out. If you could sell out the house in the bay The path of the law was the palace Theatre in New York City, and it was a huge deal to headline here. I mean you could come
at TAT, maybe Madison Square Garden. Today, with bigger than that, I'm not sure I and the big man at the business where the aforementioned Mr Keith and his partner Edward at the I'll, be yes, the father play right and their partnership in eighteen. Eighty five pretty much gave them a monopoly. I'll be got his start in a circus and became basically vaudeville dictator, Martin back was another baby here with brought him up before. Any pie cast. He built the palace any heads, the Orpheum circuit. Another one, but you ve probably heard of the William Morris agency. Mister Morris himself, wages, this battle against Albion, Keith to break up their monopoly, but thoughtful, of course didn't last and long video may have killed a radio star. The radio and the talkies killed vaudeville. So vaudeville
had begun screening little bits of movies, but before long, the actual vaudeville acts were sidelined in favour of the films. That was the movie that was starting with some vaudeville acts on the side and soon people abandoned vaudeville altogether for radio and movies the great depression didn't help and the New York Palace shut down a nineteen. Thirty four that was the last big house that was laughed they didn't know We're doing did they saw tv today they might have changed their minds, but a lot of really huge film stars got their start in vaudeville. It was sort of a place to get some experience, make your present sound make an aim and pulling it was so cut throat if you were gonna, make it on vaudeville you build and make it make it in Hollywood, so will end with. Another note from vaudeville management, gentle
were kindly avoid the stamping of feet and pounding of change on the floor and greatly obliged the management. All applause is best shown by clapping of hands. Please don't talk during acts that annoys those about you and prevents a perfect hearing of the entertainment I think for eyes and would be fancying this today. We, like you, amended so you can't take out. Then I thought you liked very ill considered that a public service and the girls of stuff you messed class- and that brings us to Today'S- must now Emil's from their, whose readiness about our Nellie Bligh Podcast in her stance in the insane asylum. He writes is now called the octagon this building, Rather they did not too long ago in many of the resident further they somehow still people following them, where they can hear footsteps and things of that nature.
He goes on after this to write that I was walking to the lobby one day late at night, and I felt a rush of wind on my face. Creepy ever find known, he writes that the building is totally green. Now the first led certified residential buildings here today, and it has the largest area of solar panels in New York City. So what about face? This disturbing building and if you have some cool you'd like to tell her she can email ass history had caused housetop works. We ve also got a twitter addressed in history, and if you want to read more about one of the famous people we mentioned, we talk about Eugene and out, and our ten biggest embody builders heart of whole. But you can find if you search on our homepage, W W W in TAT House tough work. Stockholm for more on this and thousands of other topics,
stuff works on cars and be sure to check out the step. He, MR history, glass blood on the house to approach that can how low bunnies this is. Our marine. You may know me from Chelsea lately or as were genus and clear on insatiable. I wanna tell you, but my comedy podcast: will you accept this rose, which is new to the eye heart radio podcast network? We the cap, every season that the bachelor franchise, including the bachelor, the bachelor at an bachelor in Paradise, we bring in bachelor super funds, including last bass, Nicky Glaser, Debbie, Ryan and more catch. Our first episode on January eighth and listen to will you accept this rose on the Iheart Radio, app apple podcast.
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Transcript generated on 2020-02-06.