Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-05-22
Vaudeville
Coming Back
Praise Allah!
Loudest Cheers Arise
From MIR. Runyon
By DAMON RUNYON

SoME time ago I was writing
~ so many pieces about the
vanished glories of a once ia
nous phase Of show business
that some of my younger read
ers began sarcastically inquir-
ing:
what are you trying to do
bring back vaudeville ?"
Well, OF course, that was not
my thought. l was just lost in
a fog of nostalgia over the years
when the Palace Theater was in
full flower and the headliners
were kings and queens of the
boards and got the big money.
1t never occurred TO me for a
minute that vaudeville had a
chance of a comeback. Times
had changed. and public taste
had changed.
IT seemed 10 me that nothing
was deader than the era OF the
two-a-day performers, and the
only reason l went on incoming
about the past was that my
older readers swamped me with
their own recollections and kept
me well stocked with material
on that subject.
Any time / could not think Of
anything else to write about. I
would list reach in a desk
drawer and get out another let
ter from some one who recalled
Irene Franklin, Nora Bayes.
Kitty Gordon. Eva Tanguay.
Powers elephants. the Bison
City Four or some other act of
the old days.
That stuff had great audience
appeal to the oldsters no matter
what the young 'uns thought
about it, and l abandoned the
topic with some reluctance. ~
NOV I see by Variety. that
~ lively publication which was
always the gospel Of vaudeville,
as il has since become the text
book of the cinema and radio
and the legit. says that vaude-
vile is not only reviving, but
that the biggest boom since the
twenties is in sight for that field
of entertainment.
My guess is that. while Of late
years Variety has given almost
all its space to the newer de-
partments of public diversion. il
has never lost It's old affection
for vaudeville any more than /
have.
Only few months ago it had
me buying the paper just TO
read its reprints of the criticisms
of vaudeville acts of years ago
by Jack Lait, now editor of the
Daily Mirror, but in those old
days a critic whose printed ver-
dict was awaited by performers
in fear and trembling.
No man knew vaudeville better
than Jack.
Variety announces three more
two-a-day shows TO supplement
the three now current in New
York, the resurrection beginning
with Clifford c. Fischer'S ven
ture in conjunction with the
Shuberts some months back.
am told that when he started,
some thought Fischer had in
herited in a more concrete form
the dizziness OF which l was
suspected when / was only writ
ing about old vaudeville. At
least, l never tried 10 put any
on.
VARIETY says fourth show
V is planned for New York.
one for Chicago and one for
Los Angeles.
Many big name performers of
all branches of the entertain
ment business OF today, meaning
radio. stage and screen and also
the cafes. are booked for the
various bills.
Some old vaudcvillians are re-
turning TO their own with the re-
vival, but the majority of the
star performers of the two-a-
day as paw and NAV knew il.
have long since disappeared into
retirement.
You find many of them out
West, some working in the Hol-
lywood movie studios, others
who can afford il, content 10
take ii easy in their declining
years on a bit of ground on
which they can putter around
a bit.
A few of the old-timers still
maintain something of their
former Importance. but quite a
number of those who were once
headliners, now take minor roles
and are glad TO get them.
/ can name a number who
would be swell in the new order.
7 AM wondering where all
L those new shows of the re-
vival are going TO get perform
ers of the right kind for their
bills.
Vaudeville had a technique all
its own, and the development
of a vaudeville headliner was a
matter of years of experience.
Actors who might be terrific
in other branches of show bust
ness, would not know which way
TO turn on the vaudeville stage.
1 suppose the answer is that