Popular Entertainment

Elvis Presley Record

This Museum's popular entertainment collections hold some of the Smithsonian's most beloved artifacts. The ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz reside here, along with the Muppet character Kermit the Frog, and props from popular television series such as M*A*S*H and All in the Family. But as in many of the Museum's collections, the best-known objects are a small part of the story.

The collection also encompasses many other artifacts of 19th- and 20th-century commercial theater, film, radio, and TV—some 50,000 sound recordings dating back to 1903; posters, publicity stills, and programs from films and performances; puppets; numerous items from World's Fairs from 1851 to 1992; and audiovisual materials on Groucho Marx, to name only a few.

Place: Chicago

“I Am De Leadin' Lady of De Town”

This sheet music for the song “I Am De Leading Lady of De Town” was written and composed by Morris S. Silver and published by the Fred W. King Music Co. of Chicago, Illinois in 1902. This copy was published as a supplement to the “New York American Journal” on November 2, 1902.
Description
This sheet music for the song “I Am De Leading Lady of De Town” was written and composed by Morris S. Silver and published by the Fred W. King Music Co. of Chicago, Illinois in 1902. This copy was published as a supplement to the “New York American Journal” on November 2, 1902. The cover features an illustration of one well-dressed African American woman with a row of African American men in white suits behind her. There is also an inset photograph of composer and singer Morris S. Silver.
Location
Currently not on view
publishing date
1902
composer
Lane, Theodore
composer; lyricist; performer
Silver, Morris S.
publisher
Fred W. King Music Co.
ID Number
1982.0440.29
accession number
1982.0440
catalog number
1982.0440.29

Slap Her Down Again, Paw; Teardrops in My Heart

Rex Allen and his Arizona Wranglers. side 1: Slap Her Down Again, Paw; side 2: Teardrops in My Heart (Mercury 6095).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Rex Allen and his Arizona Wranglers. side 1: Slap Her Down Again, Paw; side 2: Teardrops in My Heart (Mercury 6095).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1947
recording artist
Rex Allen and his Arizona Wranglers
manufacturer
Mercury
ID Number
1996.0320.10478
collector/donor number
3981
maker number
6095
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.10478

Please Don't Take My Baby; Hang Yor Head in Shame

Fred Kirby. side 1: Please Don't Take My Baby; side 2: Hang Your Head in Shame (Sonora 1113), from the album, Hillbilly Tunes (Sonora MS-477).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Fred Kirby. side 1: Please Don't Take My Baby; side 2: Hang Your Head in Shame (Sonora 1113), from the album, Hillbilly Tunes (Sonora MS-477).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
release date
ca 1947
recording artist
Kirby, Fred
manufacturer
Sonora
ID Number
1996.0320.05157
maker number
1113
MS-477
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05157

Peanuts; I'll Be Home

Rick and The Keens. side 1: Peanuts; side 2: I'll Be Home (Smash S-1705)45 rpmCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
Rick and The Keens. side 1: Peanuts; side 2: I'll Be Home (Smash S-1705)
45 rpm
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1961
manufacturer
Smash
ID Number
1996.3034.06509
label number
S-1705
nonaccession number
1996.3034
catalog number
1996.3034.06509

Nellie Bly; Virginia Reel

Ed Durlacher and The Top Hands. side 1: Nellie Bly; side 2: Virginia Reel (Sonora 1121), from the album, Country Dances (Sonora MS 479).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Ed Durlacher and The Top Hands. side 1: Nellie Bly; side 2: Virginia Reel (Sonora 1121), from the album, Country Dances (Sonora MS 479).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
release date
1946
recording artist
Ed Durlacher and The Top Hands
manufacturer
Sonora
ID Number
1996.0320.05093
maker number
1121
MS 479
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05093

Violano Virtuoso Roll #2998

This music roll was made by Mills Novelty Company in Chicago, Illinois, about 1929-1930. It is Roll #2998, playable in a Violano Virtuoso player.
Description (Brief)

This music roll was made by Mills Novelty Company in Chicago, Illinois, about 1929-1930. It is Roll #2998, playable in a Violano Virtuoso player. The tune list for this roll is as follows:

Roll #2998 - Dance Tunes Now in Demand
14833: Funny Dear What Love Can Do (fox trot), Joe Bennett-G.A. Little & C. Straight, copyright 1929, Leso Feist, Inc.
14834: Happy Days Are Here Again (fox trot), Jack Yellen & Milt Ager, copyright 1929, Ager, Yellen & Bornstein
14835: Can You Read in My Eyes I Adore You? (waltz), Sam Coslow, copyright 1929, Spier & Coslow
14836: The One I Love Just Can't Be Bothered with Me (fox trot), Gus Kahn & Seymour Simons, copyright 1929, Leo Feist, Inc.
14837: Lucky Me Lovable You (fox trot), Jack Yellen & Milt Ager, copyright 1929, Ager, Yellen & Bernstein

Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1929-1930
maker
Mills Novelty Company
ID Number
MI.73.26
accession number
289515
catalog number
73.26
maker number
2998

We Shall See His Lovely Face; Jesus Gives Me a Song

F. Carlton Booth. side 1: We Shall See His Lovely Face; side 2: Jesus Gives Me a Song (Singspiration 1042). from the album, Singing (Singspiration 4). 78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
F. Carlton Booth. side 1: We Shall See His Lovely Face; side 2: Jesus Gives Me a Song (Singspiration 1042). from the album, Singing (Singspiration 4).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
release date
ca 1947
recording artist
Booth, F. Carlton
manufacturer
Singspiration
ID Number
1996.0320.05024
maker number
1042
4
catalog number
1996.0320.05024
accession number
1996.0320

QRS Playasax Harmonica

This instrument was made by the QRS-De Vry Corporation in Chicago, Illinois, after 1929. It is a Playasax model made of bronze plastic with harmonica-style reeds, 2 sprockets, and a metal hand crank. This instrument plays perforated paper rolls.
Description (Brief)

This instrument was made by the QRS-De Vry Corporation in Chicago, Illinois, after 1929. It is a Playasax model made of bronze plastic with harmonica-style reeds, 2 sprockets, and a metal hand crank. This instrument plays perforated paper rolls. It is marked:

Q-R-S
PLAYASAX
Q-R-S-DeVry
Corp.

This instrument features U.S. Patent 1752978, dated April 12, 1929 by Henry O. Drotning for a musical toy.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1929
maker
QRS DeVry Corp.
ID Number
1988.0783.545
accession number
1988.0783
catalog number
1988.0783.545

Baby Rose Marie

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
depicted; performing artist
Baby Rose Marie
photographer
Seymour, Maurice
maker
Seymour, Maurice
ID Number
2006.0248.25
catalog number
2006.0248.25
accession number
2006.0248

Somewhere a Heart Is Breaking; Hello My Baby

Fred Kirby. side 1: Somewhere a Heart Is Breaking; side 2: Hello My Baby (Sonora 1114), from the album, Hillbilly Tunes (Sonora MS-477).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Fred Kirby. side 1: Somewhere a Heart Is Breaking; side 2: Hello My Baby (Sonora 1114), from the album, Hillbilly Tunes (Sonora MS-477).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
release date
ca 1947
recording artist
Kirby, Fred
manufacturer
Sonora
ID Number
1996.0320.05162
maker number
1114
MS-477
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05162

American Sign Printer Rubber Stamp Set

date made
ca 1939
graphic artist
Superior Marking Equipment Co.
Superior Marking Equipment Co.
ID Number
2012.0239.01
accession number
2012.0239
catalog number
2012.0239.01

Hawaiian Cowboy; Take It Back and Change It for a Boy

Rex Allen and his Arizona Wranglers. side 1: Hawaiian Cowboy; side 2: Take It Back and Change It for a Boy (Mercury 6091).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Rex Allen and his Arizona Wranglers. side 1: Hawaiian Cowboy; side 2: Take It Back and Change It for a Boy (Mercury 6091).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1947
recording artist
Rex Allen and his Arizona Wranglers
manufacturer
Mercury
ID Number
1996.0320.10460
collector/donor number
4613
maker number
6091
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.10460

The Modern Jazz Quartet At Music Inn

The Modern Jazz Quartet. The Modern Jazz Quartet At Music Inn (Atlantic 1247).33-1/3 rpm.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
The Modern Jazz Quartet. The Modern Jazz Quartet At Music Inn (Atlantic 1247).
33-1/3 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1956
recording artist
Guiffre, Jimmy
Modern Jazz Quartet
manufacturer
Argo
ID Number
1978.0670.734
maker number
1247
accession number
1978.0670
catalog number
1978.0670.734

Red River Valley; Loobie Lou Skip To My Lou

Ed Durlacher and The Top Hands. side 1: Red River Valley; side 2: Loobie Lou Skip To My Lou (Sonora 1123) from the album, Country Dances (Sonora MS 479).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Ed Durlacher and The Top Hands. side 1: Red River Valley; side 2: Loobie Lou Skip To My Lou (Sonora 1123) from the album, Country Dances (Sonora MS 479).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
release date
1946
recording artist
Ed Durlacher and The Top Hands
manufacturer
Sonora
ID Number
1996.0320.05095
maker number
1123
MS 479
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05095

Baby Rose Marie

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
depicted; performing artist
Baby Rose Marie
photographer
Seymour, Maurice
maker
Shapiro, Maurice
ID Number
2006.0248.24
catalog number
2006.0248.24
accession number
2006.0248

Back Street; Lazy Mood

Eddie Chamblee. side 1: Back Street; side 2: Lazy Mood (Miracle 133).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Eddie Chamblee. side 1: Back Street; side 2: Lazy Mood (Miracle 133).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1949
recording artist; composer
Simpkins, Lewis
Chamblee, Eddie
manufacturer
Miracle
ID Number
1996.0153.08693
catalog number
1996.0153.08693
label number
133
accession number
1996.0153

Ole Faithful; Take Me Back to My Boots and Saddle

Red River Dave. side 1: Ole Faithful; side 2: Take Me Back to My Boots and Saddle (Sonora 1065), from the album, Songs of the West (Sonora MS 464).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Red River Dave. side 1: Ole Faithful; side 2: Take Me Back to My Boots and Saddle (Sonora 1065), from the album, Songs of the West (Sonora MS 464).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1944
recording artist
Red River Dave
manufacturer
Sonora
ID Number
1996.0320.05218
maker number
1065
MS 464
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05218

“Toreador Song”

This sheet music is for the “Toreador Song,” from the opera “Carmen.” The song was originally composed in French by Georges Bizet, but this English translation is done by Jerry Castillo. The sheet music was published by the Calumet Music Company of Chicago, Illinois in 1935.
Description (Brief)
This sheet music is for the “Toreador Song,” from the opera “Carmen.” The song was originally composed in French by Georges Bizet, but this English translation is done by Jerry Castillo. The sheet music was published by the Calumet Music Company of Chicago, Illinois in 1935. The bright red cover features a silhouetted image of a toreador, or bullfighter, with an inset photograph of George Olsen on the lower left.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1935
publisher
Calumet Music Company
ID Number
1983.0424.003
accession number
1983.0424
catalog number
1983.0424.003

"You Tell Me Your Dream, I'll Tell You Mine"

This player piano roll was made by QRS in Chicago, Illinois, 1920s. It is roll #7083 – “You Tell Me Your Dream, I’ll Tell You Mine,” words by Seymour Rice and Albert H. Brown and music by Chas. N. Daniels.Currently not on view
Description
This player piano roll was made by QRS in Chicago, Illinois, 1920s. It is roll #7083 – “You Tell Me Your Dream, I’ll Tell You Mine,” words by Seymour Rice and Albert H. Brown and music by Chas. N. Daniels.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1920s
manufacturer
QRS Records
ID Number
MI.71.12.08
accession number
292526
catalog number
71.12.08
maker number
7083

Promised Land; Things I Used To Do

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1964
recording artist
Berry, Chuck
manufacturer
Chess
ID Number
1996.3034.00591
nonaccession number
1996.3034
label number
1916
catalog number
1996.3034.00591

Under the Old Apple Tree

"Under the Old Apple Tree." Words and music by Gene Autry. (Calumet Music Co. Chicago, 1932)White paper cover with black and orange ink featuring a graphic of a couple under a tree and and image of "Mac" McCloud. Inside white paper pages with black ink.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)

"Under the Old Apple Tree." Words and music by Gene Autry. (Calumet Music Co. Chicago, 1932)

White paper cover with black and orange ink featuring a graphic of a couple under a tree and and image of "Mac" McCloud. Inside white paper pages with black ink.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1932
maker
Calumet Music Co.
ID Number
2014.3013.275
nonaccession number
2014.3013
catalog number
2014.3013.275

I Met Her in the Garden; Beautiful Brown Eyes

Herman the Hermit with Cliffie Stone Orchestra.
Description

Herman the Hermit with Cliffie Stone Orchestra. side 1: I Met Her in the Garden; side 2: Beautiful Brown Eyes (Gold Seal 4849), from the album, Cowboy Songs with Cliffie Stone (Gold Seal).
78 rpm.

Herman the Hermit is a pseudonym for Clifford Herman Snyder, father of Cliffie Stone.

Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1946
recording artist
Herman the Hermit
Cliffie Stone Orchestra
manufacturer
Gold Seal
ID Number
1996.0320.05306
maker number
4849
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05306

6 Day Bike Rider Promotional Button

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1934
maker
Parisian Novelty Company
ID Number
1986.0210.19
accession number
1986.0210
catalog number
1986.0210.19

Down in the Valley; Where the Lilacs Grow

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1962
Associated Name
Smothers Brothers
Smothers, Richard R.
Smothers, Thomas B.
maker
Mercury
artist
Smothers Brothers
ID Number
2017.0333.25
accession number
2017.0333
catalog number
2017.0333.25

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