American Masters: Vaudeville
Nicholas Brothers
performer
Reed, Leonard
performer
Taylor, June
performer
Rooney, Pat
performer
Toy and Wing
performer
Cagney, James
performer
Television/Video
1997-11-26
1997/11/26
Ameican Masters: Vaudeville 1997/11/26 PBS. Explores the lives and achievements of Americas most celebrated native-born and adopted artists; archival footage and interviews with former performers and historians to examine the history of vaudeville from the 1880s to the 1930s. Narrated by Ben Vereen, begins by defining vaudeville, explaining its appeal to the working classes; its immigrant performers and audience; and its origins in other art forms such as the English music hall, street performers, clowns, the Yiddish theatre, and burlesque. He looks a the wholesome family aspect of vaudeville; the importance of the vaudeville circuit owners; the need to travel across the country; the usual sequence of acts on a vaudeville show; the resulting hierarchy of performers; the love/hate relationship of vaudevillians had with audiences. Looks at members of minority groups, particularly black performers, stressing the difficulty of overcoming stereotypes begun by the minstrel shows and blackfaced white performers. Finally, the demise of vaudeville as it was threatened by radio, movies, and television. Guests include Bill Irwin, Fayard and Harold Nicholas, Leonard Reed, June Taylor, Bobby Short, Al Hirschfeld, Morton Gould, Mel Watkins, Robert Townsend. Scenes from acts as Nicholas Brothers, Pat Rooney, Eunice Wilson and the Five Racketeers, Stump and Stumpy, Reed and Bryant, Bert Williams, Toy and Wing, Jimmy Cagney, Ginger Rogers, and Bill Irwin.
Performing Arts Encyclopedia
http://www.loc.gov/performingarts
Museum of Television and Radio Broadcasing: Museum of Television and Radio Broadcasing. ().
Tap Dance America
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/html/tda/tda-home.html
James Cagney (biography)
loc.music.tdabio.45
June Taylor (biography)
loc.music.tdabio.115
Nicholas Brothers (biography)
loc.music.tdabio.144
Leonard Reed (biography)
loc.music.tdabio.160
tda
IHAS
151216
loc.music.tda.1927