George White's Scandals
Encyclopedia
George White's Scandals were a long-running string of Broadway
revue
s produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modelled after the Ziegfeld Follies
. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W.C. Fields, the Three Stooges
, Ray Bolger
, Helen Morgan
, Ethel Merman
, Ann Miller
, Bert Lahr
, and Rudy Vallée
. Louise Brooks
and Eleanor Powell
got their show business start as lavishly dressed (or underdressed) chorus girls strutting to the "Scandal Walk". Much of George Gershwin
's early work appeared in the 1920-24 editions of Scandals.
George White's Scandals is also the name of several movies set within the Scandals, all of which focus primarily on the show's acts, with a thin backstage plot stringing them all together. The best known of these was 1934's George White's Scandals written by Jack Yellen
, which marked the film debut of Alice Faye
.
Notable Flapper
-era cartoonist
and designer Russell Patterson
worked on Broadway
on a number of productions in various capacities, including George White's Scandals of 1936 as Scenic Designer.
George White's Scandals of 1920 was featured in an episode of the television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
.
1935 (film)
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
s produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modelled after the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W.C. Fields, the Three Stooges
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
, Ray Bolger
Ray Bolger
Raymond Wallace "Ray" Bolger was an American entertainer of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow and Kansas farmworker Hank in The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
, Helen Morgan
Helen Morgan
Helen Morgan was an American singer and actress who worked in films and on the stage. A quintessential torch singer, she made a big splash in the Chicago club scene in the 1920s...
, Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's...
, Ann Miller
Ann Miller
Johnnie Lucille Collier, better known as Ann Miller was an American singer, dancer and actress.-Early life:...
, Bert Lahr
Bert Lahr
Bert Lahr was an American actor and comedian. Lahr is remembered today for his roles as the Cowardly Lion and Kansas farmworker Zeke in The Wizard of Oz, but was also well-known for work in burlesque, vaudeville, and on Broadway.-Early life:Lahr was born in New York City, of German-Jewish heritage...
, and Rudy Vallée
Rudy Vallée
Rudy Vallée was an American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.-Early life:Born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont, the son of Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vallée...
. Louise Brooks
Louise Brooks
Mary Louise Brooks , generally known by her stage name Louise Brooks, was an American dancer, model, showgirl and silent film actress, noted for popularizing the bobbed haircut. Brooks is best known for her three feature roles including two G. W...
and Eleanor Powell
Eleanor Powell
Eleanor Torrey Powell was an American film actress and dancer of the 1930s and 1940s, known for her exuberant solo tap dancing.-Early life:...
got their show business start as lavishly dressed (or underdressed) chorus girls strutting to the "Scandal Walk". Much of George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
's early work appeared in the 1920-24 editions of Scandals.
George White's Scandals is also the name of several movies set within the Scandals, all of which focus primarily on the show's acts, with a thin backstage plot stringing them all together. The best known of these was 1934's George White's Scandals written by Jack Yellen
Jack Yellen
Jack Selig Yellen was an American lyricist and screenwriter.-Life and career:Born in Poland, Yellen emigrated with his family to the United States when he was five years old. The oldest of seven children, he was raised in Buffalo, New York and began writing songs in high school...
, which marked the film debut of Alice Faye
Alice Faye
Alice Faye was an American actress and singer, called by The New York Times "one of the few movie stars to walk away from stardom at the peak of her career." She is remembered first for her stardom at 20th Century Fox and, later, as the radio comedy partner of her husband, bandleader and comedian...
.
Notable Flapper
Flapper
Flapper in the 1920s was a term applied to a "new breed" of young Western women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior...
-era cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
and designer Russell Patterson
Russell Patterson
Russell Patterson was a celebrated and prolific American cartoonist, illustrator and scenic designer. Patterson’s art deco magazine illustrations helped promote the idea of the 1920s and 1930s fashion style known as the flapper.Patterson was born in Omaha, Nebraska...
worked on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
on a number of productions in various capacities, including George White's Scandals of 1936 as Scenic Designer.
George White's Scandals of 1920 was featured in an episode of the television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 4, 1992, to July 24, 1993. The series explores the childhood and youth of the fictional character Indiana Jones and primarily stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Corey Carrier as the title character, with...
.
1919
- Lester AllenLester AllenLester Allen was a screen, stage, vaudeville, circus actor, and film director. In vaudeville, he appeared in a double act with Nellie Breen and also emceed at the Palace Theatre.-Selected filmography:...
- La SylpheLa SylpheLa Sylphe was an exotic American dancer who became a sensation while performing at the Folies Bergère in the 1890s. Her true name was Edith Lambelle Langerfeld. -Parents:...
- Peggy DolanPeggy Dolan-Social prominence:Dolan was from Newark, New Jersey. Her parents were Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hoffman Dolan. Her grandmother was Mrs. Thomas J. Dolan of Villanova, Pennsylvania....
- Ann PenningtonAnn Pennington (Ziegfeld star)This article is about Ann Pennington, the stage actress. For the Playboy model of the same name, go to Ann Pennington .Ann Pennington was an actress, dancer, and singer who starred on Broadway in the 1910s and 1920s, notably in the Ziegfeld Follies and George White's Scandals.She became famous for...
- Ona MunsonOna MunsonOna Munson was an American actress perhaps best known for her portrayal of prostitute Belle Watling in Gone with the Wind .- Career :...
- The George White Girls
1920
- Lester AllenLester AllenLester Allen was a screen, stage, vaudeville, circus actor, and film director. In vaudeville, he appeared in a double act with Nellie Breen and also emceed at the Palace Theatre.-Selected filmography:...
- Peggy DolanPeggy Dolan-Social prominence:Dolan was from Newark, New Jersey. Her parents were Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hoffman Dolan. Her grandmother was Mrs. Thomas J. Dolan of Villanova, Pennsylvania....
- Lou HoltzLou Holtz (actor)Lou Holtz was an American vaudevillian and comic actor.He was discovered by vaudevillian Elsie Janis in San Francisco while still in his teens, and came to New York. He appeared in his first Broadway show in 1913, World of Pleasure...
- La SylpheLa SylpheLa Sylphe was an exotic American dancer who became a sensation while performing at the Folies Bergère in the 1890s. Her true name was Edith Lambelle Langerfeld. -Parents:...
- Ann PenningtonAnn Pennington (Ziegfeld star)This article is about Ann Pennington, the stage actress. For the Playboy model of the same name, go to Ann Pennington .Ann Pennington was an actress, dancer, and singer who starred on Broadway in the 1910s and 1920s, notably in the Ziegfeld Follies and George White's Scandals.She became famous for...
- The George White Girls
1921
- Lester AllenLester AllenLester Allen was a screen, stage, vaudeville, circus actor, and film director. In vaudeville, he appeared in a double act with Nellie Breen and also emceed at the Palace Theatre.-Selected filmography:...
- Lou HoltzLou Holtz (actor)Lou Holtz was an American vaudevillian and comic actor.He was discovered by vaudevillian Elsie Janis in San Francisco while still in his teens, and came to New York. He appeared in his first Broadway show in 1913, World of Pleasure...
- Tess GardellaTess GardellaTherese "Tess" Gardella was an Italian American performer whose stage persona was "Aunt Jemima".A native of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Gardella performed on both stage and screen, usually in blackface. In 1927, she originated the role of Queenie in the classic stage musical Show Boat...
- Charles KingCharles King (vaudevillian)Charles King was a vaudeville and Broadway actor who also starred in several movies. He starred as the leading actor in the hit MGM movie, The Broadway Melody , the first all-talking film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.-Early Life:Charles J...
- Ann PenningtonAnn Pennington (Ziegfeld star)This article is about Ann Pennington, the stage actress. For the Playboy model of the same name, go to Ann Pennington .Ann Pennington was an actress, dancer, and singer who starred on Broadway in the 1910s and 1920s, notably in the Ziegfeld Follies and George White's Scandals.She became famous for...
- The George White Girls
1922
- Lester AllenLester AllenLester Allen was a screen, stage, vaudeville, circus actor, and film director. In vaudeville, he appeared in a double act with Nellie Breen and also emceed at the Palace Theatre.-Selected filmography:...
- Dolores CostelloDolores CostelloDolores Costello was an American film actress who achieved her greatest success during the era of silent movies. She was nicknamed "The Goddess of the Silent Screen"...
- Peggy DolanPeggy Dolan-Social prominence:Dolan was from Newark, New Jersey. Her parents were Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hoffman Dolan. Her grandmother was Mrs. Thomas J. Dolan of Villanova, Pennsylvania....
- W.C. Fields
- Winnie LightnerWinnie LightnerWinnie Lightner was an American motion picture actress. Perhaps her most famous role was as a gold-digger named Mabel, in Gold Diggers of Broadway...
- Sally LongSally LongSally Long was a dancer and motion picture actress from Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated from Eden Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1921.-Dancer:...
- Paul WhitemanPaul WhitemanPaul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
& His Orchestra - The George White Girls
1923
- Lester AllenLester AllenLester Allen was a screen, stage, vaudeville, circus actor, and film director. In vaudeville, he appeared in a double act with Nellie Breen and also emceed at the Palace Theatre.-Selected filmography:...
- Winnie LightnerWinnie LightnerWinnie Lightner was an American motion picture actress. Perhaps her most famous role was as a gold-digger named Mabel, in Gold Diggers of Broadway...
- The George White Girls (including Alice White)
1924
- Lester AllenLester AllenLester Allen was a screen, stage, vaudeville, circus actor, and film director. In vaudeville, he appeared in a double act with Nellie Breen and also emceed at the Palace Theatre.-Selected filmography:...
- Dolores CostelloDolores CostelloDolores Costello was an American film actress who achieved her greatest success during the era of silent movies. She was nicknamed "The Goddess of the Silent Screen"...
- Helene CostelloHelene CostelloHelene Costello was an American motion picture actress, most notably of the silent film era.Lou Costello took his professional name from the actress.- Biography :...
- Tony DeMarcoTony DeMarco (dancer)Tony DeMarco was American burlesque/vaudeville dancer of the first half of the 20th century. In his dance duet, known as The DeMarcos, he partnered with several ladies, three of which were his wives:* Nina DeMarco...
- Peggy DolanPeggy Dolan-Social prominence:Dolan was from Newark, New Jersey. Her parents were Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hoffman Dolan. Her grandmother was Mrs. Thomas J. Dolan of Villanova, Pennsylvania....
- Winnie LightnerWinnie LightnerWinnie Lightner was an American motion picture actress. Perhaps her most famous role was as a gold-digger named Mabel, in Gold Diggers of Broadway...
- The George White Girls (including Louise BrooksLouise BrooksMary Louise Brooks , generally known by her stage name Louise Brooks, was an American dancer, model, showgirl and silent film actress, noted for popularizing the bobbed haircut. Brooks is best known for her three feature roles including two G. W...
, Dorothy SebastianDorothy SebastianDorothy Sebastian was an American film and stage actress.-Early life and career:Sebastian was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. In her youth she hoped to be a dancer and later a film actress. Her family frowned on both ambitions, however, so she fled to New York at the age of 15...
, Sally StarrSally StarrSally Starr was a movie actress from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.She was a Broadway actress before making her debut in motion pictures. She performed on stage from the age of fourteen. Starr debuted in Frolics featuring Ted Lewis as a teenager. She later appeared in George White's Scandals.When Starr...
, and Alice White)
1926
- The Fairbanks TwinsMadeline and Marion FairbanksMadeline and her twin sister Marion Fairbanks were stage and motion picture actresses active in the silent era. The two sisters were seemingly inseparable...
- Portland HoffaPortland HoffaPortland Hoffa was an American comedienne, actor, and dancer...
- Ann PenningtonAnn Pennington (Ziegfeld star)This article is about Ann Pennington, the stage actress. For the Playboy model of the same name, go to Ann Pennington .Ann Pennington was an actress, dancer, and singer who starred on Broadway in the 1910s and 1920s, notably in the Ziegfeld Follies and George White's Scandals.She became famous for...
- Frances Williams
- The George White Girls (including Alice White)
1928
- Harry RichmanHarry RichmanHarry Richman was an American entertainer. He was a singer, actor, dancer, comedian, pianist, songwriter, bandleader, and night club performer, at his most popular in the 1920s and 1930s....
- The Russell Markert DancersThe RockettesThe Rockettes are a precision dance company performing out of the Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, New York City. During the Christmas season, the Rockettes have performed five shows a day, seven days a week, for 77 years...
- Frances Williams
- The George White Girls (including Boots MalloryBoots MalloryPatricia "Boots" Mallory was an American film actress, dancer and model.-Career:Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Mallory grew up in Mobile, Alabama, attended Murphy High School, and was working in the Lyric Theater as an usherette when the Ziegfeld Follies came to Mobile. Ziegfeld offered her a...
)
1931
- Ray BolgerRay BolgerRaymond Wallace "Ray" Bolger was an American entertainer of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow and Kansas farmworker Hank in The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
- Ethel MermanEthel MermanEthel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's...
- Rudy ValleeRudy ValléeRudy Vallée was an American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.-Early life:Born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont, the son of Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vallée...
- Alice FayeAlice FayeAlice Faye was an American actress and singer, called by The New York Times "one of the few movie stars to walk away from stardom at the peak of her career." She is remembered first for her stardom at 20th Century Fox and, later, as the radio comedy partner of her husband, bandleader and comedian...
- Beth White
- The George White Girls
1932 (Music Hall Varieties)
- Lili DamitaLili DamitaLili Damita was a French actress who appeared in 33 movies between 1922 and 1937.-Early life and education:...
- Bert LahrBert LahrBert Lahr was an American actor and comedian. Lahr is remembered today for his roles as the Cowardly Lion and Kansas farmworker Zeke in The Wizard of Oz, but was also well-known for work in burlesque, vaudeville, and on Broadway.-Early life:Lahr was born in New York City, of German-Jewish heritage...
- Harry RichmanHarry RichmanHarry Richman was an American entertainer. He was a singer, actor, dancer, comedian, pianist, songwriter, bandleader, and night club performer, at his most popular in the 1920s and 1930s....
- Eleanor PowellEleanor PowellEleanor Torrey Powell was an American film actress and dancer of the 1930s and 1940s, known for her exuberant solo tap dancing.-Early life:...
- The Dancing Beauties (including Barbara Pepper)
1935 (film)George White's 1935 ScandalsGeorge White's 1935 Scandals is an American musical film, written by Jack Yellen and produced in 1935 by Fox Film Corporation . It was a follow-up to the 1934 release, George White's Scandals.-Plot:The film centers on real-life stage and screen producer George White as he gathers acts for his new...
- Alice FayeAlice FayeAlice Faye was an American actress and singer, called by The New York Times "one of the few movie stars to walk away from stardom at the peak of her career." She is remembered first for her stardom at 20th Century Fox and, later, as the radio comedy partner of her husband, bandleader and comedian...
- James DunnJames Dunn (actor)James Howard Dunn was an American film actor.-Biography:Born in New York City of Irish descent, Dunn was the son of a Wall Street stockbroker who, according to Dunn, "either had a million or nothing." He joined his father in his business for three years...
- Ned SparksNed SparksNed Sparks was a Canadian character actor. Sparks was well known for his deadpan expression and deep, gravelly voice.-Early life and career:...
1939
- Ben BlueBen BlueBen Blue , born Benjamin Bernstein, was a Canadian-American actor and comedian.Born to a Jewish family in Montreal, Quebec, at the age of nine, Blue emigrated to Baltimore in the United States where he won a contest for the best impersonation of Charlie Chaplin...
- Ella LoganElla LoganElla Logan was a Scottish-born actress and singer, who appeared on Broadway, recorded and had a nightclub career in the United States and internationally.-Early years:...
- Ann MillerAnn MillerJohnnie Lucille Collier, better known as Ann Miller was an American singer, dancer and actress.-Early life:...
- Harry StockwellHarry StockwellHarry Stockwell was an American actor and singer. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, United States.Stockwell made his film debut in the 1935 film, Strike Up the Band. However, his claim to fame came in 1935, when he provided the voice of "The Prince" in Walt Disney's animated classic, Snow...
- The Three Stooges
- The George White Girls