Book: "No Applause, Just Throw Money" by Trav S.D.
Verdict: Pretty good, and probably worth reading. If you like theater, pop culture, early 20th century American history, or old Ed Sullivan acts, you'll almost certainly get a kick out of this book.
* How was the Rock and Roll revolution like Mao's Cultural Revolution?
* Why aren't unions more common among computing professionals?
* What exactly does "Hell's half acre" mean, anyway?
* What connection does "Smiley Smile" bear to "The Jazz Singer"?
Trav S.D., a modern vaudevillian if ever there was one, set out to explain to the world what vaudeville was, what it is, and why you should care. He has, to a greater or lesser extent, succeeded. Combining the academic's eye for detail with a slightly warped sense of presentation, this book is a celebration of vaudeville, it's stars and their influence on everything that came later.
At 295 pages, I won't deny that there are certainly slow spots. And S.D.'s desire to leave out nothing important presents the reader with a dizzying array of names and dates, times and places. We meet Buster and the entire Keaton family, a young Mr. Chaplin, Bob Hope, Louis Armstrong, Al Jolsen, Mae West, and hundreds (and hundreds!) more. We read about palatial theaters of a bygone era, like the Orpheum and the Victoria and (naturally) the Palace. If, however, you can sit back and enjoy the show, there are thrills and spills to rival fire-eaters and knife-jugglers between these covers. Incessantly peppered with side references and anecdotes about famous gags, the attentive reader will depart the book feeling distinctly more in-touch with the stars of classic cinema.
* How was the Rock and Roll revolution like Mao's Cultural Revolution?
* Why aren't unions more common among computing professionals?
* What exactly does "Hell's half acre" mean, anyway?
* What connection does "Smiley Smile" bear to "The Jazz Singer"?
Trav S.D., a modern vaudevillian if ever there was one, set out to explain to the world what vaudeville was, what it is, and why you should care. He has, to a greater or lesser extent, succeeded. Combining the academic's eye for detail with a slightly warped sense of presentation, this book is a celebration of vaudeville, it's stars and their influence on everything that came later.
At 295 pages, I won't deny that there are certainly slow spots. And S.D.'s desire to leave out nothing important presents the reader with a dizzying array of names and dates, times and places. We meet Buster and the entire Keaton family, a young Mr. Chaplin, Bob Hope, Louis Armstrong, Al Jolsen, Mae West, and hundreds (and hundreds!) more. We read about palatial theaters of a bygone era, like the Orpheum and the Victoria and (naturally) the Palace. If, however, you can sit back and enjoy the show, there are thrills and spills to rival fire-eaters and knife-jugglers between these covers. Incessantly peppered with side references and anecdotes about famous gags, the attentive reader will depart the book feeling distinctly more in-touch with the stars of classic cinema.