Billy Hagan (1888-1986) started out as a boxer and a straightman to his brother in small time vaudeville. But he earned his greatest fame as a burlesque comic, earning his nickname from the exclamation he used as a profanity substitute whenever he got a surprise, such as a pretty dame” “Cheese and crackers!”
To find out more about 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.
(Travalanche) 