Vaudeville resources?

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Thomas Reeder
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Re: Vaudeville resources?

Postby Thomas Reeder » Thu Jun 18, 2009 1:08 pm

Hal Erickson's "All Movie Guide" review ay http://www.nytimes.com of a 1910 film titled "Rats" sheds a little more light on the act (and yet another variation of the spelling):

"Rats was produced by one of the many "independent" film firms which sprouted up in 1910 as opposition to the monopolistic Motion Picture Patents Company. Almost as repulsive as its title, the film was a record of a vaudeville act consisting of a team of trained rats. In fact, this sort of act was quite popular at the time - as witness one of the more famous attractions on the "vaude" circuit, Swain's Rats and Cats, wherein several cats were ridden around a miniature racetrack by rodents dressed as jockeys. The name of the animal troupe appearing in Rats is not known, but if it had been Swain's Rats and Cats, this fact would no doubt have been cited by the Variety reviewer."

Thomas Reeder
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Re: Vaudeville resources?

Postby Thomas Reeder » Thu Jun 18, 2009 1:24 pm

From the Piqua Leader-Dispatch, 02/07/1914
Image

Richard M Roberts
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Re: Vaudeville resources?

Postby Richard M Roberts » Thu Jun 18, 2009 5:29 pm

Thomas Reeder wrote:From the Piqua Leader-Dispatch, 02/07/1914
Image



Which brings to mind two things:

Was Mack Swain related to the Swain of Swain's Rats and Cats?

And the old Brother Theodore quote:"You know you can train a rat? You can spend years training a rat, years and years meticulously teaching it to do trick after trick......BUT IN THE END ALL YOU HAVE IS A TRAINED RAT!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Then again, after years of experience, I know you can't really train a cat to do anything.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

Rob Farr
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Re: Vaudeville resources?

Postby Rob Farr » Thu Jun 18, 2009 8:13 pm

[/quote]

I'd trust this spelling more than Groucho and George's memories--particularly since, according to what Bob Birchard was once told by Burns' publicist, George couldn't read or write.[/quote]

How on earth would he learn his lines? And if he couldn't read, he would even have had to memorize his radio lines.
Rob Farr
"If it's not comedy, I fall asleep" - Harpo Marx

Thomas Reeder
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Re: Vaudeville resources?

Postby Thomas Reeder » Fri Jun 19, 2009 9:32 am

Richard M Roberts wrote:Then again, after years of experience, I know you can't really train a cat to do anything.


In addition to tightrope-walking and high-diving cats, the act regularly featured a 3-round boxing match between two cats. The battling cats were randomly assigned the names of contemporary boxers such as Joe Gans vs. Luther McCarty, Jack Dillon vs. Frank Moran, and Jess Willard vs. Jack Johnson. Perhaps you should try training your cats to box? Queensberry Rules, of course.

Michael J Hayde
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Re: Vaudeville resources?

Postby Michael J Hayde » Fri Jun 19, 2009 11:39 am

Here's a lengthy description of the act from the Logansport (Indiana) Pharos-Reporter of April 3, 1914:

Colonial Bill Pleases Large Crowd.

Swains Rats and Cats, the feature act of an excellent bill, opening at the Colonial last night, proved to be one of the most entertaining animal acts ever seen here and will no doubt draw large crowds for the balance of the week.

It hardly seems possible that ordinary grey rats can be trained to do the tricks which were performed by these little animals last night. Surrounded with their natural enemies, the cats, they performed unharmed, many of the tricks being done with the cats as fellow performers. Nine well trained cats are used by Mr. Swain in the act. Trick after trick is performed without a hitch, the final one being a three round boxing contest between McCarty and Joe Gans.

These contestants are equipped with boxing gloves for their fore feet and standing on their hind feet, they box for three rounds in true Marquis of Queensbury style until the final knockout of McCarty by Gans. McCarty takes the count and the fight is over. This is one of the greatest acts for the children that has ever been staged here and the special matinees for the children tomorrow afternoon at five cents admission will make it possible for all to attend.

Michael

Steve Massa
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Re: Vaudeville resources?

Postby Steve Massa » Fri Jun 19, 2009 11:50 am

I've been digging around in the Library's collection, and while so far I've haven't found anythong on the "Rats and Cats" act, I have found a photo of "Swaine's Birds" which I think is the act referred to in the earlier review that Michael Hayde posted. The shot has an not very attractive middle-aged lady sitting in a very ornate chair with two cockatoos, two parrotts and an eagle perched around her. No specific date on photo, but the stamped inscription on the back is the best -"Swain's Birds, The Feathered Thespians, Present Jean - The Only Trained Eagle in Vodoville"

Steve

Brent Walker
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Re: Vaudeville resources?

Postby Brent Walker » Fri Jun 19, 2009 12:28 pm

Thomas Reeder wrote:
Richard M Roberts wrote:Then again, after years of experience, I know you can't really train a cat to do anything.


In addition to tightrope-walking and high-diving cats, the act regularly featured a 3-round boxing match between two cats. The battling cats were randomly assigned the names of contemporary boxers such as Joe Gans vs. Luther McCarty, Jack Dillon vs. Frank Moran, and Jess Willard vs. Jack Johnson. Perhaps you should try training your cats to box? Queensberry Rules, of course.



This cat-emulated boxer Jack Dillon is a different guy than the various film actors by that name, but Frank Moran is the same guy who was later in many movies. It also isn't hard to guess the respective fur colors of the cats in the "Willard vs. Johnson" bout, or that the outcome in the vaudeville act may have been different from the real one.

Personally, we haven't trained our 3 cats to box yet, but they do just fine with wrestling on their own (with a lot of Freddie Blassie-style ear-biting). Our 2 dogs also have their own rules of engagement, which you can see here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riCbMlTaNog

Thomas Reeder
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Re: Vaudeville resources?

Postby Thomas Reeder » Fri Jun 19, 2009 1:48 pm

Brent Walker wrote:Our 2 dogs also have their own rules of engagement, which you can see here:

Are those really your two dogs? If they are, they're nice looking dogs, but just how many sofas do you go through in the average year?

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Re: Vaudeville resources?

Postby Brent Walker » Fri Jun 19, 2009 2:39 pm

Thomas Reeder wrote:
Brent Walker wrote:Our 2 dogs also have their own rules of engagement, which you can see here:

Are those really your two dogs? If they are, they're nice looking dogs, but just how many sofas do you go through in the average year?



Yes they are ours, and thanks! The couch jumping was something Clara did more when she was younger, but only when she got in a particularly frenzied mode, and not as much now (though she has no less energy). We no longer have two sofas in this configuration, and the brown one is now out of commission (though not from this particular activity). She much prefers rolling her ball under the couch and then trying to get it out, and spinning a pendulum-like ball on a rope outside (which you can see on one of the other videos). This is why my wife and I have to make frequent trips to the dog park!


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