Research Catalog

Details

Additional authors

1. Dale, Charlie, 1881-
2. Avon Comedy Four.
3. Smith and Dale.

Description

1. 2 lin. ft. (3 boxes)

Summary

1. The Smith and Dale Papers include contracts, correspondence, photographs, scripts, and other professional material from the vaudeville comedy team, but most strongly reflect the later life of Joe Smith.

Subject

1. Smith, Joe, 1884-1981
2. Dale, Charlie, 1881-
3. Avon Comedy Four
4. Smith and Dale
5. Comedians > United States
6. Comedy sketches
7. Jewish comedians > United States
8. Vaudeville > United States

Genre/Form

1. Contracts.
2. Correspondence.
3. Manuscripts.
4. Marriage licenses.
5. Photographs.
6. Poems.
7. Scripts (documents)
8. Scores.

Call number

1. *T-Mss 1981-015

Access (note)

1. Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.

Biography (note)

1. The comedy team of Smith and Dale, composed of partners, Joe Smith (real name, Joseph Sultzer, 1884-1981) and Charlie Dale (real name, Charles Marks, 1881-1971) became one of vaudeville's most famous and successful acts, later translating many of their most popular sketches to other media and serving as a source of inspiration for Neil Simon's play, The Sunshine Boys.

Indexes/finding aids (note)

1. Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Author

1. Smith, Joe, 1884-1981.

Title

1. Smith and Dale papers, 1903-1981.

Restricted access

1. Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.

Biography

1. The comedy team of Smith and Dale, composed of partners, Joe Smith (real name, Joseph Sultzer, 1884-1981) and Charlie Dale (real name, Charles Marks, 1881-1971) became one of vaudeville's most famous and successful acts, later translating many of their most popular sketches to other media and serving as a source of inspiration for Neil Simon's play, The Sunshine Boys. The two first met as teenagers in New York City in 1898 and would remain a team for the next seventy-three years. Influenced by popular comedy teams such as Weber and Fields, the two adopted the name Smith and Dale after being offered a discount on a set of business cards commissioned, but never picked up by an act of that name. At one stage Smith and Dale were also part of a variety act known as the Avon Comedy Four, but as a team, Smith and Dale were to become major stars in vaudeville, and their sketches, which included School Days, The Tax Examiner, and Dr. Kronkhite and His Only Living Patient, were nationally famous. Once vaudeville was displaced by other forms of popular entertainment, however, Smith and Dale lost their place as headlining stars. They made periodic appearances on radio and television, recreating their old routines until Dale's death in 1971. Smith continued making public appearances and performing comedy, including many recordings for Dial-a-Joke, until his own death.

Indexes

1. Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Connect to:

1. Request Access to Theatre Division Special Collections material
2. Finding Aid

Occupation

1. Comedians.

Added author

1. Dale, Charlie, 1881-
2. Avon Comedy Four.
3. Smith and Dale.

Research call number

1. *T-Mss 1981-015