Greg Jackson (0:01)

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Ray Christian (0:31)

Rated T to M hey, wanna hear a PC Game Pass ad? I'll take your Silence is a yes.

Greg Jackson (0:36)

Want new games on day one, like Call of Duty, Black Ops 6 or S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2?

Ray Christian (0:40)

I thought so. How about unlocking all the League of.

Greg Jackson (0:43)

Legends champions when you link your Riot Games account, All for one low monthly price?

Ray Christian (0:47)

Well, guess what?

Greg Jackson (0:48)

We got you. Learn more@xbox.com PCGame Pass or click the banner STALKER2. Available November 20, 2024. Game catalog varies by region and over time.

Ray Christian (0:58)

And that's the end of the script. Hey, history fans, if you're listening to this podcast, then you'll love Airwave History plus, now available on Apple Podcasts. Airwave History plus is your ticket to ad free listening, bonus content and early episodes from dozens of the most popular history podcasts, including the Explorers American Revolution Podcast, the history of World War II, the American plodding through the Presidents, the history of Egypt, the Age of Napoleon, My history can beat up your politics and more. For your free trial, search Airwave History plus on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe. That's Airwave History, available now on Apple Podcasts. Airwave History plus, the essential audio destination for history lovers.

Greg Jackson (1:50)

It's the evening of December 27, 1927, at the corner of 54th and 6th in Midtown New York City, standing outside a true masterpiece of architecture, the Ziegfeld Theater. It's a new build, and floodlights draw our eyes up its stone face, from its smooth modernist aspects, including its curved but simplistic central facade, to its more ornate Art Deco touches, like its fluted stone encasing that very facing facade. It's just stunning. Ah, sorry. You know I'm a sucker for architecture, but we can get moving. We make our way across the street, past the cars and heavily trafficked sidewalks, then finally into the Ziegfeld. Look at the excitement in this lobby, all of these elegantly dressed couples trailed by the flashing cameras of so many photographers. But I get it. After all, this is the opening night of Showboat. And this. Well, this is something of an experimental treat. I'll explain just as soon as we get out of this loud lobby and into the theater to find our seats. So look, we don't really know what we're in for just yet, but apparently it's a musical adaptation of Edna Ferber's recent novel by the same title and is the work of three absolute fixtures of New York's Broadway theater scene. Composer Jerome Kern, his librettist and director friend, Oscar Hammerstein ii, and the man behind this theater, producer Florence Ziegfeld. Allegedly, they're looking to break new entertainment ground. See, right now, all Broadway musicals fit, even if loosely, into two categories. One is jazz infused comedies and the other is light operettas imported from Europe. But word has it that Showboat, while still a musical, is something else entirely. So will it be amazing or a flop? I don't know, but either way, at least we've got good seats. This is us right here, row three in the orchestra section. What can I say? I splurged. Yes, five bucks a pop. No, no, no trouble at all. We don't want to see this from the $1 nosebleeds. Ah, but enough talk. The show is starting. We open on a levee on the Mississippi river in the post Civil war Reconstruction era, the 1880s, where black stevedores, I.e. black dock workers, are hard at it, laboring and toiling. They begin singing. It's an upbeat tune, but those lyrics, they're singing about working endlessly while the white folks play and loading boats with bales of cotton and getting no rest till the judgment day. Wow. This musical is addressing race in America rather directly. But then we meet Captain Andy Hawks, his wife Parthy, their daughter Magnolia, and the river traveling entertainers who steam up and down the Mississippi aboard the captain's showboat, the Cotton Blossom. Well, this is a bit more light hearted. So maybe this experimental musical does have some comedy elements. Maybe it's still like one of those follies for which producer Florence Ziegfeld is so famous. No, that's looking doubtful. The crew's relationships are proving complex, multi layered and thought provoking. Even young Magnolia's seemingly simple crush on gambler Gaylord Ravenel takes a serious meaning fast when she asks a stevedore named Jo for his take on her gambler. After she leaves, Joe looks out and begins to sing. In a powerful bass baritone voice, Joe muses on how the Mississippi river, or Old man river to him must know something, yet never concerns itself with the suffering second class life of black southerners. Sweating and aching under cotton bales along the shore. Joe describes a life in which alcohol is the only solace. A solace that leads to jail. He sings of misery and paradox, of being so tired of living yet scared to die. God, this song is soulful, sorrowful, mournful and poignant. Okay, this show is something novel indeed. The realistic themes continue. We learn that the Cotton Blossom's leading lady, Julie Laverne, is part black, which makes her marriage to her white husband Steve illegal under Jim Crow. The sheriff of Natchez learns this too. And. And that means trouble. But what's this? Steve now cuts Julie's hand and sips some of her blood. The sheriff then arrives ready to arrest them for having broken Mississippi's miscegenation laws, only for the dutiful husband to swear they haven't because he has some black blood in him. Oh, is this clever and funny or a heartbreaking social commentary? Maybe both. This musical is not pulling it punches. The plot leaps forward to turn of the century Chicago. We have our laughs along the way, but our cast of characters face serious situations. Young Magnolia has a child with her handsome gambler. Only for his luck at the tables to run out, he leaves her. Our loving interracial couple splits too. For them, the dividing vice is alcoholism. But there are successes. Magnolia and her daughter Kim become entertainment stars, while another couple from the old Cotton Blossom are doing well in the entertainment biz too. Another 20 years pass. We're now in the present in 1927, and our aging captain arranges a reunion that brings the gang back together. Successful Magnolia and a reformed gambling gaylord are warm toward one another, but do they get back together? Ah, it's unclear. But as for Joe, well, after some 40 years, the cotton Blossom stevedore is still tired, still afraid of dying, and still working on Old Man River. This isn't another glitzy Ziegfeld musical review, nor a European style comic operetta. This is more like a serious play with a lush musical score inhabited by truthful American characters and social issues. A showboat just broke all the rules. So what does the audience think? It's dead quiet. Then some applause. We, like everyone else, slowly make our way out of the Ziegfeld Theater. But the tepid response wasn't an accurate read of the room. The real issue was tonight's performance lacked a proper curtain call, which left us and the audience unaware that the production was actually over. Nearly everyone here loved it, as the mostly rave reviews published tomorrow will make clear. Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II and Florence Ziegfeld can rest easy because Showboat is a smashing success, one that will change the Broadway scene forever. Welcome to history that doesn't suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and I'd like to tell you a story. As you just heard, the 1927 premiere of Showboat was a huge success. It goes on to have 572 performances and will be revived on stage countless times. Showboat's genre shattering innovations make it a key moment in the evolution of Broadway. And frankly, the musicals you and I will know and cherish a century later. But none of that would have been possible without the talented composers, lyricists, authors, producers, directors, choreographers, and so many other creative professionals who laid the groundwork for the thriving New York City musical theater scene during the Roaring Twenties. In other words, to grasp the full significance of showboat in 1927, we need to get the backstory. We'll start by backtracking several decades to post Civil war New York City for a showing of what many consider to be the first official musical. From there, we'll familiarize ourselves with the three main forms of live theater in the US at the turn of the minstrel, vaudeville and burlesque. We'll then poke our heads into the theater for a taste of Broadway's next big the revue. But as we'll see, it's after the Great War, as we enter the 1920s, that Broadway's innovations really start to explode. From Irving Berlin to Jerome Kern to Florence Ziegfeld to Oscar Hammerstein II and many more, we've got a star studded lineup for today. In fact, these stars include two old war buddies of ours. No spoilers, but you could say they sure do rattle a good tune. And once we get through all of this innovation, we'll be ready to return to Showboat with a far greater appreciation for its massive impact on Broadway and American theater. So, places everyone. The curtain is about to go up. Rewind. Ah, Broadway. That ancient New York City thoroughfare running north from the Battery. It dances about, sometimes acquiescing, but more often defying Gotham's grid before continuing past Manhattan island itself. No matter where you define its cut off and opinions vary. Broadway is undoubtedly among the longest streets in the nation. But our interests won't take us that far north today. In fact, we won't even head north of Central Park. And much of where we'll go in this episode doesn't even exist in our current decade, the 1860s. But I tell you what, if you'll join me for a roughly three mile stroll from the southern edge of Central park south along Broadway, I'll point out a few future places of interest we'll want to keep in mind. Several blocks south, but still in Midtown, we come to where Broadway intersects roughly 45th through 42nd. Generally speaking, this is where the sprawling theater scene you likely think of when saying Broadway will later exist. That will come toward the end of the century, when a Prussian immigrant named Oscar Hammerstein, as in the father of the future director of Showboat whom I mentioned in this episode's opening, brings his business prowess to bear. We continue south to Broadway and 28th. This is one of those points where Broadway betrays the street grid, cutting its way across Fifth and Sixth Avenue. It's called Tin Pan Alley, or will be in another 20 or 30 years. The name will arise from the wafting sound of songwriters banging out tunes on pianos from the cluster of music publishing houses in the neighborhood bordering the theater district of the West 20s. Shops throughout Tin Pan Alley will sell sheet music to wannabe performers from the 1890s until 1914. If you want to be a part of the turn of the century NYC music scene, selling your compositions through Tin Pan Alley shops will be a must. And most of today's historical figures, our cast members, if you will, are going to get their big break here. But again, that's ahead. Our Southern descent continues. We're now in soho, or south of Houston street to define the neighborhood nickname. Now, we won't walk it, but let me point out from here that a few blocks to the east is New York City's Lower east side. Even in the 1860s, this Manhattan neighborhood has a burgeoning immigrant population. It will provide many great musical plots in future decades. But Even in the mid 19th century, these newest Americans put on ethnic shows for their local communities that draw on themes from a variety of different cultures. Take for instance, Irish descent Edward Ned Harrigan and Tony Hart. In a few years, they're knock down and slap bang short perform performances about Irish New Yorkers will be the talk of the town. The lower part of the town that is. Well, that was quite the stroll down Broadway. But I confess I didn't just want to show you Broadway's future theater district, Tin Pan Alley and the nearby Lower east side. We're in soho because arguably this is where the modern musical is being born, and in a fantastic venue at that. Come on, I got us tickets. It's an unspecified day in mid September 1866. We're at the corner of Broadway and Crosby streets at a large 3200 seat theater called Niblo's Garden. Tonight this massive venue is chock full of New Yorkers all eager to see what the New York Herald has proclaimed the indecent and dazzling brilliancy of the newly opened show the Black Crook. Looking around, we see women who at this time rarely go to the theater are wearing thick, heavy veils. Ah, that's to disguise their identities so no one spots them at something so indecent. Oh, and it's starting. The curtain goes up on the music accompanied melodrama. Lasting five and a half hours, the show critiques feudalism in Germanic Europe while celebrating American ideals of self reliance and equality. It does so amid a classic damsel in distress love story that these New Yorkers are loving, though honestly, the plot isn't captivating. The visuals are amazing though. A hurricane rages in the Germanic Harz Mountains, demons reenact a satanic ritual, fairies rise and fall on silver couches amidst angels and gilded chariots, and 70 beautiful ballet dancers prance across the platform in what Mark Twain calls dazzling half costumes, displaying all possible compromises between nakedness and decency with a meagerness that would make a parasol blush with more tights in view than anything else, Mark Twain isn't kidding. Sheer tights that look like skin drawers barely long enough to be called drawers, and bodices revealing women's bare arms and backs are all on scandalous display. In Act 1, Scene 4, actress Millie Cavendish saunters up to the front of the stage, wagging her finger and singing, you naughty, naughty men. As she does, the men in the front row eagerly look upon the skimpily dressed star. Many future scholars will scoff at this being called the first musical. After all, it's hardly the first production to mix music with a play, and the Black Crook doesn't even mix them well, nor have a particularly riveting or clear plot. Yet it did so with such spectacle. And as religious leaders and newspaper correspondents rush to denounce the risque performance, oh, they only make it all the more popular. So for better or worse, the commercial success and visual elements together make the Black Crook become our go to for the first musical. That said, the mid to late 19th century NYC theater scene has other important music infused shows. Three dominate minstrel shows Vaudeville and Burlesque Going strong since the antebellum days, minstrel shows are variety acts and song routines that at their core mimic and mock black Americans, specifically plantation life. The actors are typically white and wear black face makeup. Perhaps nothing illustrates their popularity more than the fact that the nation's segregation laws derive their name from a popular minstrel character Jim Crow. But as we get into the 1890s to 1920s, and I can't stress this enough, vaudeville is the most popular form of entertainment. Vaudeville also consists of variety acts and songs. And many entertainers in the first half of the 20th century begin their careers as one of vaudeville's traveling performers. Now, vaudeville may include a minstrel skit, but is decidedly more than that. Indeed, some vaudeville performers even mock minstrel shows like Bahama Born, Burt Williams and George Walker. Their double act called the Cakewalk, flips the white man in blackface trope by spoofing white performers imitating black dancing. It's beloved, the 1890s equivalent of going viral. Another important vaudeville success is the Four Cohens, a family act of semi skilled dancing, Irish puns and corny skits that tours the country. According to leading man George Cohan, their target audience is the 15 year old, clean faced, fresh minded, full of life American boy or girl. And why? Because whatever that crowd enjoys, George continues to explain the average American audience will like. And a fun side note about George, he eventually becomes famous for his show Little Johnny Jones, which includes a song in which the main character will want to give his regards to Broadway. Ah, but I digress. To George's point, these vaudeville shows are fun for the whole American family. But if minstrel and vaudeville are G rated in the 19th and early 20th centuries, then our third genre, burlesque, is decidedly R. These shows are full of dirty jokes, suggestive dancing and skimpy on the clothing. And no one is better at putting these performances on Broadway than the future showboat producer I mentioned at the start of this episode, Florence Flo Ziegfeld Jr. The eldest child of German immigrants, Flo Ziegfeld was born in Chicago in 1867 and quickly immersed in the world of the arts. His father was a concert pianist and founder of the esteemed Chicago Musical College. In 1883, while busy working for his father at the World Columbian Exposition, the teen met famed German strongman Eugene Sandow and talked his way into promoting the first modern bodybuilder. It was a good gig. By 1886, Flo had saved enough money to move to the greatest entertainment city in the country, New York City. In London that same year, young Flo met the petite Polish Parisian performer Anna, held at the Palace Theater where she undoubtedly scandalized the Victorian era crowd with her provocative moves. Flo then persuaded the burlesque dancer to come back to New York City with him. Moving into the next century. In 1907, Anna convinces Flo to bring the spirit of the seductive French chorus called Folies Bergeres to the US or to base a new show on the newspaper column Follies of the Day. It's a bit unclear. Regardless of the etymology, Flo strikes with a bit of marketing genius by giving their emerging genre its own French inspired a revue spelled R E V U E. It's definitely similar to vaudeville. It's still variety show based. But a key difference is that the review is distinctly for the big city. Theater reviews can't travel because of their massive scale. Later that summer, the first of Flo's reviews, his follies, opens. And from 1907 to 1931, more than two dozen iterations of the show will dazzle American stages. His success enables flow to snag the best composers, the most talented comics and the most beautiful girls on the performing circuit. Unlike the black crook, Ziegfeld's Follies doesn't have one consistent storyline. Rather, they are an amalgamation of skits that poke fun at modern politics, dances that show off scandalizing parts of the female body, and songs that are right off the press from Tin Pan Alley's top composers. If you can be featured in one of Flo's performances, you are guaranteed to be a star. But don't get your hopes up. The producer doesn't let just anyone get on stage. No, as Flo Ziegfeld puts it, it is necessary for a girl selected for the Follies to have personality and have grace. I do not care if the hair is long or short, blonde or brunette, as long as it frames the face becomingly. The eyes should be large and expressive. A regular profile is a decided asset. Back and shoulders, of course, should be beautiful, and a rounded neck is also essential. While graceful hands are quite necessary. The legs must be shapely and last but not least, the proportions of the figure must be perfect. Okay, so the women in Flo's Follies are basically the early 20th century equivalent of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Got it. In 1910, Flo signs two of his most famous talents. The first is a 19 year old Jewish comedian and burlesque performer named Fanny Borak. She's made a name for herself by performing in a Yiddish accent despite not speaking a word of the language. But to be clear, Fanny Brice. That's right, she's given herself a stage name. Is not mocking. As she explains in anything Jewish I ever did, I wasn't standing apart making fun. What happened to me on stage is what could happen to my people. They identified with Me. Which made it all right to get a laugh. Flo's second big signee is the cake walking vaudeville star we met a few minutes ago, Burt Williams. Burt is known for his dignity and representation of the painful parts of being black in America, even as the black comedian performed. And blackface. And it's not like his time with the Follies is a cakewalk in the park either. He's careful never to appear on stage alone with a white woman out of fear for his own safety. And he convinces Flo to let him skip the show's Southern performances. He worries his act won't fly there. Fair enough. It's also about this time that another future Ziegfeld Follies star starts to make a name for himself. This is Israel B. Lean. Not that he'll use that name. Before joining Flo Ziegfeld's crew, the young Russian Jewish immigrant and composer sees his name misspelled on some sheet music and decides that he's now Irving Berlin. In 1911, Irving writes Alexander's Ragtime Ban and it reportedly sells 1 million copies in a month, thereby propelling his name to fame. Three years later, in 1914, Irving, or the King of Tin Pan Alley, to use a new nickname, creates a revolutionary show of his own. Watch your step. A syncopated show in three acts with its emphasis on the offbeat. Syncopation was already plenty popular, thanks to Ragtime and to John Philip Souza. So to Irving. Well, the Russian immigrant saw this as the American sound. To quote him, syncopation is in the soul of every true American. I believe the great American opera of the future will be deliberately based not on European standards as now, but on typically American standards. With a war in Europe brewing, what better time for the country to embrace its own unique style On Broadway, Americans seem to think so too. And watchors Depp transforms Irving Berlin into a composition star. But speaking of the Great War, Broadway rallies to support the cause when American doughboys start heading over there in 1917. That includes Flo Ziegfeld. The finale to Ziegfeld's 1917 Follies becomes a song titled can't yout Hear your Country Calling. And future shows include wartime images of soldiers in battles. Meanwhile, Russian born, Irving's new status as an American citizen leads to him getting drafted in 1918. Ah, but he's not headed to no man's land. The composer's commanding officer lets him put his musical gifts to use with a show to help boost troop morale. Yip, yip, yap. Hank premieres at the Century theater on West 62nd street to a rowdy crew of soldiers waiting to be shipped off to the European theater. Variety describes it as, quote, one of the best and most novel entertainments Broadway has produced. It's after Germany surrenders later in 1918 that Flo and Irving finally cross paths. Broadway is ready to return to its pre war shows in glory and Flo Ziegfeld is planning an extravaganza like no other. He spends 20 grand a week, 17,000 of which alone goes to costumes, for his roaring return to the Broadway stage. The producer also hires the already successful, recently discharged and famous for the speed with which he churns out songs, Irving Berlin. Well, then, let's check it out. It's June 16th, 1919. We're in the nearly 20,000 square foot New Amsterdam Theater at 214 West 42nd Street, New York City, enjoying Florence Ziegfeld's 1919 Follies. And act two is just beginning. We see a few short skits, songs and dances. Then the dark haired, pale skinned John Steele takes the stage. As the music begins to swell, John takes a deep breath and begins singing what will soon be the most famous Irving Berlin written Follies tune of the day. Melody that haunts unite just like the strain of a haunting refrain. She'll start upon a marathon and run around your brain you can't escape she's in your memory by morning, night, at noon she will leave you and then come back again. A pretty girl is just like a pretty dune. Yes, with the Great war over, the 1920s are filled with promise. And Ziegfeld's Follies is just a taste of it. Between new musical influences from Europe, the burgeoning Harlem Renaissance, and young Doughboy and Molly Marine performers back on American soil, Broadway's stage is set for what just might be the most transformative decade in the history of American theater. History that doesn't suck is sponsored by BetterHelp. One of the most haunting scream portrayals of the vampire legend is from the 1922 German silent film Nosferatu. We talked about this film in this year's Halloween special. Staring at the ghostly black and white image of the pointy eared gargoyle like Count Orlok still sends a shiver down the spine. While writing that episode, I was reminded of how fear is such a powerful emotion. Fear isn't just something we experience while watching a scary movie. There are a lot of things in life that can frighten us. But sometimes we've got to face and overcome our fear to move forward. That can be tough to do. And that's when therapy could help. If you're thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapists at any time for no additional charge. Overcome your fears with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com htds today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp. H E L p.com htds Ryan Reynolds here for, I guess, my hundredth mint commercial. No, no, no, no, no, no, don't. No, no, no. Yeah. Honestly, when I started this, I thought I only have to do like 44 of these. I mean, it's unlimited to premium wireless for $15 a month. How are there still people paying two or three times that much? I'm sorry, I shouldn't be victim blaming. Here, give it a try@mintmobile.com save whenever you're ready $45 upfront payment equivalent to $15 per month new customers on first three month plan only taxes and fees Extra speed slower above 40 gigabytes. C as prohibition ushers in the 1920s, watching a Broadway show becomes the opening act to an evening destined for a speakeasy or nightclub. Many of the shows feature themes from various racial tropes, religious stereotypes and other popular subjects. We won't care to revive many of those in the 21st century. But the rise of radio, the National Broadcasting Company, or NBC and talking pictures over the course of the roaring 20s means that Broadway's most popular shows and songs are reaching across the country by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, the 1920s also sees the spread of flashy, scandalous reviews. They're popping up just as fast as producers can find songwriters, which is part of the reason that so many famous Broadway ins arise from this genre. Reviews often try to copy the famous Ziegfeld Follies by featuring a racially and religiously diverse set of comedians, dancers and performers. But don't mistake these reviews multiracial casts as a sign that New York City and the theater scene are respectful toward black performers. Many are left with a bleak choice perform racially degrading skits or don't work in theater. Even then, black performers are not valued in the way their white counterparts are. But a few black artists are out to change that, like our old friend Noble Sissel. Ah, Noble Sissel. In case you're drawing a blank, we met Noble, or just Sis, as his friends call him back in episode 138. During the Great War, Sis was a part of New York's legendary black regiment, the Harlem Rattlers, or Harlem Hellfighters, and played in its phenomenal jazz spreading band led by his dear friend Jim Europe. Well, following the war and Jim Europe's tragic death almost immediately thereafter, Sis puts an act together with another pre war friend and musician named James Hubert Eubie Blake. They tour the nation as America's favorite society entertainers. While performing their elegant vaudeville act, Eubie and Sis meet Flournay Miller and Aubrey Lyles. The four get to thinking, could they bring a sophisticated musical featuring an all black cast to Broadway? Flournoy and Aubrey have a story in mind. Can Sis and Euby make it a musical? Eubie describes the creative scriptwriting process, saying that he and sis work together in.