This is my blog where I write about music, jewelry, and myself. Vaudeville, burlesque, blues, jazz, songs about baltimore, novelties, and whatever else I feel like posting. Mostly from my own LPs and 78s. Subscribe via any of the methods in the right-hand column. Please do not link directly to the mp3 files.

Oh, I didn't realize I hadn't posted this yet..


Part 4: 1940 To Date FROM TV TO 3-D with the actual voices of Hildegarde, Ezio Pinza, Perry Como, Danny Kaye, Eddie Fisher


George Jessel
Show biz Part 4
RCA Victor (1953)

Labels: history, spoken, vaudeville

Posted by: Kara Mae 2/15/2010  (0) comments

How about a good ole serial?
Hide yourself underneath 1000 blankets and listen to records on the computer.
It's easier to click a mouse under a blanket than to move a turn-table arm. Unless you have a "snuggie" I guess.
You've heard George Jessel on at least one of my other uploads.
On this recording he's not really doing comedy.. just narrating. Reading from this book.
This record has 4 parts.


Part 1: 1904 To 1920 WHEN VAUDEVILLE WAS KING with the actual voices of Jimmy Durante, Smith & Dale,Georges M. Cohan, Harry Lauder, Fanny Brice, Nora
Bayes& Jack Norworth, Will Rogers, Enrico Caruso.


George Jessel
Show biz Part 1
RCA Victor (1953)

I appreciate the mention of Bee Palmer.

Next time:

Part 2: 1920 To 1929 THE ROARING TWENTIES
Part 3: 1929 To 1940 WHEN WALL STREET LAID AN EGG
Part 4: 1940 To Date FROM TV TO 3-D


Bonus: searching for any fun facts on this record led me to this unrelated blog which does however have a nice thing about Brittany Murphy and some old timey actresses.

Labels: history, spoken, vaudeville

Posted by: Kara Mae 1/04/2010  (2) comments

This little gem on the eclectic nonesuch label does what I dreamed of doing 25 years later - re-recording the signature songs of the most famous vaudeville ladies.
I chose the first track, which appropriately is Eva Tanguay's "I Don't Care".
The musicians on this record, Joan Morris & William Bolcom are apparently married and still going strong.
In fact, they have a new CD out.. today (this is a complete coincidence with me pulling out this record).
I can't say that I found Morris' voice compelling. For example when I listen to this song I've posted, I get the feeling that she does care. However, I am aware that I am prejudiced against these types of reenacting performers, probably because I'm jealous or have some high expectations.
Therefore, I am now interested in setting aside my attitude problem to give a fair listen to their new release. The description of "Someone Talked: Memories of World War II" declares that it was recorded/released "pride and respect for those who sacrificed to preserve democracy during the turbulent years of World War II", but the title suggests something more. It is narrated by an NPR host. I'm sure he will shed some wry NPR light on the subject, so I can wrap my adult contemporary mind around it.

Joan Morris & William Bolcom
I Don't Care
Vaudeville: Songs of the Great Ladies of the Musical stage
1976 Nonesuch Records



sorry, this is the illustration on the record

Labels: history, vaudeville

Posted by: Kara Mae 9/30/2009  (0) comments

Nat M Wills
"No News" or "What Killed the Dog"
Victor 17222-A 1908




Why do I do things backwards? Grr. Usually I go through my records, pick out one, record the track and then research the artist/recording. But sometimes I find out the song is readily available in mp3 format and I feel silly.
I should research it before BUYING it, let alone recording it.
Of course the mp3 I put up here is the one I made, but you can also find this track at the wonderful archive.org's collection of Nat M Wills' recordings.
What's more, there's a schnazzy CD collection released by the nearly-as-wonderful Archeophone Records, doubtless complete with an educational booklet.
I also discovered this blog, "Vitaphone Varieties", which I am enjoying and hoping will continue to be updated.
Well, these are the breaks when you're on your own in the cold lonely world of 78s and vaudeville.
I think mine is the last generation that will remember when information was hard to find. Writing to indie labels for their catalogs, reading bands 'thank you' lists, taking note of Kurt Cobain's T-Shirts, wandering the library stacks, and even calling up strangers with questions... thanks to good ole internet I can put those desperate acts behind me. It's trite but yeah, I mean I'm posting an mp3 and including a link to another (likely better) mp3 of the same track.. I excel at redundancy .

Labels: comedy, vaudeville

Posted by: Kara Mae 12/15/2008  (0) comments

Hey! A whole dang record. Actually, two records.
Over the last few weeks I've been taking my time and recording to mp3s the songs from both discs in this compilation. I have no idea what year this was released but I assume it caters to some rich people who thought the thirties were wonderful. I wasn't there, but I'd heard otherwise.
Furthermore, according to the 1930s Tin-Pan Alley compilation "The Music Goes Round and Around,", the thirties weren't that important music-wise either.
To further entice you to download "Those Wonderful Thirties: The Stars of Broadway, Night Clubs and Vaudeville," I'll admit that it's not the greatest. A lot of the recordings are actually from the 40s.. but they were hits in the 30s.
Lastly, I will reveal that I put varying degrees of effort into the recording and tagging of the four sides. It's sort of a grab bag.
There are some songs and a George Jessel comedy bit that I enjoyed. I'm gonna keep on with this 30s theme and record the other volumes of "Those Wonderful Thirties," including a Hollywood and I think a radio version. And then i'll save best for last and upload that "Music Goes Round and Around" comp.
Enjoy!

Download:
Those Wonderful Thirties: The Stars of Broadway, Night Clubs and Vaudeville

Labels: history, vaudeville

Posted by: Kara Mae 11/12/2008  (1) comments

AAAAHHH. MY CALIFONE! IT'S BROKEN!
What the hell man. Tonight it just wouldn't spin. The sound works, the light works, but it never makes the shift from "standby" to "play." I opened it up and all wires are secure and fuse is fine, etc. So I guess the motor died or something. How infuriating. And sad. So.. no 'party record' tonight.
Instead, something that's actually funnier, yet also more substantial. I have no idea how I got this record. Well I know how I got it. I bought it online because it contained two of my favorite themes - burlesque and drag queens. But I have no idea how I got it for ten dollars. On the back of this record sleeve it lists 9 other Ray "Rae" Bourbon releases, which I just looked up on ebay and are for sale at around $50 each.
Why are these such collectors items? Well, Rae Bourbon is a pretty special character. The best information can be found in this tribute site.
Rae Bourbon was a female impersonator and gay icon, performing from the 1930s up until his imprisonment in the late 1960s. He'd been convicted of "Accomplice to Murder with Malice," against a man who had disposed of dogs that Rae had put in his care. He died in prison in 1971.
He appeared in a few silent films in the 1920s after entering his photo (as a female) in a Photoplay contest. In the early 1930's he performed in the "pansy shows", gay and mainstream nightclubs, and vaudeville.
Another bit of his story from this site offers some enlightenment regarding party records:
From 1935 through the early forties, Ray would record with Bob and Chet, Howard, and other musicians in a series of sides released under various small labels such as "Bourbana", "Liberty Music Shop" and "Imperial" (not related to the R&B label of the fifties). Like other "blue" party records of the period, they were sold at Ray's shows, through mail order, and "under the counter" by discrete record dealers. A surprising number of Ray's records were pirated under anonymous labels and many were pressed in small quantities for use in jukeboxes in adult establishments such as bars and nightclubs.

Rae seems to be an expert about vaudeville, burlesque, and Mae West. Now there's a broad after my own heart.
Seriously, I urge you to read this life story.



Rae Bourbon
Strip Queen
Ladies of Burlsque
UTC 1950s

Hey. For extra fun here's a wav of me singing into an answering machine a few years ago.
If you have any 78 player recommendations, let me know. I'm mostly likely to just get another Califone exactly like the one I have.

Labels: adult, burlesque, comedy, gay, glamorous, mae west, party records, vaudeville

Posted by: Kara Mae 9/29/2008  (3) comments

I haven't done a song in awhile, and I promise I will in the near future. I've been busy with all kinds of things: work, metalworking, cooking classes, weekend jaunts with family and friends.
For now I'm going to catch up on other things. First I'll bring up Archeophone's timely release of "Debate 08: Taft and Bryan Campaign on the Edison Phonograph." I just got this (along with this collection of banned 1890's recordings!).

The recordings are great and eye-opening, but the booklet that comes with it is not to be missed. If you have any interest in history, politics, or the evolution of recorded sound and its impact on society (I fall into this latter category), I highly recommend this. Archeophone is the BEST. I wish I could afford to own every single thing they released. I've got my eye on Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry, 1891-1922.

In modern music news, my mom took me to see The Avett Brothers on Sunday. Holy wow what a show. Those dudes can sing. And scream. And rock a cello and a banjo and break a lot of strings and stir a crowd into a frenzy. According to Wikipedia they're 'folk rock'. So if you're into that kind of thing in any possible way, you might want to check them out.

Books:


American Vaudeville As Seen by Its Contemporaries
Totally cool. Got this from the Pratt Library. This was full of reprints of old timey articles related to vaudeville, culled from autobiographies, newspapers, trade publications, and more. It's divided into sections such as beginnings, stars, decline, legacy, etc. See, this is why the Pratt Library rules. Because I wouldn't have found this book if I hadn't been browsing around that place. And this is my favorite kind of stuff, "contemporary" time capsules. Truly it added to my mental vaudeville experience.

Gossip Girl books 2 & 3: "You Know You Love Me," "All I Want Is Everything"

I am so embarrassed when I ask for these at the library. For some reason some of them aren't always out for the picking so I have to have the nice lady go get them. Asking for "You Know You Love Me" was the worst.
But obviously I keep coming back for more. It takes like 45 minutes to read one of them so I kind of break up the nonfiction with it.
On to my summary:
More hijinx. Lets see.. uh this goth girl Vanessa takes a video of her friend Dan's little sister Jenny "doing what looks like the nasty" in the park with Blair's ex Nate in the park. But Vanessa didn't know it was Jenny she was just being an artful filmmaker. So Vanessa's older sister Ruby lent Vanessa's camera to a friend and the video got on the internet. And Dan was devastated that Jenny and Vanessa were such sluts so he wrote a poem about it and it got published in the New Yorker.
Serena and Blair became friends again and went on vacation to St. Barts, wherever that is, and some rock star fell in love with Serena but she was all like "whatevs." Actually I forget what else happened because I simultaneously started renting the TV show and watching those but basically they're all great and totally scandalous good times.
Seeya later xoxo.. unicornmeat.
That's a little Gossip Girl joke for you.
I haven't had any comments or emails lately... is anyone out there? Did I ever post that video of me singing from 2003?

Labels: books, history, teens, vaudeville

Posted by: Kara Mae 9/23/2008  (1) comments

Rank Ladies: Gender and Cultural Hierarchy in American Vaudeville
by M. Alison Kibler
I just can't get enough vaudeville lately.. this book satisfied my obsessive urge, although it didn't entirely live up to the title. A few female performers were showcased, but it could have used more commentary on the subject from actual women in vaudeville.
Ruth Budd, a strong and outspoken acrobat, was my favorite part of the book. Her life sounded pretty interesting and even included a controversial engagement to a female impersonator. Which stirred people because since she was strong, they already thought she was totally a lez. She actually was really pretty, judging from the pictures in the book. Anyway, she was neat.
There was lengthy explanation of the fact that the moral cleaning-up of vaudeville was therefore seen as a "feminization," since at the time, women represented moral judgment and offended sensibilities. That was new to me. There was a lot of quoting from actual reports written by theater owners, which was a totally awesome source. The footnotes were worth reading.



Gossip Girl #1: A Novel
by Cecily Von Ziegesar
Remember, I love teens! I want to start familiarizing myself with the modern-era of teen "literature", starting of course with this seminal work of the new millennium. Man, did you know that the girl Serena in this book goes to an art opening and gets her anus (or maybe bellybutton) photographed? Then the artistic anus portrait is displayed on buses and cabs. But Serena doesn't care, she's so cooool. All the guys love her. She's the prettiest.
Because of this, I sympathized with the bitchy character Blair. I know all too well what it's like to be outshined. Blair's boyfriend is even secretly in love with Serena. That sucks!
The "gossip girl" gimmick was pretty pointless but I guess without it the book would lack 'zing'. I was embarrassed to check this out from the library but it's important for my education. I'm glad I took the plunge.

Labels: books, teens, vaudeville

Posted by: Kara Mae 8/14/2008  (0) comments

Well.. what can I even eloquently say about this? This recording is from a Victor Vaudeville Comedy 12". The flip side sketch is "Darktown Campmeetin' Experiences." "Darky Specialty."
I'm sure most readers of my blog are familiar with this unsettling phase in pop-culture.
I like to believe that my 1917 equivalent wouldn't be interested in such a record as this. But as we all know- on some level, this type of entertainment wasn't the sole domain of "racists." Acts similar to this recording took place between the jugglers and opera singers in vaudeville. The inappropriateness of this type of entertainment was hardly acknowledged until decades later. (Although the Irish were able to successfully raise a big stink about the mockery they were facing in vaudeville.)
I think the majority of consumers then as now were mindless sheep, never stopping to think about the perversion of 'lightheartedly' ridiculing a people and a culture while simultaneously oppressing it.
I sometimes roll my eyes at the constant pop-culture self-reflection that takes place in our society today (hello VH1). But when you think about it in light of things that slipped by in the past, maybe it's a good thing to keep our consumption and entertainment under scrutiny. Maybe we can reflect on our questionable judgement within our own lifetime.


Victor Vaudeville Company
Court Scene in Carolina
Victor Talking Machine Co., 1917

Labels: comedy, ethnic, vaudeville

Posted by: Kara Mae 7/28/2008  (0) comments

A few weeks ago I read this book:



"No Applause- Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous" by Trav S.D.

I can't recommend it enough, especially to readers of this blog. It revived my interest in Vaudeville, educated me quite a bit, and riled me up over the timeless tale of corporate takeover of entertainment.

Before Vaudeville was of much interest to me there was Mae West. I believe the second book I read about Mae was "Becoming Mae West" by Emily Wortis Leider. In reading this book I became intrigued by a Vaudeville superstar influence on Mae that kept popping up: Eva Tanguay. In the words of Trav S.D.: "She was crazy." She's basically like... the queen of Vaudeville. I've read tidbits about her, seen a lot of photos where she looks weird and/or unattractive, and as with Lillian Russell, I've always hoped to hear her for myself. Thanks again to "They Stopped The Show," I can. Now, if only there were some footage..

I Don't Care
Eva Tanguay
from "They Stopped The Show" Audio Rarities compilation 1969

the gang's all here

P.S. Speaking of books about Mae, I absolutely loved "Mae West: It Ain't No Sin" by Simon Louvish. It's my new favorite Mae Biography. Louvish is a good writer, he had access to newly released documents, he focuses on the early years and Mae West the writer. Good stuff.

Labels: books, mae west, vaudeville

Posted by: Kara Mae 4/22/2008  (4) comments

Believe it or not, I've been waiting for years to get this song. This is one of the only songs Lillian Russell ever recorded. Although she was a huge star, she nearly missed the era of recorded sound.
A few years ago I got a book taken out from dusty vault of the Enoch Pratt central library (PN2287.R83O25) about Lillian Russell and her pal Diamond Jim Brady. It went on at length about the extreme twelve course meals they shared. I don't remember much about her life other than gluttony.
I once went in a building on Cathedral street by the City Cafe - at the time the building was being used as the Talking Head club. Upstairs before a doorway, the floor tiles declared "The Lillian Russell Room." I wish I could buy that building.
Diamond Jim Brady has his own tribute in Baltimore, in the form of the James Brady Urological Institute. Johns Hopkins came to his aid when his lifestyle caught up to him, and he lived up to his nickname in giving back.
I'll be posting more from this compilation because it's got some gems.

Come Down My Evenin' Star
Lillian Russell
from "They Stopped The Show" Audio Rarities compilation 1969

Lillian Russell, competitive eater, sex symbol

Labels: glamorous, vaudeville

Posted by: Kara Mae 4/16/2008  (2) comments

Click through the vaudeville items I've posted and you're sure to notice the melting pot of ethnic caricatures. Some vaudevillians played up their actual heritage and some created a persona (or several) based on one of the many immigrant stereotypes flooding into the United States.
People from all walks of life attended vaudeville shows to laugh at themselves and each other.
The appropriate-ness of such humor is probably judged by most people in the context of social status, perceived or real.
In addition to immigration-inspired monologues like this, there was also the minstrel influence on vaudeville. Another one of my records, instead of "Norwegian dialect" declares that it's a "Darky Specialty."
I don't suppose I need to go into the way that piece of vaudeville history is looked upon today.
But without that history and baggage, "for many, vaudeville was the first exposure to the cultures of people living right down the street."
I don't know where Ethel Olson was born or what she looked like. I can determine that her specialty was gleeful laughter and Norwegian Dialect. (Scroll down that last link to a transcript and brief commentary about the monologue that's on the other side of the mp3 I'm posting.)


Ethel Olson
At The Movies
1923?

Labels: comedy, ethnic, vaudeville

Posted by: Kara Mae 3/01/2008  (1) comments

Miss Jones & Mr. Spencer
Flannigan's Night Off
1909





I would know all about acts like Miss Jones & Mr. Spencer if I had this book. Maybe I'll get it with my big ole tax refund, to stimulate the economy. Yeah right.
Miss Jones is actually Ada Jones, a popular performer who has made many recordings, some of which can be found on releases by such labels as Archeophone.
I can't tell if this song/sketch is comedy or what. The sound is very bad most of the time. She's got a lovely voice though.
I found this site that sells mp3s of lots of old recordings like this one. I can't listen their version of it to hear if the sound is any better but I'd assume so, although they declare they do no noise reduction (but have better equipment to begin with).
I did a LOT of hiss reduction.

Labels: vaudeville

Posted by: Kara Mae 2/18/2008  (0) comments

Collins & Harlan
Every Little Bit, Added to What You've Got, Makes Just a Little Bit More
Zon-O-Phone Record 846, 1907






This one-sided "Zon-O-Phone Record" came from ebay. I didn't really know much about this vaudeville duo, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of useful websites (a lot more than I found for Marie Cahill, for example).
Together and solo, both Arthur Collins and Byron Harlan were wildly popular recording artists - in a time when "recording artist" was a relatively new concept.
Additional songs by Collins & Harlan can be found on various websites (1, 2, 3), as well as some of the wonderful Archeophone Phonographic Yearbook CDs. I don't yet own the volumes that have these songs, but it's a great series. 1908 appears to have "Every Little Bit," on it, credited to just "Arthur Collins." It's probably the same recording... it probably sounds a lot better.
I also noticed on last.fm, that I was not the first person to listen to a Collins & Harlan mp3. 30 listeners! And their number one song is... "Nigger Loves His Possum (first Version)".
Uhhh, what?! God damnit. So I guess they were more of a minstrel than a Vaudeville act.
Well, the song I've posted contains nothing offensive, unless you just can't stand the surface noise. You hear what I hear... directly from my Califone to you.

Labels: vaudeville

Posted by: Kara Mae 9/09/2006  (0) comments

I hate drinking water. It tastes weird and gross to me.
But I have been drinking it lately. It's been hot out. I like it icy cold. As cold as possible.
Mostly though, I've been drinking the demon liquor. The thing is, I usually try to avoid talking about drinking like it's an event. My multi-faceted personality has so much else to offer. Like all of the music featured here. Yeah... booze is more interesting to most people.
I am just tryin ta live.
ANYWAY.
I'm a little tipsy. And so I thought it would be appropriate to make one of these WC Fields mp3s. Talk about drinking-bragging. WC Fields is the predecessor to generations of celebrity drunks - people who make their identity out of a habit that a bajillion other people have just as emphatically.. If that word is appropriate. I meant like.. "severely."

Soooo Mae West comes into play once again - because she shares this record with Fields. They appeared together in "My Little Chickadee," to dubious comedic benefit. Mae seemed very unwilling to accept Fields as a romantic counterpart, first of all. Secondly, the plot is clueless and Mae lacks fodder for her brand of lusty one-liners. Her lack of interest shows. I know about this, because I might just be Mae re-incarnated: Why bother putting effort into this movie if I'm not scoring some mega hot co-star to try and bone?
Yes, exactly. That's what it seems to me like Mae was thinking.
SO. WC Fields. This record. Yeah...

W.C. Fields
The Day I Drank A Glass of Water
W.C. Field & Mae West
(5:52 by the way)





Mae hated Fields' drinking. She was never actually a drinker herself. Didn't touch the stuff. Maybe I'm not her after all.

Labels: comedy, mae west, vaudeville

Posted by: Kara Mae 8/21/2006  (1) comments

I'm so glad to find out that some people are actually reading this blog. Thanks to anyone who's linked to me!
Today... another "Comedy Monologue."
Guess what this one's about. That's right.. women! Can't live with em, can't live without em. David Kline (as "Cohen") even uses that line, along with every other joke in the book. It was 1921 - let's hope these zingers were a little more novel.
He also uses the "Marraige is an institution - but who wants to live in an institution?" line that is so often credited to Mae West. It's true that she recycled a lot of lines.
I can't find any info on the web about David Kline. Get a more unique name, David! Too late now.

David Kline
Cohen Talks About The Ladies
1921 Regal Comedy Monologue No.992

Completely Unrelated Illustration

Labels: comedy, vaudeville

Posted by: Kara Mae 4/08/2006  (3) comments