The Genesis of Mass Culture: Show Business Live in America, 1840 to 1940

253 Pages·2008·1.51 MB·English

by  John Springhall

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THE GENESIS OF MASS CULTURE
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THE GENESIS OF MASS
CULTURE
SHOW BUSINESS LIVE IN AMERICA,
1840 TO 1940
John Springhall
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THE GENESIS OF MASS CULTURE
Copyright © John Springhall, 2008.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
First published in 2008 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS
Companies and representatives throughout the world.
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave
Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom
and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European
Union and other countries.
ISBN-13: 978–0–230–60449–0
ISBN-10: 0–230–60449–8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Springhall, John.
The genesis of mass culture : show business live in America,
1840 to 1940 / John Springhall.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0–230–60449–8
1. Performing arts—United States—History—19th century.
2. Performing arts—United States—History—20th century. I. Title.
PN2245.S67 2008
791.0973⬘09034 2007039231
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: April 2008
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America.
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For the three Scribner boys from Seattle, especially Robbie,
who as neighbors enthused me with a passion
for American popular culture
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CONTENTS
Introduction 1
The Show Business 1
American Mass Culture 3
Organization 7
1 The American Museum: Barnum’s
Great Leap Forward 13
America’s Greatest Showman 14
Barnum’s Early Career 16
The Dime Museum 19
Barnum’s American Museum 22
Barnum’s Second and Other Museums 28
Barnum and Middle-Class Identity 30
Endnote 34
2 The Freak Show Business: “Step Right Up, Folks” 37
Classification and Presentation of Freaks 38
American Museum Freaks 40
“General” Tom Thumb 44
Dime Museum, Circus, and Carnival Freaks 46
The Freak Show in Context 49
Endnote 54
3 Blackface Minstrelsy: The First All-American Show 57
Forerunners of Minstrelsy 58
The First Minstrel Shows 61
Antebellum Minstrelsy 65
The Politics of Minstrelsy 68
African American Minstrelsy 70
Minstrelsy Diversifies 74
Endnote 78
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viii C O N T E N T S
4 The Americanized Circus: Barnum & Bailey
In Excelsis 81
The American Circus under Canvas 82
Emergence of the Railroad Circus 85
Three-Ring Circuses and Parades 87
Barnum’s Circuses before Bailey 89
The Barnum & Bailey Circus 93
The American Circus after Barnum 99
Endnote 102
5 Buffalo Bill’s Wild West: American Culture
Crosses the Atlantic 105
Buffalo Bill as a Transatlantic Phenomenon 106
Bill Cody’s Early Life 108
Buffalo Bill’s Theatrical Career 110
The Wild West as Show 113
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West in London 118
The Wild West and American Identity 123
Endnote 126
6 Vaudeville I: Rise and Decline of an Emergent
Mass Culture 129
The Cleanup of Variety 130
The Keith-Albee Vaudeville Circuit 133
Vaudeville Circuit Programs 136
Vaudeville’s Ethnic Diversity 138
Vaudeville’s Star Female Performers 144
Decline of Vaudeville 147
Endnote 149
7 Vaudeville II: Cultural Exchange, Departure,
and Transmutation 151
Music Hall Stars Journey to America 152
Vaudeville Stars Journey to Britain 154
Revue: The Ziegfeld Follies 159
The Disappearance of Vaudeville 161
Vaudeville as Training for the Mass Media 164
Endnote 168
Conclusion 171
Barnum’s Place in Show Business History 171
Forerunners of Mass Culture 174
Endnote 17
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CON T E N T S ix
Appendix I: P. T. Barnum: Humbug and Reality 179
Representations of Barnum 182
Image and Reality 186
Appendix II: Harry Houdini’s Early Career 189
Acknowledgments 195
Notes 197
Bibliography 215
Index 227