The
VAUDEVILLE
THEATRE
San Antonio, Texas
VAUDEVILLE
THEATRE
San Antonio, Texas
The Vaudeville Theatre
I was looking on Google for the first Vaudeville Theatre in the United States and I was surprised to see that people are still giving credit to a theatre in Boston which was started in 1883.
I added this website to help straighten the matter. The origin of Vaudeville is a French term and comes from Valley of the Vire where a form of variety acting took place.
Jack Harris was a proprietor of a saloon and theatre in San Antonio. This theater opened about 1872 and by 1874 was calling itself the Vaudeville Theatre. Jack Harris was a popular man in San Antonio and held sway over the sporting community and the politics of San Antonio. He never held office, but was head of the Democratic Party in San Antonio.
Jack Harris was shot by Ben Thompson on July 11, 1882 and this made national headlines. Then on March 11,1884, Ben Thompson and King Fisher were killed in the Vaudeville Theatre. This made front page of the New York Times.
The acting at the time was known as Variety and the name gradually changed to Vaudeville. The acting in the Vaudeville Theatre in San Antonio and about a half dozen other saloon and theatres in San Antonio was also Variety. When the east picked up the term from San Antonio, it began calling the form Vaudeville and that spread west again. Returning to its origin.
Many of the original theatre circuits around the country were playing vaudeville in the theatres and then began showing movies in between. Gradually movies became more popular than Vaudeville and Vaudeville was phased out and the theatres concentrated on film.
I added this website to help straighten the matter. The origin of Vaudeville is a French term and comes from Valley of the Vire where a form of variety acting took place.
Jack Harris was a proprietor of a saloon and theatre in San Antonio. This theater opened about 1872 and by 1874 was calling itself the Vaudeville Theatre. Jack Harris was a popular man in San Antonio and held sway over the sporting community and the politics of San Antonio. He never held office, but was head of the Democratic Party in San Antonio.
Jack Harris was shot by Ben Thompson on July 11, 1882 and this made national headlines. Then on March 11,1884, Ben Thompson and King Fisher were killed in the Vaudeville Theatre. This made front page of the New York Times.
The acting at the time was known as Variety and the name gradually changed to Vaudeville. The acting in the Vaudeville Theatre in San Antonio and about a half dozen other saloon and theatres in San Antonio was also Variety. When the east picked up the term from San Antonio, it began calling the form Vaudeville and that spread west again. Returning to its origin.
Many of the original theatre circuits around the country were playing vaudeville in the theatres and then began showing movies in between. Gradually movies became more popular than Vaudeville and Vaudeville was phased out and the theatres concentrated on film.
