Sing and Be Happy. (Shoot Rudolf Songsheet and Advertisement Leaflet, ca. 1920s)

Rare Regional Song Leaflet from Early Vaudeville Promoter

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Song Leaflet Promoting “Shoot Rudolph” Show, Philadelphia Entertainment Service, Ca. 1920s

Issued by Lew Gordon Entertainment Service, Philadelphia, this leaflet advertises “Shoot Rudolph,” a vaudeville-style musical comedy act. The front cover features an illustrated advertisement depicting a smiling performer in cowboy garb under the banner “Sing and Be Happy.” Beneath, promotional copy exhorts readers to “Shoot Rudolph with Rudolph” and “book a ‘Shoot Rudolph’ show,” suggesting a recurring traveling act or circuit revue.

The interior pages print lyrics for a dozen or more popular songs of the period: “Blue Skies,” “Bye Bye Blackbird,” “Mary Lou,” “I’m in Love with You,” “Hello! Swanee—Hello!,” “Put Your Arms Where They Belong,” and others, including numbers by Irving Berlin and other Tin Pan Alley composers. Together they evoke the transitional repertoire of early radio and stage songbooks: pre-jazz, pre-swing, but modern in tone. Such privately printed “sing sheets” were often distributed at live performances or local talent shows, functioning both as souvenir and advertisement.

Price: $45.00