Finding Aid for the William Lewis Papers, 1918-1947

Processed by Kayla Landesman; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé
© 2003
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Finding Aid for the William Lewis Papers, 1918-1947

Collection number: 496

UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections

Manuscripts Division



Los Angeles, CA
Processed by:
Kayla Landesman, 1986
Encoded by:
Caroline Cubé
Online finding aid edited by:
Josh Fiala, November 2003
© 2003 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: William Lewis Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1918-1947
Collection number: 1496
Creator: Lewis, William
Extent: 1 oversize box
Repository: University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Dept. of Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Abstract: William Lewis decided on a dancing career after seeing the Frisco Kid perform in the early 1920s. He began in vaudeville with the group, Sunshowers, and later with a travelling minstrel show. His wife Elsie studied Russian ballet and tap dancing. The collection consists of photographs, theater programs, and ephemera relating to the vaudeville careers of William and Elsie Lewis, and to vaudeville in America in the 1920s.
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Language: English.

Administrative Information

Restrictions on Use and Reproduction

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Restrictions on Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Advance notice required for access.

Provenance/Source of Acquisition

Gift of William F. Lewis, 1983.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], William Lewis Papers (Collection 496). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

UCLA Catalog Record ID

UCLA Catalog Record ID: 1973134 

Biography

William Lewis was born in Providence, Rhode Island; he decided on a dancing career after seeing the Frisco Kid perform in the early 1920s; began in vaudeville with the group, Sunshowers, and later with a travelling minstrel show; his wife Elsie studied Russian ballet and tap dancing; danced at Capital Music Hall in New York with the the Chester Hale Girls; William and Elsie joined a touring group, Gobs of joy; after 1932, William Lewis returned to Rhode Island and opened a dancing school; after their baby was born, Lewis danced and served as an MC throughout the state; after the U.S. became involved in World War II, he took a job in an ammunitions factory; continued to do MC work until 1960, after which he continued to perform in nursing homes.

Scope and Content

Collection consists of photographs, theater programs, and ephemera relating to the vaudeville careers of William and Elsie Lewis, and to vaudeville in America in the 1920s.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Lewis, William--Archives.
Lewis, Elsie--Archives.
Vaudeville--United States--Archival resources.


Note

Description derived from in-house card file.
 

Papers, ca. 1920-1981

Creator/Collector: Lewis, William
Physical Description: (1 box, 88 items)

Scope and Content Note

Contains photographs, theater programs, and ephemera from the vaudeville careers of William and Elsie Lewis.
  • I. Lewis, Elsie.
  • 1. Vaudeville x. Variety shows (Theater)
  • 2. Minstrel shows.
  • 3. Entertainers--U.S.--Portraits.