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News Release — February 22, 2018

Harry Ransom Center to Host "Vaudeville Film Series"

What: Harry Ransom Center presents the "Vaudeville Film Series" throughout May.

When: Selected dates beginning May 3 through May 24.

Where: Harry Ransom Center, 21st and Guadalupe streets

Background: The "Vaudeville Film Series" is held in conjunction with the exhibition "Vaudeville!" which is on display through July 15. For more than a century, vaudeville was the most popular form of American entertainment and one of the country's largest cultural exports.

Eric Colleary, the Ransom Center's Cline Curator of Theatre and Performing Arts, will introduce the films.

Screenings at the Ransom Center are free. The Ransom Center's Charles Nelson Prothro Theater has limited seating. Line forms upon arrival of the first person, and doors open 30 minutes in advance. Patrons are encouraged to visit the exhibition, which is open until 7 p.m. on Thursdays, before attending the screenings.

Images: High-resolution press images are available.

The following films will be screened:


"She Done Him Wrong" (1933)
Thursday, May 3, 7 p.m.

The film features Mae West in her early stage persona of Diamond Lil. Alongside Cary Grant, West's performance captures the environment of a late 19th-century Bowery theater. Runtime: 66 minutes.


"Lime Kiln Club Field Day" (1913) and "The Natural Born Gambler" (1916)
Thursday, May 10, 7 p.m.

Starring vaudeville sensation Bert Williams, these rare silent films are thought to be among the earliest to feature African American actors. "Lime Kiln Club Field Day" was preserved by The Museum of Modern Art with support from The Lillian Gish Trust for Film Preservation. Combined runtime: 87 minutes.


"The Cocoanuts" (1929)
Thursday, May 17, 7 p.m.

The Marx Brothers' early vaudeville acts were pieced together and expanded to create elaborate stage and screen musical comedies such as "The Cocoanuts." Runtime: 96 minutes.


"The Great Ziegfeld" (1936)
Thursday, May 24, 7 p.m.

William Powell and Myrna Loy star in the biographical musical of legendary impresario Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. Runtime: 176 minutes.

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Alyssa Morris
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alyssa.morris@austin.utexas.edu