Kate Elinore
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[edit]
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[edit]
- ^ 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[edit]
- Elinore Sisters Vaudeville Act Papers, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
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