Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Smutty business at Keith's, Flushing


Thanks to Damian, partly for designing our spiffy new header, and also for hitting upon this charming ad for one of the mini-touring shows incorporating bits of other shows that the Brothers used to do between proper shows.
The heading identifies them as the stars of The Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers - that, and the films listed beneath, safely dates this as 1930.
In tiny type that defies you to read it, we learn that they are appearing in person with a 17 strong cast in The Schweinerei. Schweinerei, Damian assures me, is defined in the wictionary as
mess, nastiness, smutty business, (lit:) piggishness.
We are urged to "come and greet them and get your laugh of a lifetime".
It comes from this photostream, dedicated to saving the historic RKO Keith's Theatre. The pictures, of this and other ads plus great shots of the theatre in its heyday and now in heartbreaking disrepair, are well worth a look.

2 comments:

David C. said...

That photostream of Keith's RKO is really interesting. There's so much history in Queens--not the least of which is the 1939 World's Fair. The 1964 World's Fair was on the same grounds, which is now Corona Park and the site of the U.S. Tennis Open. There are a couple of 30's era movie theaters still standing in Queens--the Fair Theater and the Trylon, but both have seen better days.

Lolita said...

I've given you an award! I have no idea if these sorts of things is anything for you, but I felt that I wanted to give you one!
Check it out here:

http://lolitasclassics.blogspot.com/2009/07/one-lovely-blog-award.html