Soldiers of Song: The Dumbells and Other Canadian Concert Parties of the First World War

Printed on demand

Estimated despatch time 7 - 10 days

Table of Contents for Soldiers of Song: The Dumbells and Other Canadian Concert Parties of the First World War , by Jason Wilson List of Figures I
Introduction II The Music Hall and Beyond III In the Interest of Morale: The Dumbells and the Development of the Canadian Concert Party IV Only a Soldier Knows: The War and Humour V The Canadian Concert-Party Experience VI The Dumbells in Peace Notes on S
Acknowledgements
Appendices A Dramatis Personae : CEF Concert-Party Entertainers of WWI B Notable Concert Parties of the CEF and BEF C Important Casts of the CEF Concert Parties D Postwar Concert Party Revues E North American Tour Itineraries F Catalogue of Dumbells Sheet
Bibliography
Index

About
Explore

About

The seeds of irreverent humour that inspired the likes of Wayne and Shuster and Monty Python were sown in the trenches of the First World War, and The Dumbells - concert parties made up of fighting soldiers - were central to this process. Soldiers of Song tells their story.

Lucky soldiers who could sing a song, perform a skit, or pass as a ""lady,"" were taken from the line and put onstage for the benefit of their soldier-audiences. The intent was to bolster morale and thereby help soldiers survive the war.

The Dumbells' popularity was not limited to troop shows along the trenches. The group also managed a run in London's West End and became the first ever Canadian production to score a hit on Broadway. Touring Canada for some twelve years after the war, the Dumbells became a household name and made more than twenty-five audio recordings. If nationhood was won on the crest of Vimy Ridge, it was the Dumbells who provided the country with its earliest soundtrack. Pioneers of sketch comedy, the Dumbells are as important to the history of Canadian theatre as they are to the cultural history of early-twentieth-century Canada.

Book

Contents

Download queue