BOOK REVIEW: QUEEN OF VAUDEVILLE: The Story of Eva Tanguay by Andrew L. Erdman ~ The Self-Taught Cook™

Queen of Vaudeville:

The Story of Eva Tanguay

Andrew L. Erdman

Cornell University Press

Pub Date: Sep 11 2012

About the book . . .

In Queen of Vaudeville, Andrew L. Erdman tells Eva Tanguay's remarkable life story with verve. Born into the family of a country doctor in rural Quebec and raised in a New England mill town, Tanguay found a home on the vaudeville stage. Erdman follows the course of her life as she amasses fame and wealth, marries (and divorces) twice, engages in affairs closely followed in the press, declares herself a Christian Scientist, becomes one of the first celebrities to get plastic surgery, loses her fortune following the Wall Street Crash of 1929, and receives her last notice, an obituary in Variety. The arc of Tanguay's career follows the history of American popular culture in the first half of the twentieth century. Tanguay's appeal, so dependent on her physical presence and personal charisma, did not come across in the new media of radio and motion pictures. With nineteen rare or previously unpublished images, Queen of Vaudeville is a dynamic portrait of a dazzling and unjustly forgotten show business star.

A book trailer for "Queen of Vaudeville: The Story of Eva Tanguay"

About the author . . .

ANDREW L. ERDMAN has been writing professionally for over 20 years. He started his writerly life as a reporter and columnist at Fortune magazine. He went on to freelance for National Lampoon, Diversions, and other magazines, as well as websites including LifetimeTV.com and iVillage. In the interim, he earned a doctorate in theater studies from the City University of New York and also wrote for stage and television, including the series "Sex, Lives, and Videoclips," costarring Candace Bushnell and Scott Bloom, on the VH1 network. Andrew's first book, "Blue Vaudeville: Sex, Morals, and the Mass Marketing of Amusement, 1895-1915," was published by McFarland in 2003. His latest book, "Queen of Vaudeville: The Story of Eva Tanguay" (Cornell University Press, 2012) is the first-ever biography of vaudeville's biggest star, an early-twentieth century mega-celebrity who set the mold for Mae West, Cher, Madonna, and others. To find out more about "Queen of Vaudeville," please visit QueenOfVaudeville.com .

Reader Review . . .

Before Lady Gaga, before Madonna, even before Mae West, there was Eva Tanguay. Eva who??? The once Queen of Vaudeville, the biggest star of early-twentieth century America, is now largely forgotten. Until now, no biography had ever been written about her. With the exception of a highly-fictionalized movie made in the 1940s, Hollywood has forgotten her as well. Andrew Erdman discovered old newspaper clippings about Eva while researching his doctoral dissertation. Unlike many early stars, Eva left little documentation of her life and no memoirs. This biography required a decade of intensive research on the part of the author, and his effort shows. This is a fascinating story of an entertainer ahead of her time.

5 stars

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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