One of the apparently wildly successful series of Vaudeville sketches by Jones and Spencer, this one from a Victor 12-inch side recorded in 1905, this was an ambitious attempt to sonically re-create the theatrical wonders of the
New York Hippodrome which opened that year. It was one block away from Times Square, between 43rd and 44th Streets on Sixth Avenue, and was the largest theater in New York at the time (more details can be found at the
New York Architecture site). For nearly four minutes of playing time, and a cast of hundreds, this is somewhere between a Vaudeville sketch and an
info-mercial. The record itself needed to be played with a special needle to find an undamaged part of the groove, and a once-over with noise reduction cleaned up what little noise remained.
