Today is the birthday of Izzy Baline (a.k.a Irving Berlin). For the full scoop on his vaudeville beginnings go here. And here’s a clip I found very moving, Berlin on the eve of his birthday in 1968, singing his own tune “God Bless America” on the Ed Sullivan Show:
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.
