Name: Antique American Theatre Poster – Manny King, New Haven - opposite Yale
Brand: Cobham Antiques
Price: 171.00 CAD
Availability: InStock

Antique American Theatre Poster – Manny King, New Haven - opposite Yale

$171.00

“PEP - SNAP – GINGER” 🇺🇸 Meet the King of Yiddish Comedians! 🎭

They certainly knew how to sell a night out.

In New Haven, Connecticut - opposite Yale - these posters advertised the attractions appearing at the Hyperion Theatre, promising an evening of comedy, burlesque and variety entertainment.

A star turn for Manny King

Top billing goes to Manny King, billed as the “King of Yiddish Comedians”, pictured mid-routine with fiddle and top hat, alongside the wonderfully evocative phrase “Goat Yontiff” - Yiddish for “good holiday” - down the margin.

Also appearing was Helen Flynn, billed as “Danseuse à la Egyptian”, alongside Fred Clark’s “Let’s Go”, burlesque and a chorus line captioned “Some of the Beauties with ‘Let’s Go’”.

The programme reflects the travelling variety circuits of early 20th-century America, when comedians, novelty acts, dancers and chorus numbers competed for the public’s attention.

The Columbia circuit, known as the “Eastern Wheel”, helped bring this style of entertainment to audiences across the region. This poster is a surviving glimpse of that lively world of popular theatre.

Today it remains a fascinating piece of American entertainment ephemera — wonderfully graphic, slightly raucous and full of the promise of a night on the town.

And frankly, any antique poster promising “PEP - SNAP – GINGER” deserves another outing.

Condition
The poster is age-toned, with some paper loss to the edges. It is presented in a later gilt slip frame with glazing; the frame has some chipping.

Details