Annette Hanshaw (Manhattan, October 18, 1901 – Manhattan, March 13, 1985) was born Catherine Annette Hanshaw. A number of her family members were in vaudeville and she was brought up to love the entertainment business although she studied art and design and wanted to be an artist and portrait painter. She was an exceptionally beautiful…Continue Reading Annette Hanshaw: The Personality Girl by David Soren
Day: March 28, 2023
Arthur McWatters and Grace Tyson: Singing Vaudeville Comedians by David Soren
Grace Tyson ca. 1910 Arthur McWatters (1871-1963) grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, and returned there throughout his life to hunt and fish in the area. He taught piano and organ there as a young man, and advertised himself as a “tenor balladist” already with several compositions to his name. In the mid-1890s he and three…Continue Reading Arthur McWatters and Grace Tyson: Singing Vaudeville Comedians by David Soren
B. F. Keith: Controversial Vaudeville Entrepreneur by Christopher B. Vasquez-Wright
Benjamin Franklin Keith (B. F. Keith) was a vaudeville entrepreneur and known as the father of the “bigtime” entertainment. B.F. Keith was born in January 26, 1846 in Hillsborough Bridge, New Hampshire. He died in March 26, 1914, at The Breakers, Palm Beach Florida. Mr. Keith is best known for gentrifying vaudeville entertainment, from preceding…Continue Reading B. F. Keith: Controversial Vaudeville Entrepreneur by Christopher B. Vasquez-Wright
Beatrice Fairfax: America’s 1st Newspaper Adivce Column
Beatrice Fairfax Tell Me What To Do 1915 – This popular vaudeville song sung by famous singing comedienne Emma Carus is about America’s first newspaper advice column, “Ask Beatrice Fairfax”, which began in 1898 and was written by Marie Manning. It anticipated the Dear Abby and Ann Landers columns by half a century. Despite becoming…Continue Reading Beatrice Fairfax: America’s 1st Newspaper Adivce Column
Belle Story: The Belle of Vaudeville by Katherine Raymer
Belle Storey (later shortened to Story) was one of the most important coloratura sopranos of the first 30 years of the 20th century and in many ways a pioneering artist in her field, although she is forgotten and unknown even to opera buffs today. No recordings of her artistry survive to our knowledge. Born Grace…Continue Reading Belle Story: The Belle of Vaudeville by Katherine Raymer
Bert Williams: Vaudeville’s Biggest Black Superstar by David Soren
Bert Williams (New Providence, Nassau, British West Indies, November 12, 1874 – New York, March 4, 1922) was arguably the most important black star of early vaudeville and was the first to cross the color line and the first to work openly with white performers in a major Broadway venue. He was a Mason and…Continue Reading Bert Williams: Vaudeville’s Biggest Black Superstar by David Soren
Bessie Bonehill: The British Female Male Impersonator by David Soren
Bessie Bonehill (Born Betsey Bonehill in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England, February 17, 1855 – died Portsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, August 21, 1902) performed in English music hall and American vaudeville and plays as a singing comedienne and male impersonator, dressing up in boots and jacket with a top hat and touring across America to great acclaim….Continue Reading Bessie Bonehill: The British Female Male Impersonator by David Soren
Blanche Ring: Singing Comedienne of Early Broadway by David Soren
Blanche Ring (Boston, April 24, 1871 – Hollywood, January 13, 1961) was an early star of vaudeville and one of the most important early stars of Broadway musicals. When her superstar career dimmed in the 1920s she took on character roles in Hollywood movies. Blanche Ring ca. 1915 She came from a long line of…Continue Reading Blanche Ring: Singing Comedienne of Early Broadway by David Soren
Burlesque: The “Other” Side of Vaudeville by Sidney Pullen
American burlesque, as an institution, emerged in the late 1800s and evolved greatly up until the 1920s. Historically, a burlesque was a comedic work, and American burlesque originally reflected this traditional meaning of the term. In the United States and elsewhere, burlesques would parody well-known plays or operas, or significant political and social events (McNamara…Continue Reading Burlesque: The “Other” Side of Vaudeville by Sidney Pullen
Butterbeans and Susie: Racy Comedy Trendsetters by David Soren
One of the most important and yet forgotten acts in vaudeville was the comedy team of Butterbeans and Susie, who were really Jodie Edwards (July 19, 1893 – October 28, 1967) and Susie Edwards (born Susie Hawthorne, December, 1894 – died December 5th, 1963). The couple began with independent careers, he as a singer and…Continue Reading Butterbeans and Susie: Racy Comedy Trendsetters by David Soren