Creation myths -- Vanishing act -- Just what was vaudeville? -- At the wonderland -- Dreamsweat -- Jacks-in-the-pew -- Bright particular star -- The Jonah Man -- The muting of the strings -- Obituaries and obsolescencies -- The playhouse -- History.
Summary:
"At the heart of American Vaudeville is one strange, unsettling fact: for nearly fifty years, from the late nineteenth century to the 1930s, vaudeville was everywhere-then, suddenly, it was nowhere. This book tells the story of what was once the most popular form of entertainment in the country using lists, creation myths, thumbnail biographies, dreams, and obituaries. A lyric history-part social history, part song-American Vaudeville sits at the nexus between poetry, experimental nonfiction, and, because it includes historic images, art books"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.