Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Vaudeville News, July 1925 - June 1929


     According to Wikipedia, "Vaudeville News (1920-19??) was a weekly newspaper created by the Vaudeville tycoon E.F. Albee in 1920. It was intended for Vaudeville actors and their managers to provide news, information, and advertising to those in the business."
     I made an effort to skim through VN, looking for references to Nattova and, occasionally, to others in her saga.

Vaudeville News July 17 1925

     A reference to Nattova's notorious "slapping" episode. (See here and here.) Upon being offended by Toots Pounds, an Australian comedienne, Nattova slapped her and then refused to perform at the next show. But the saga did not end there, evidently. Silly stuff.


Vaudeville News August 21 1925

     Nattova partnered with at least two dancers: Mr. Myrio (a pseudonym) and a Mr. Rodion (see). (Both men, post-Nattova, continued with other partners or companies. Myrio and his new partner gained some fame.) Both pairings seemed to flourish in the mid to late 20s. At some point in the late 20s, Nattova developed a so-called "adagio" act (which is perhaps more precisely characterized as an acrobatic dancing act, for it was uncommonly vigorous), one involving three "assistants" and permitting such splashy stunts as Nattova-as-jump-rope, and Nattova-handed-off-from-man-to-man, etc. (All of this can be seen in the 1929 "Hollywood Review" film.) She seemed to develop a very different act, involving the "machine age" theme and huge flower and paper-mache furnace props, in 1929 or so. That seemed to be the natue of her act, with assistants, in the early 30s. She seemed to take these innovations very seriously, having legally patenting the approach and issued warnings against would-be plagiarists and other fiends.

Vaudeville News Sept 1926

     I suppose this item suggests that the "Vaudeville News" catered to the small world of vaudevillians, even handling their mail, I guess.


Vaudeville News Aug 27 1927

     One senses that Nattova had a brief time in the London and New York spotlight--from about 1924 to maybe 1929--but then faded from prominence, descending into the status as one among many vaudeville acts endlessly touring the country. Is that correct?

Vaudeville News Oct 1927


Vaudeville News Oct 15 1927

     Here's an instance of Nattova (or perhaps just the writer) dropping a "t" from her name. It seems to me that, early in her career, she consistently spelled her name "Nattova," but then vacillated between the two spellings, starting perhaps in 1927 or so.

Vaudeville News Nov 1927

Vaudeville News Nov 1927

Vaudeville News Jan 12 1929

Vaudeville News Jan 26 1929


Vaudeville News Feb 1929

Vaudeville News Feb 16 1929

Vaudeville News April 3 1929

Vaudeville News Apr 6 1929

Vaudeville News April 13 1929

Evidently, Nattova was still very well-known in 1929.


Vaudeville News April 20 1929
Vaudeville News April 27 1929



Vaudeville News May 1929

Vaudeville News May 1929

Vaudeville News May 1929

Vaudeville News May 1929

Vaudeville News June 8 1929

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