[Kathy in Alaska]

Good afternoon, spel, and thank you for the Saturday Afternoon Edition of the Salsa Addiction Emergency Room! ((HUGS))

[Publius]

THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK

HARRY WARREN

THE LAUGH PARADE: “OOH, THAT KISS”

It wasn’t the Depression that killed vaudeville, but radio. The vaudeville circuit was where Jack Benny, Bob Hope, George Burns and Gracie Allen, the Marx Brothers, and many other acts got their start. Even with the advent of sound in the movies, vaudeville acts would often precede the showing of a movie in many large urban venues. But the radio variety show changed everything, and from there the best vaudeville acts got radio shows of their own. The TV variety show would succeed radio, and the late night TV talk-and-variety show would succeed that.

Ed Wynn is almost forgotten today, but he was a leading comic in vaudeville, later becoming an actor of some note. Today his son, Keenan Wynn, is remembered as the greater actor, with his performance in Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove” his masterpiece. In 1931, Ed Wynn was a force to be reckoned with, and a Broadway revue produced under his name would fill seats. Ed turned to Harry Warren, Mort Dixon and Joe Young to write six songs for his show.

Victor Ardman & Phil Ohlman: “Ooh, That Kiss”