"From the 1920s through the 40s, theatre seasons would have been incomplete, and possibly insolvent, without their constantly replenished supply of Broadway revues. They evolved from the rich turn-of-the-century tradition of burlesque, minstrel shows and spectacles, and they combined slapstick and satire with abundant chorus girls, music and opulence to reflect and comment upon the ever-changing styles and values of their times.

And whether George White's Scandals or Ziegfeld Follies, whether Little Shows or Passing Shows, they introduced to the world such immortals as Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Al Jolson, Will Rogers, Jack Benny, Fred Allen, Sophie Tucker, Helen Morgan, Fanny Brice, Fred Astaire, Ethel Waters, Bert Lahr and Bob Hope - to name but a few. What would the last century have been like without them?"--BOOK JACKET.