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Vaudeville: American Entertainment

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Vaudeville: American Entertainment
American entertainment as we know it evolved from vaudeville and still sets the standard for some of the routines in performance arts today. Savvy businessmen saw the burgeoning middle class as an economic opportunity to gain economic advancement and the working class found a way out of the doldrums of factory life. Vaudeville also established several practices that are still a part of the entertainment industry such as “star power”, industry-wide censorship, Corporate business practices, MCs, amateur nights, payola, talent agents, and competition -- practices which accelerated and produced unique talents. Moreover, vaudeville provided relief from the tensions of life for the common man, upper-class, and even the President of the United States,
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