A Pictorial History of Vaudeville

by Bernard Sobel

A new edition of the long out-of-print classic chronicle of the rise and fall of vaudeville in America, from the early minstrel shows and showboats to the emergence (and decline) of Broadway's Palace Theater as the Mecca of the entertainment industry. With loving care the book recreates vaudeville's great days when the tycoons of the Keith, Albee, Poli and Loew-booked, literally, thousands of "acts" which performed in hundreds of the nation's theaters. Parading through its pages are acrobats, monologists, male and female impersonators, singers, dancers, kiddy acts and opera stars. Even the major dramatic stars such as Sarah Bernhardt and Ethel Barrymore appeared in one act plays or sketches. The headliners are all the Astaires, W.C. Fields, Judy Garland, Milton Berle, Burns & Allen, and Jack Benny, to name only a few. With the hundreds of rare photos from the early 20th Century to the end of the fifties this book is sure to be a "must have" for collectors of Vaudeville memorabilia.

Genres: Theatre, History, Art, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1961

Reviews

[Ceejay · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title of this book suggests, it is short on information and long on photographs and pictures. It was an enjoyable, and quick read. I am old enough to remember some of the old vaudeville stars who made it into movies and television. I did have fun by putting the names of vaudeville stars into a You Tube search, and finding movies and clips of a number of the people mentioned in this book.