Vaudeville

For decades vaudeville was America's popular entertainment. This documentary looks at the history of the form, the source of its success, the variety of acts that toured that various circuits, and the lives of the performers, who ranged from the high-browed to the truly bizarre. It also examines the reasons for the death of vaudeville. We are treated to interviews with survivors of the period (Billy Barty, Rose Marie, the Nicholas Brothers, Billy Short, and others) and with wonderful film clips and stills. The films of the very young Nicholas Brothers alone is worth it. I highly recommend _Vaudeville_.