Top of the bill: an interesting pictorial history of Vaudeville. [A tremendous unpublished author’s mock-up manuscript filled with 266 extraordinary photographs visually chronicling the dance, magic, equilibrist, animal & actor, juggling, acrobatics, and clown Vaudeville acts whose popularity “was as great in St. Petersburg as in Paris, as famed in New York as in London.”] by [THEATRE & FILM -- VAUDEVILLE]. SELDOW, W. [nee. Wladislaw Seldowicz, or Michael (Michel) Seldow)] - ca. 1945].

[Paris, France: Seldow, 72, Rue Bonaparte, Paris - VI, ca. 1945]. Thick 4to. 10.75 x 12.25 x 2.5 in. [194 pp (unpaginated).], on thick paper stock, nearly all leaves carefully blocked out in pencil for the caption space to the photographs, w/ many of the chapters and sections including neat manuscript pencil titles, as well as annotations for performers and acts. With 266 silver gelatin photographs, sized from approx. 1 x 2 in. up to 9.5 x 12 in., nearly all mounted, or tipped-in directly to leaves, some w/ photographer’s stamps either w/in negative or on verso (several carefully blocked out in preparation for publication), ownership markings, occasional pencil & pen annotations on versos in German, French, or English. Contemporary black-cloth backed post-binder, brass screw posts at gutter margin, photo plate filling front board repeating the photographic title w/in, w/ 3 leaf typescript “Foreword” by Cochran laid-in w/ red pencil editorial markings, and stapled at upper left corner (some soiling, edgewear w/o rear cover, some wear to corners), still a remarkable surviving exemplar, w/ partially removed label, possibly for Cochran’s 55 Westminster Gardens address following the War, and Sloan 4591 telephone number. This expansive photo album and unique author’s mock-up manuscript volume served to bring back to Cochran “pleasant memories: gay evenings in pre-War Paris, delightful nights in Vienna at Ronacher’s or the Yard, Moscow (forerunner of such places as the London Casino) where you could enjoy choice food and wine in the auditorium while watching “La Belle Otero” or “La Belle Leonora” on the stage.” Seldow (1908-1983) opens the volume with photos depicting King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at the theatre and in their box, followed by the first chapter entitled “Dance” featuring a noted photo of ballerina’s en pointe by Maurice Seymour (1900-1993), famed Russian-American celebrity photographer in the 1920’s best remembered for his Ballets Russes and ballet photographs. The dance chapter includes photos of the bawdy and naughty Five Barrison Sisters, “The Wickedest Girls in the World” featuring Danish-German sisters Lona, Sophia, Inger, Olga & Gertrude who tantalized and shocked audiences in vaudeville houses in the 1890’s into the early 20th Century specializing in bawdy antics and double entendres. Also featured are the “Dolly Sisters” who were identical Hungarian-American twin dancers, singers, and actresses, well known for their gambling passions and jewelry collections, as well as women acrobatic dancers and contortionists, chorus lines, Phyllis Monkman in the 1908 “Butterflies,” Estelle & Leroy ballroom dancers. In addition, Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers are featured, and several unidentified photos of dancers in the Ballets Russes. The section entitled “Hocus Pocus” features magicians and magic acts, including a magician holding a man’s head on a platter, or “L’homme mange” as titled by Seldow on verso, a photo of Harry Houdini holding a firing a gun about to be struck by an Asian criminal, possibly from the Houdini Serial series which featured the magician as heroic Justice Dept./Secret Service Agent Quentin Locke battling the “Patent Company” protected by a huge mechanical robot. In addition, there is a photo of Charlie Chaplin as the tramp in the 1928 film “The Circus” where he destroys Prof. Bosco the Magician’s table, an accidental success causing the circus to prosper. Others depict the floating lady, a series of a woman being sawed off, E. Chambly the noted Dutch Magician’s act, promo still from the 1942 20th-Century-Fox comedy “A-Haunting We Will Go,” and even two photos of Orson Welles and Marlene Dietrich in magic act in the 1944 MGM film “Follow the Boys” set against the backdrop of a Vaudeville troop performing and entertaining the troops. Three photos show automata or robots in film and vaudeville acts, and another shows two scantily dressed young women in a box. The “Equilibrists” chapter or rope walkers and aerialists opens with photos of the pioneering Jean-Francois Gravelet “Blondin” (1824-1897) who made his career crossing the gorge below Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Several photos document the Los Codona aerial act which featured Lalo and Alfredo Codona with their sister Victoria, and letter reproduced refers to his injuries in a fall following the death of Alfredo’s wife Lillian Leitzel. Other aerialists depicted include Luis H. Leers, Olvido Perez, and Walter Powell who performed high wire acts for several circuses. A sub-chapter is devoted to “Con Colleano - No other living person can repeat this trick.” Colleano (1899-1973) was an Afro-Caribbean/Bundjalung Australian tightrope walker, and the first to successfully complete a forward somersault on the tightrope. Several other unidentified acts are also included by photos showing aerialists performing, including series of couple on high wire juggling rings and umbrellas. Also included is an “Actor-Animal” chapter depicting Therese Renz (1859-1938) famed circus equestrian, performers with ducks, parrots, boxing kangaroos, clowning with tigers, and Ketty Mara performing with her chimpanzee at the Variete Wintergarten. Juggler photographs feature juggling acts by Paul Conchas (1875-1916) with pulling of his famed cannon balance act, Paul Spadoni (1870-1952), well known for juggling cannon, artillery shells, and even balancing an automobile on his shoulders, and Enrico Rastelli. The closing chapter on “The Joker: A Benefactor of Humanity” on clown acts, depicts William Olschansky, Grock (1880-1959), noted Swiss clown, composer & musician, the 4 foot 6 in. “Little Tich” who performed the “Big-Foot Dance” until his death, Noni the Clown, the Fratellini Bros., along with Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers. The typescript foreward introduction was written by Sir Charles Blake Cochran (1872-1951), known as C.B. Cochran, noted English theatrical manager and impresario, producing most of the successful revues, musicals, and plays of the 1920’s and 1930’s, often with Noel Coward. He introduced such stars as Beatrice Lillie, Gertrude Lawrence, Noel Coward, jessie Matthews, Yvonne Printemps, Effie Atherton, and produced the Ballets Russes, as well as managed the Royal Albert Hall. In addition, he discovered the Dolly Sisters depicted here in the mock-up, and at the end of his life produced the long-running successful “Bless the Bride” which starred Lizbeth Webb. Seldow was a Russian-German who trained in Berlin, worked as a talented photo-journalist, posted reports about Conradi-Horster, and became a member of Conradi-Horster’s MAJA. In 1934/35 he emigrated to Paris, and began his career as professional magician in the literary cabaret of Agnes Capri, and also worked as author and actor in radio, film & television, later becoming a member of the Magic Circle in Berlin. He’s perhaps best for his later published books, such as Les Illusionnistes et leurs secrets [Magicians and their secrets -- the German edition was more inventive at Die Kunst Frauen zu zersagen -- The Art of sawing women], and his oft-cited Vie et secrets de Robert-Houdin [Life and secrets of Robert Houdini], both well-illustrated. See: Hannes Holler, European Jewish Magicians; J.P. Wearing, The London Stage 1920-1929: A Calendar of Productions, Performers & Personnel.