Elsie Janis sings 'Florrie Was a Flapper,' London, 1914

Elsie Janis (1889-1956) was already a star in the United States when made her first appearance in London at the Palace Theatre in the revue The Passing Show, produced on 20 April 1914. 'In the course of the programme,' reported The New York Times (21 June 1914) Miss Janis dons men's evening dress and appears, a la Vesta Tilley, with high hat and a wisp of a walking stick. . . . And one wonders whether Basil Hallam, with whom Miss Janis does a bit of dancing at the Palace, is ever uncomfortably suspicious that she may have been studying him furtively before coming out in this costume to sing ''Florrie Was a Flapper.''' In this recording of the song, which Miss Janis later said was the best ever written for her, she is accompanied by its composer Herman Finck conducting the Palace Theatre Orchestra. It was made for the HMV label (2-3029) at the studios of The Gramophone Company Ltd, near London, on 4 June 1914.

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The recording and images featured here are from John Culme's Footlight Notes Collection.

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Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Elsie Janis
• Florrie Was a Flapper
• Palace Theatre
• The Passing Show
• 1914
• Herman Finck

[TuberOnTheLoose]

I was not aware the term "Flapper" had been used this early.

[vulcanswork]

Lovely.