Lillian Russell

Colorful and boisterous first nights were the rule in New York theaters of the 1880s. Everyone, it seemed, attended, from the rich and powerful to young people who scraped together just enough to buy a ticket. And no star was more popular than Lillian Russell.
At a time when serious plays dominated the stages, Lillian Russell was one of the first to popularize musical theater. With her beauty, voice, and grace, she was the symbol of the new American woman. She used those attributes to attain power, social status and wealth, and then to become one of the earliest champions of women’s equality. Her life and career are covered here in detail, with particular emphasis on the way she influenced theater history and popular culture.

The late Armond Fields was a social historian specializing in American popular theater. The author of numerous books about vaudeville and other early theater figures, he lived in Culver City, California.

Armond Fields
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 245
Bibliographic Info: 41 photos, notes, chronology, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2008 [1999]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3868-6
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      v
Introduction      1

1. From Prairies to Pastor’s      5
2. She Couldn’t Say No      20
3. The Prodigal Daughter’s Return      30
4. The Queen of Comic Opera      57
5. The Queen’s Consorts      79
6. Requiem for Comic Opera      99
7. Music Hall Days      122
8. End of an Era      138
9. Her Image Renewed      159
10. Old Specialties, New Platforms      176
11. God, Mother, Country and Lillian Russell      190
12. The Queen Is Dead! Long Live the Queen!      206

Performance Chronology      219
Notes      225
Bibliography      229
Index      233

“substantial…fortified with numerous informatively captioned illustrations and a useful chronology…recommended”—Choice.