In Person
Gottfried's salute to the great performers begins with an overview of 17th century commedia dell'arte and the rise of comedic performances, minstrel shows, pantomime and acrobatics. He then describes popular entertainment of the 19th and 20th centuries, including the age of vaudeville and burlesque. Going back to the days of vaudeville, the era of the Palace Theatre and the Roxy, Gottfried recaptures with photographs, the great acts of early times--the comic dialogues of Weber and Fields or Smith and Dale, lyrics made famous by Sophie Tucker or Rudy Vallee, Flo Ziegfeld's "Follies," and the feats of Harry Houdini and Doug Henning. He also covers international stars such as Maurice Chevalier and Noel Coward, and the emergence of Las Vegas and Atlantic City as nightclub cities. ISBN 0-8109-1613-4: $49.50 (For use only in the library).