LibGuides: Vaudeville: Home

Vaudeville

Vaudeville was made of comedians, singers, plate-spinners, ventriloquists, dancers, musicians, acrobats, animal trainers, and anyone who could keep an audience’s interest for more than three minutes. Beginning in the 1880s and through the 1920s, vaudeville was home to more than 25,000 performers, and was the most popular form of entertainment in America. (PBS)

SLCL: Branches and Hours

Branch Hours & Locations
Information about the 20 branches of the SLCL.
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Vaudeville: St. Louis

Vaudeville | Living St. Louis
Booker T. Washington Theatre
The Booker T. Washington Theatre was one of the first theaters in the United States operated by African-Americans for African-Americans.

Timeline

An annotated history of the Vaudeville Theater
In the interim between classical musicians and minstrel shows and the rise of popular cinema, there was an entire theatrical genre that took the Western world by storm: Vaudeville Theater.

Courtesy of the American Sign Museum

This large metal sign is circa 1900.

American Sign Museum

Performers

Wikipedia: List of vaudeville performers: A–K
Wikipedia: List of vaudeville performers: L–Z
The Whatcom Museum: JAMES WARWICK VAUDEVILLE COLLECTION : A BY—GONE PHENOMENON
Images of vaudeville performers from across the nation who performed at Beck's and Grand Theaters in Bellingham, WA.
Martin Beck offers Madame Sarah Bernhardt in vaudeville,
Sarah Bernhardt's forays into American vaudeville came in lengthy tours while the form was at its height, in 1912-13 and 1917-18.

Vaudeville and Baseball Players

Helen Cook Weaver, star on the vaudeville stage
Helen Cook Weaver was married to Buck Weaver who was implicated in the in the Black Sox Scandal.
Vaudeville and Baseball
Baseball and Vaudeville: during the 1900’s it was the vogue of star baseball players to augment their winter income by appearing in vaudeville, usually with an experienced vaudeville star doing most of the acting.
Jackie on Stage: Jackie Robinson and Vaudeville in 1947