04/26/2007
Between The Acts At The Opera
Who remembers Willie and Eugene Howard? They don't have a page in Wikipedia, or their own page on the web. They're mentioned briefly in the IMDB and related sources for their 1926 film short "Between The Acts At The Opera," which you won't find on Youtube.
Two of the most popular vaudeville comedians, The Howard Brothers laid 'em in the aisles back in the day - and by that I mean the turn of last century.
I'm a fan of this old-time vaudeville schtick, and there's a fair amount of it in my collection.
This is a recording they made of what was evidently their star turn, a finely timed routine where a cultured straight man (Eugene) speaks with a lowbrow, Yiddish-accented comedian (Willie, shown in the picture) about his evening at the opera.
Keep in mind that this was seriously funny business at the time; you didn't get a chance to record or put your act on film if you weren't colossally well known. Phonograph recordings and talking picture opportunities weren't wasted on second-raters; they were too expensive to throw around.
"Caruso? But he's dead!"