Eddie Foy: A Biography of the Early Popular Stage Comedian

by Armond Fields

Overview

Just a century ago Eddie Foy was the consummate stage comedian. A versatile performer, Foy contributed to the development of popular theater from the Civil War to the Roaring Twenties, from poverty-inspired Irish two-acts to lavish musical comedies.

This first-ever biography of Foy tells the story of his indigent childhood in New York's Bowery and in Chicago, his tough uphill climb as a "variety artist" at Western outposts, his success in vaudeville and Broadway, and his arrival as a national icon with the Seven Little Foys. Foy's career mirrored the growth of popular theater entertainment in America. Exhaustively researched, this work contains many rare personal photographs from the Foy family archives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786443284
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	09/08/2009
Pages:	268
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

The late Armond Fields was a social historian specializing in American popular theater. The author of numerous books about vaudeville and other early theater figures, he lived in Culver City, California.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     
Introduction     

CHAPTER 1     
CHAPTER 2     
CHAPTER 3     
CHAPTER 4     
CHAPTER 5     
CHAPTER 6     
CHAPTER 7     
CHAPTER 8     
CHAPTER 9     
CHAPTER 10     
CHAPTER 11     
CHAPTER 12     
CHAPTER 13     
CHAPTER 14     
CHAPTER 15     
CHAPTER 16     

Performance Chronology     
Notes     
Selected Bibliography and Source Material     
Index     

Editorial Reviews

Fields documents changing theater technologies, practices, and audiences and always relates theater to the larger social context...strongly recommended”—Choice.

From the Publisher

Foy's career mirrored the growth of popular theater entertainment in America from the Civil War through the 1920s. This biography tells the story of Foy's indigent childhood, his uphill climb as a variety artist at Western outposts, his success in vaudeville and Broadway, and his arrival as an icon with the Seven Little Foys. Includes a performance chronology, plus b&w publicity and personal photos. Fields is a social historian specializing in American popular theater. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Fields documents changing theater technologies, practices, and audiences and always relates theater to the larger social context...strongly recommended

Choice