Actionable Offenses: Indecent Phonograph Recordings from the 1890s
Encyclopedia
Actionable Offenses: Indecent Phonograph Recordings from the 1890s is a compilation of jokes and stories recorded to wax cylinders during the 1890s. At the time the recordings were made, they were considered indecent, and nearly all similar recordings from this era have been destroyed, often by law
. The compilation was assembled by Patrick Feaster and David Giovannoni, and released on Archeophone Records
, an archival reissue label, in 2007. It received two Grammy Award
nominations.
machines became common in public places, and were found in American cities at county fair
s, public halls, saloons, and department store
s. In many places, such as bars and tavern
s, patrons could place money into a coin slot and choose a recording to listen to, like a jukebox
. Some establishments began placing cylinders of a sexually explicit nature into their machines during this decade, and local authorities often took steps to remove the cylinders from use and charge those responsible under indecency statutes. In New York City
, Anthony Comstock
and his Society for the Suppression of Vice spent several years investigating cases of indecent material in phonograph booths throughout the city. In 1899, Comstock succeeded in pushing through a statute specifically criminalizing the distribution and airing, public or private, of recorded material which used profanity
or sexually explicit language; as a result, most of those in the business of making such records ceased to do so after 1900.
In addition to commercial recordings, the advent of home recording also allowed for the creation of obscene or sexually explicit recordings. Such machines were available by the 1890s, and the ability to use the machine to record such material was actually used as a selling point by some purveyors of home recording machines.
's commercial apparatus until 1937, and his collection of commercial recordings was preserved by the Edison National Historic Site
from the 1950s. The latter collection was purchased by a collector in 1997, and consisted of what are probably home recordings. Both of the collections are presented in their entirety on the compilation; tracks 1-14 are the Miller Collection and tracks 15-43 are the Young collection. The Miller Collection was digitized in November 2006.
(ca. 1856-1919) began his career in vaudeville
after injuring his hand and foot working on a railroad. by 1895 he was performing in New York City
at the Union Square Theatre, and in 1897 he made his first phonograph recordings. Stewart was best known for his monologues depicting stereotypical
"rubes" and "Yankee
s". Working extensively as a performer and recorder up to the time of his death in 1919, he became a nationally celebrated humorist. The curators of the collection identified Stewart as the most likely performer of the first two tracks of the disc.
(1864-1943) worked as a stage manager for a Boston
theater, and recorded comedy routines centering around stereotypical Irish American
s from the early 1890s. His recurring character "Michael Casey" became a centerpiece of his comedy and was widely imitated. Hunting was actually arrested by Anthony Comstock in June 1896, and served three months in prison as a result; he returned to the recording business upon his release, but emigrated to England
in 1898. There he continued using the Casey routines to great success and worked as a recording executive. The curators of the collection identified Hunting as the most likely performer of tracks 3-11.
noted that the compilation was "as lewd and often obscene as anything Howard Stern
has to offer." Metro
noted in jest, "Some of this material would get you arrested, even today". The compilation was nominated for two Grammy award
s, for Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album.
By an Unknown Performer, Possibly Russell Hunting
Believed to Be By Russell Hunting
Believed to Be By James White
By an Unknown Performer, Probably Home Recordings
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
. The compilation was assembled by Patrick Feaster and David Giovannoni, and released on Archeophone Records
Archeophone Records
Archeophone Records, LLC, based in Champaign, Illinois, specializes in preserving recordings of the acoustic era of the recording industry by remastering phonograph cylinders and gramophone records from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and releasing them on compact disc...
, an archival reissue label, in 2007. It received two Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations.
Historical background
By the 1890s, phonographPhonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
machines became common in public places, and were found in American cities at county fair
County Fair
"County Fair" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Gary Usher for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was originally released as the second track on their 1962 album Surfin' Safari. On November 26th of that year, it was released as the B-side to The Beach Boys' third single, "Ten Little...
s, public halls, saloons, and department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s. In many places, such as bars and tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
s, patrons could place money into a coin slot and choose a recording to listen to, like a jukebox
Jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media...
. Some establishments began placing cylinders of a sexually explicit nature into their machines during this decade, and local authorities often took steps to remove the cylinders from use and charge those responsible under indecency statutes. In New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Anthony Comstock
Anthony Comstock
Anthony Comstock was a United States Postal Inspector and politician dedicated to ideas of Victorian morality.-Biography:...
and his Society for the Suppression of Vice spent several years investigating cases of indecent material in phonograph booths throughout the city. In 1899, Comstock succeeded in pushing through a statute specifically criminalizing the distribution and airing, public or private, of recorded material which used profanity
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
or sexually explicit language; as a result, most of those in the business of making such records ceased to do so after 1900.
In addition to commercial recordings, the advent of home recording also allowed for the creation of obscene or sexually explicit recordings. Such machines were available by the 1890s, and the ability to use the machine to record such material was actually used as a selling point by some purveyors of home recording machines.
Assembly of the compilation
The recordings on the album comprise two collections of cylinders: the Walter Miller Collection and the Bruce R. Young Collection. The Walter Miller Collection was compiled by the manager of Thomas EdisonThomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
's commercial apparatus until 1937, and his collection of commercial recordings was preserved by the Edison National Historic Site
Edison National Historic Site
Thomas Edison National Historical Park preserves Thomas Edison's laboratory and residence, Glenmont, in Llewellyn Park in West Orange, New Jersey. For more than forty years, the laboratory had a major impact on the lives of people worldwide...
from the 1950s. The latter collection was purchased by a collector in 1997, and consisted of what are probably home recordings. Both of the collections are presented in their entirety on the compilation; tracks 1-14 are the Miller Collection and tracks 15-43 are the Young collection. The Miller Collection was digitized in November 2006.
Cal Stewart
Cal StewartCal Stewart
Cal Stewart was a pioneer in vaudeville and early sound recordings. He is best remembered for his comic monologues in which he played "Uncle Josh" Weathersby, a resident of a mythical New England farming town called "Punkin Center."Born in Charlotte County, Virginia in 1856, Stewart spent his...
(ca. 1856-1919) began his career in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
after injuring his hand and foot working on a railroad. by 1895 he was performing in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
at the Union Square Theatre, and in 1897 he made his first phonograph recordings. Stewart was best known for his monologues depicting stereotypical
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
"rubes" and "Yankee
Yankee
The term Yankee has several interrelated and often pejorative meanings, usually referring to people originating in the northeastern United States, or still more narrowly New England, where application of the term is largely restricted to descendants of the English settlers of the region.The...
s". Working extensively as a performer and recorder up to the time of his death in 1919, he became a nationally celebrated humorist. The curators of the collection identified Stewart as the most likely performer of the first two tracks of the disc.
Russell Hunting
Russell HuntingRussell Hunting
Russell Hunting was a North American entertainer, pioneer sound recordist, and an influential figure in the early years of the recorded music industry....
(1864-1943) worked as a stage manager for a Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
theater, and recorded comedy routines centering around stereotypical Irish American
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
s from the early 1890s. His recurring character "Michael Casey" became a centerpiece of his comedy and was widely imitated. Hunting was actually arrested by Anthony Comstock in June 1896, and served three months in prison as a result; he returned to the recording business upon his release, but emigrated to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1898. There he continued using the Casey routines to great success and worked as a recording executive. The curators of the collection identified Hunting as the most likely performer of tracks 3-11.
James H. White
James H. White (1872-1944) was the manager of the motion picture wing of Thomas Edison's business from 1896 to 1903. Concomitantly, he took over the recording of the "Michael Casey" sketches after Hunting was arrested. After 1903 White moved to England and managed portions of Edison's businesses there. The curators of the collection identified White as the most likely performer of tracks 12-14.Critical reception
Archeophone Records issued the compilation to CD in 2007 with extensively researched liner notes. The New York Times noted the compilation's historical importance and noted that the jokes "still kill" more than 100 years after being recorded. NPRNPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
noted that the compilation was "as lewd and often obscene as anything Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
has to offer." Metro
Metro International
Metro International is a Swedish media company based in Luxembourg that publishes the Metro newspapers. Metro International's advertising sales have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 41% since launch of the first newspaper edition in 1995. It is a freesheet, meaning that distribution is...
noted in jest, "Some of this material would get you arrested, even today". The compilation was nominated for two Grammy award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s, for Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album.
Track listing
Believed to be by Cal Stewart- 1. "Learning a City Gal How to Milk"
- 2. "The Tapeworm Story"
By an Unknown Performer, Possibly Russell Hunting
- 3-4. "Gimlet's Soliloquy/The Rascal Detector" (by "Manly Tempest")
- 5. "The Whore's Union"
- 6-7. "Boarding the Folsom/A Few Conundrums"
Believed to Be By Russell Hunting
- 8. "Out of Order" (by "Charley Smith of Kankakee")
- 9. "Did He Charge Too Much"
- 10. "Reilly as a Policeman" (by "Charley Smith of New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
") - 11. "Slim Hadley on a Racket" (by "Willy Fathand of New York City")
Believed to Be By James White
- 12. "Slim Hadley on a Racket" (by "Willy Brown")
- 13. "Michael Casey Exhibiting His Panorama" (by "Willy Smith")
- 14. "Dennis Reilly at Maggie Murphy's Home After Nine O'Clock" (by "Willy Brown")
By an Unknown Performer, Probably Home Recordings
- 15-16. Young Cylinder A: "Stroll on Capitol Hill/A Hard Head"
- 17. Young Cylinder B: "The Virtues of Raw Oysters"
- 18-25. Young Cylinder C: "Jokes, Riddles, Verses, a Limerick, and a Toast"
- 26-34. Young Cylinder D: "More Verses and Jokes"
- 35-38. Young Cylinder E: "The Lady's Friend/A Song/The Irishman's Prayer/A Joke"
- 39-42. Young Cylinder F: "Verses and Songs"
- 43. Young Cylinder G: Poem: "I Sit Here, Thinking, Will, of You"