#94: Sugar Babies and the history of vaudeville with Phil Crosby

Chasing Phantom

Easter is this weekend and, while you might think I'm featuring the show "Sugar Babies" to make an allusion toward those sweet treats found in children's Easter baskets, well, you're right! BUT, thanks to my always incredibly knowledgeable guest, Phil Crosby, it came to light that this throwback vaudeville revue would also make sense to highlight because of Ann Miller's star turn in the movie "Easter Parade." Phil makes the astute point that Miller, who was the co-headliner of "Sugar Babies" with Mickey Rooney, was not often given her due as an excellent light comic actor. In "Easter Parade," he says that she holds her own in a packed cast replete with stars light Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, and more.

Miller was clearly a good foil and formidable match against Rooney and a large part of why "Sugar Babies," which now seems outdated and a bit of an anachronism, was so popular. It's a show that gives Phil and I the opportunity to dig into what vaudeville was, why it was so popular as a form early in the 20th century, why there was such a large audience eager to check out a show featuring it, and to explore the throughline from shows like "Sugar Babies" to variety shows like "The Carol Burnette Show."

As always, Phil brings an amazing backlog of Broadway scuttlebutt to the conversation and we even touch on a very direct connection between "Sugar Babies" and place both Phil and I call home, Richmond, VA.

Also as always, you'll want to check out my website, ChasingPhantom.net, for more information and video clips from or related to "Sugar Babies." You'll be glad you did!