Gus Sun American Minstrels is a piece of digital artwork by Woodson Savage which was uploaded on October 11th, 2014.
Gus Sun American Minstrels
Gus Sun, a Toledo, OH native, began his career as a circus juggler in 1889 but later organized the Gus Sun American Minstrels where he toured... more
Title
Gus Sun American Minstrels
Artist
Woodson Savage
Medium
Digital Art - Cardboard Advertising Sign
Description
Gus Sun, a Toledo, OH native, began his career as a circus juggler in 1889 but later organized the Gus Sun American Minstrels where he toured nationally for six years. In 1906 in Springfield, OH, Gus Sun started what would become one of the best known vaudeville booking agencies and theater chains in the nation.
Some of the top entertainment acts in the world got their start with Gus Sun including Bob Hope, Eddie Cantor, W.C. Fields and The Marx Brothers. Other notable stars booked by his agency included Mae West, Al Jolson, Will Rogers and Ted Lewis.
Gun Sun was responsible for many industry firsts as he booked shows and acts for nearly four hundred theaters across the country. He was the first to book acts sight unseen, to use photographs with bookings, advertise in trade journals and to cancel an act after its first performance if not successful. He also originated the “split week” which allowed for two different acts to perform in small towns that could otherwise not support full week-long engagements.
The advent of the “talkies” in the late 1920’s marked the eventual decline of vaudeville and the Gus Sun Booking Agency but he continued to book acts for radio, nightclubs, fairs and amusement parks until the 1950’s.
Uploaded
October 11th, 2014