Entertainment of the late
1800s & early 1900s
By: Kelly Binning and
Sabrina Orth
Live Performances
• Vaudeville
• Included: Song/Dance, Comedy,
and a chorus line of female
performers.
• Barnum & Bailey Circus
• Yearly circus that came by train.
Vaudeville
• Became more popular
after “Sergeant's Great
Vaudeville Company”
was formed in 1871
• Benjamin Franklin
Keith was the “father”
of American Vaudeville
• Developed the idea of
a “Continuous
Vaudeville”
• Many acts that
performed for 12
hours straight!
• Was originally for the
enjoyment of the
middle-class
•http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA02/easton/vaudeville/vaudevillemain.html
Barnum and Bailey Circus
•
Phineas Taylor Barnum
began life as a showman
when he developed
“Barnum’s American
Museum”
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Included: “General Tom
Thumb”, the Fiji Mermaid,
Chang and Eng Bunker
(Siamese Twins), and Anna
Swan (the Giantess.)
Eventually, this formed into
the “Barnum and Bailey
Circus.”
His closest friend at the time
was James Bailey, whom he
went into business with.
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Bailey took over after P.T.
Barnum died.
After Bailey died, the
Ringling Brothers took it
over.
•http://www.jugglenow.com/circus-history.html
Music and Dance
• Scott Joplin
• Pianist
• Ragtime Music
• Became very popular during this
time period
• The Cakewalk
• Accompanied Ragtime and
Dixieland music
Scott Joplin
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When he was young, he had
his first access to a piano
at the house where his
mother worked
He was discovered by
Julius Weiss who taught
him further
His first two publications
were “Please Say You Will”
and “A Picture of Her Face”
In 1899, he developed his
most famous rag, “Maple
Leaf Rag”
He was also skilled in
playing the violin and
cornet
He died April 1st, 1917 due
to tertiary syphilis
http://www.scottjoplin.org/biography.htm
Ragtime Music
• 4 main types:
• “Classic” instrumental
rag
• March-tempo piece for
a piano or band
• Ragtime Songs
• Weren’t particularly
“ragged” compared to
most
• Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf
Rag” set off a ragtime
craze
• Ragtime music and
composers had a great
impact on American Jazz
that came later on
• Syncopated Waltzes
• Played in a ¾ time
signature
• “Ragging” an existing
piece
• Taking a well-known
melody and “jazzing” it
up with syncopation
•
• Influenced jazz musician,
“Jelly Roll” Morton
• Influenced the
development of Dixieland
music
Eventually, Ragtime died
out until the 1940s
• A group of people began
a Ragtime Revival which
didn’t catch on until the
1970s
•http://cnx.org/content/m10878/latest/
The Cakewalk
• The first (and probably
most popular) dance
that included African,
European, and American
traditions
• Originated as a dance
competition between
slaves on plantations
• Some moves can be
related to the Irish Jig
• It influenced later
dances:
• The Charleston
• The Lindy Hop
• A group dance called
the “Big Apple”
•http://www.swingvirginia.com/reading/LindyHopOrigins-Thomas.html
Early Stars
• Sarah Burnhardt
• Actress
• Lillie Langtry
• Actress
• Jenny Lind
• Singer
• Charlie Chaplin
• Actor
• George L. Fox
• Comedian
Sarah Burnhardt
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French actress born October 22,
1845
At the age of 13, she entered the
Conservatoire
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She won prizes for acting in a
tragedy and comedy
Her first successes
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Cordelia in the French version of
“King Lear”
The queen in Victor Hugo’s “Ruy
Blas”
Zanetto in François Coppée's “Le
Passant”
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In 1880-1881 she toured:
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By 1896, she’d played 112 parts (38
that she’d created herself)
In 1899, she played the part of
Hamlet in the French version of
Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” with much
success
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Denmark
Russia
America
•http://www.theatrehistory.com/french/bernhardt001.html
Lillie Langtry
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British Actress born October
13, 1853
Before her acting career, she
was well known for her beauty
She appeared in London’s
Haymarket and Lyceum
theatres
Her American debut was in the
Park Theater, New York
When she returned to England
she was in:
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The ‘Degenerates’
‘Belladonna’
‘As you Like it’
‘Anthony and Cleopatra’
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“The Days I Knew”
Her autobiography was
published in 1925
•http://www.hurstmereclose.freeserve.co.uk/html/lillie_langtry.html
Jenny Lind
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1821
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Age 10
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At age 23
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In 1847
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P.T. Barnum realized her
talent and advertised her
shows
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Born in Stockholm, Sweden
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She sang on the Stockholm
stage
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She sang at festivals in
Queen Victoria’s honor
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First real concert
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Tickets sold easily in New
York
She traveled to Paris where
she studied with Spanish
vocal director, Manuel Garcia
She died in 1887
•http://www.essortment.com/all/jennylind_rtiv.htm
Charlie Chaplin
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Born April 16th, 1889 in
Walworth, England
First stage appearance
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Age 8
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Ages 17-24
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Age 5, singing a song in the
place of his sick mother
Toured with the musical, “The
Eight Lancaster Lads”
In Fred Karno’s English
Vaudeville troupe
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Toured in New York
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First movie
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After 1915, he wrote, directed,
produced, scored, and starred in
all his movies
Won an Academy Award for “The
Circus” (1928)
Won an Oscar in 1929
1975
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“Making a Living” (1914)
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Knighted by the Queen of
England
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000122/bio
George L. Fox
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Known as the “American
Grimaldi”
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(Grimaldi helped develop
the character of the Clown)
He introduced Grimaldi’s
style of “violent slapstick
and topical satire” to
America
He gave over 1,000
performances on Broadway
In 1867, he created his
“Humpty Dumpty”
production
Ironically, he died of
poisoning from the leadbased white clown makeup
he wore
•http://www.clownministry.com/index_1.php/articles/george_fox_the_american_grimaldi_
famous_white_face_clown/
The Silver Screen
• Made with
• Silk or a synthetic fiber
• Tightly woven together and embedded with
silver
• Used with low-power projectors
• Downfalls
• Poor light distributors
• Very narrow viewing angles
• Hot-spotting (One part of the projection
“over saturates” the center, leaving the
edges of the picture dark)
http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/silver-screen/
The First Movie
• The Great Train Robbery
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000439/
Created in 1903
Directed by: Edwin S. Porter
Written by: Scott Marble
Runtime: 11 minutes
Summary: “The clerk at the
train station is assaulted and
left tied by four men, then
they rob the train threatening
the operator. (They) take all
the money and shoot a
passenger when trying to run
away. A little girl discovers
the clerk tied and gives
notice to the sheriff, who at
once goes along with his men
hunting the bandits.” –Michel
Rudoy
• Starring: Justus D. Barnes
and Gilbert M. Anderson
Sports
• Baseball
• Ice Hockey
• Founded
• Equestrian Sports
Baseball
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1845
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1869
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1871
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1876
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1884
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Alexander Cartwright
published a set of baseball
rules. They were widely
accepted
Cincinnati Red Stockings
were the first salaried team
National Association of
Professional Baseball
Players formed
First major league (National
League) formed
Moses Fleetwood Walker was
the first African American
major leaguer
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/robinson/jr1860s.html
Ice Hockey
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First played
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1877
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1888
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1894
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1895
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1900
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1904
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Windsor, Nova Scotia, Kingston,
Ontario, Montreal, or Quebec
First set of rules published in
the Montreal Gazette
The Amateur Hockey
Association of Canada formed
First official hockey rink is
opened in Baltimore, MA
First international series
matches played by US colleges
•
Goal net is first used
•
International Hockey League
formed
http://proicehockey.about.com/od/history/a/history_timelin.htm
Equestrian Sports
• 1820s
• Montreal Foxhunt
established
• 1840
• First steeplechase
race held in Montreal
• 1900
• First modern Olympic
events held in Paris
• Show jumping, Long
jump, High jump
• 1912
• Dressage and 3-day
eventing introduced in
Stockholm
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TC
E&Params=A1ARTA0002633
The End
References
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http://www.swingvirginia.com/reading/LindyHopOrigins-Thomas.html
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA02/easton/vaudeville/vaudevillemain.html
http://www.jugglenow.com/circus-history.html
http://www.scottjoplin.org/biography.htm
http://cnx.org/content/m10878/latest/
http://www.clownministry.com/index_1.php/articles/george_fox_the_american_grimaldi_fam
ous_white_face_clown/
http://www.theatrehistory.com/french/bernhardt001.html
http://www.hurstmereclose.freeserve.co.uk/html/lillie_langtry.html
http://www.essortment.com/all/jennylind_rtiv.htm
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000122/bio
http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/silver-screen/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000439/
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/robinson/jr1860s.html
http://proicehockey.about.com/od/history/a/history_timelin.htm
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params
=A1ARTA0002633