
Keith's wife, Mary Catherine, posted the following rules backstage for the vaudevillians to uphold: "You are hereby warned that your act must be free from all vulgarity and suggestiveness in words, action, and costume ... Such words as Liar, Slob, Son-of-a-Gun, Devil, Sucker, Damn and all other words unfit for the ears of ladies and children ... are prohibited under fine of instant discharge." It worked, and Vaudeville took the country by storm, even encouraged baseball to clean up its act.
What's that? A clean act became a huge commercial and comedic success? People at one time sought an escape from the crude and crass? Yes! And who's to say it couldn't happen again with Catholics leading the way?
(From The Old Ball Game, p. 30)
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