Stars of Vaudeville #249: Raymond Hitchcock

Born today in 1865, this largely forgotten comedian was such a major Broadway star that, like certain others of his time (Ed Wynn, Frank Fay) he produced and starred in his own revues (the “Hitchy Koo” series 1917-1920). According to Frank Cullen’s Vaudeville: Old and New, he’d started out as a chorus boy in Keith and Albee’s inaugural theatrical venture, their pirated edition of The Mikado, circa 1884. Staring around 1889, he shows up in Broadway shows, and he was pretty much on a Broadway stage every year from then on until he passed away in 1929. He was a vaudeville headliner for much of that time; he starred at the Palace many times between 1918 and 1927. He also appeared in numerous silent comedies by the Lubin Studio and Mack Sennett. Had he survived into the sound era we might be able to form a clearer idea of his performance style, which contemporary accounts describe as informal and relaxed and almost slacker-y. But it wasn’t to be.

To find out more about these variety artists and the history of vaudeville, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever nutty books are sold.