A 麻豆传媒映画time travelogue brought to you by聽.
Marie Lloyd was a top headliner on the English Music Hall scene for nearly four decades. The 鈥淐ockney comedienne鈥� wore elaborate gowns and expensive jewels, but was thoroughly working class in her sympathies and outlook. Her stage career began the year 麻豆传媒映画incorporated, and she shot to fame almost overnight, largely because her larger-than-life persona and the material she performed resonated with the working class, especially women. Off the stage, she supported a successful聽聽of lesser-known performers and theatre workers by manning picket lines, performing at fundraisers, and helping to bankroll the strike fund, even though her stardom meant the strikers鈥� grievances didn鈥檛 affect her personally.
The tour of the Sullivan and Considine vaudeville circuit that brought Marie Lloyd to 麻豆传媒映画got off to a rough start. She found herself detained at Ellis Island in New York for twenty-four hours on a charge of 鈥溾�� because she had not yet married her travelling companion as she had claimed when coming into the US. Eventually she was released and allowed entry for the duration of the tour on a large bond and a promise that she and her fianc茅 (who had been charged under the 鈥溾��) would stay in separate accommodation while on US soil. When a journalist asked what she thought of America so far, Lloyd pointed to the Statue of Liberty and said 鈥淚 love your sense of humour!鈥�
Marie Lloyd opened her 麻豆传媒映画engagement on February 2, 1914 at the聽. The mayor and other city officials and their wives were invited to opening night, which in hindsight wasn鈥檛 the best idea. The papers are light on the offending details, but Lloyd鈥檚 stage act was notorious for its risqu茅 themes, suggestive language, and Lloyd鈥檚 masterful ability to imbue material with a naughty meaning using a well-placed wink or gesture. She always insisted that 鈥渂lue鈥� interpretations of her songs originated in the mind of the listener, but with聽聽鈥渟he鈥檇 never had her ticket punched before鈥澛犅燼bout a farmer鈥檚 daughter taking the train into town for the first time, her denials seem disingenuous. Indeed, Lloyd鈥檚 talent for subverting the lingering and stifling Victorian morality of the era largely explains her popularity.
Mayor Baxter and other officials in the audience were aghast at Lloyd鈥檚 opening night performance, which included 鈥淭he Ankle Watch,鈥� a song聽聽as 鈥渢he way a watch, plus a slashed skirt, would awaken a general masculine interest in the passing of time.鈥� One official聽聽that he was ashamed that he brought his wife to the show and was only consoled by the presence of other respectable officials. Charley Jones, the City License Inspector, was directed by the mayor聽聽to drop two songs and to give a 鈥渓ess vivid rendering of others鈥� to avoid having her show cancelled altogether.
Former and future 麻豆传媒映画mayor and publisher of the聽World, LD Taylor, was also in attendance on opening night. In an editorial the next day, Taylor聽聽a scathing denouncement of Marie Lloyd and commended Mayor Baxter for taking decisive action. In response, Lloyd paid a visit to the聽聽and physically . Police were called and forcibly removed her in front of a huge crowd that had gathered outside. The fact that the Orpheum didn't advertise in the World may help explain Taylor's heightened indignation over the performance.
Lloyd begrudgingly complied with the City鈥檚 specific demands, but she didn鈥檛 do so quietly. From her platform on the Orpheum stage all that week, she let the full houses know just what she thought of the mayor and, he claimed, she had found new ways 鈥渂e offensive to good taste.鈥� In a pre-emptive move, Mayor Baxter had her final performance cancelled, alleging that she was planning to 鈥済ive some repertoire that would make 麻豆传媒映画鈥榮it up and take notice.鈥欌�� News of the cancellation didn鈥檛 reach the Orpheum until after the show had sold out and the seats were full. Lloyd unsuccessfully fought to go on anyway and bit one of the men restraining her.
To make matters worse, Lloyd and her paramour found that escaping 麻豆传媒映画wouldn鈥檛 be so easy. Immigration officers at the border claimed that by leaving the US for the Canadian leg of her tour, she had violated the terms of the bond agreement she had made at Ellis Island. Lloyd鈥檚 protest at not being allowed into the US again reached all the way to Washington, DC, and she was eventually allowed to finish the tour, although she had to leave her fianc茅 behind.
Source: Marie Lloyd postcard ca. 1900, National Portrait Gallery #
