Kate Elinore (December 2, 1876 – December 30, 1924) was an American vaudeville entertainer remembered for her comedy double-act with her sister May, and for creating the role of Lizette in Naughty Marietta.
Biography
Kate Elinore was born on December 2, 1876, in Brooklyn, New York. Elinore's comedic characters were based on female impersonators.[1][2]
She began her career in vaudeville in a comic act with her sister May Elinore.[3] On July 30, 1894, she made her first appearance with her sister in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Elinore Sisters joined Tony Pastor's Company in New York in 1896.[4] For 15 years, the Elinore Sisters developed a series of Irish American characters[5] and "exploited ethnic, class, and gender hierarchies in creating their humor".[1]
In 1909, she teamed with Sam Williams (1884–1961), who worked in vaudeville as a pianist.[3] She later married him.[4] Elinore was featured as a musical comedy actress in the role of Lizette in the original production of Victor Herbert's operetta Naughty Marietta in 1910.[3][4] Historian Karen Halttunen considers Elinore "a rare woman in the rough field of ethnic comedy".[6]
Elinore died on December 30, 1924, in Indianapolis, Indiana, following "a mysterious illness".[3]
References
- ^ a b Hewitt, Nancy A. (April 15, 2008). A Companion to American Women's History. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. p. 305. ISBN 978-0-470-99858-8. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ S, Hengen (January 2, 2014). Performing Gender and Comedy: Theories, Texts and Contexts. Oxon: Routledge. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-134-38558-4. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Slide, Anthony (March 12, 2012). The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. p. 158. ISBN 978-1-617-03250-9. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ a b c DesRochers, R. (July 24, 2014). The New Humor in the Progressive Era: Americanization and the Vaudeville Comedian. New York City: Springer. p. NA. ISBN 978-1-137-35718-2. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ Ashby, LeRoy (May 12, 2006). With Amusement for All: A History of American Popular Culture Since 1830. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-813-17132-6. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ Halttunen, Karen (January 28, 2014). A Companion to American Cultural History. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. p. 320. ISBN 978-1-118-79806-5. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
External links
- Elinore Sisters Vaudeville Act Papers, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
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This page was last edited on 20 October 2023, at 22:12