
A STAR FOR A NIGHT - A STORY OF STAGE LIFE - BY - ELSIE JANIS - WITH PICTURES FROM THE PLAY TAKEN ESPECIALLY FOR THE BOOK
To My Mother
ORIGINAL CAST - OF - A STAR FOR A NIGHT
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
A STAR FOR A NIGHT
CHAPTER I - "ZINSHEIMER, OF NEW YORK"
CHAPTER II - THE ENGLISH ACTRESS
CHAPTER III - INTRODUCING MARTHA FARNUM
CHAPTER IV - A GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST
CHAPTER V - STRICTLY A BUSINESS BARGAIN
Step onto the boards of a bygone era and hear the backstage chatter of America's early 20‑century theater through the eyes of a lively performer. The narrative opens in the quirky little resort of French Lick Springs, where a flamboyant New York feather merchant named Marky Zinsheimer arrives, setting off a cascade of humorous misunderstandings and colourful encounters. From the clatter of a bustling hotel veranda to the whispered aspirations of aspiring actors, the author paints a vivid picture of a world where ambition and camaraderie collide.
In the following chapters the reader is led into the green‑room, the cramped rehearsal spaces, and the electric tension just before the curtain rises. Sprinkled with witty anecdotes about love, rivalry, and the everyday hustle of a touring company, the prose is punctuated by charming illustrations that bring each character to life. Listeners will come away with a warm, intimate sense of what it was to chase stardom in a time when the stage was both a sanctuary and a battlefield.
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (160K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Josephine Paolucci and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net.
Release date
Sep 21, 2010
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1889–1956
A fearless vaudeville star who grew into a Broadway and film performer, she became especially famous for entertaining American troops during World War I. Her career stretched across acting, singing, songwriting, and screenwriting, giving her one of the most varied show-business lives of her era.
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