the more established the immigrant group, the less patience they had for being insulted. By the end of the 1890s, Irish and Italian immigrants were objecting to portrayals of intoxicated leprechauns and moronic organ-grinders. And when their children came of age, they organized sustained protest movements to end ethnic stereotyping on the stage. Vaudevillian Walter Kelly received “a letter threatening his life if he did not immediately cut out several Italian stories in his act,” and a group called the Clan na Gael sabotaged shows wherever Irish stereotypes were presented.
