“What sort of act did they have? My grandfather had a tumble act in the ‘30s. He taught a young, really good-looking guy from Harlem everything he knew. That fella went on to a long and successful career in Hollywood.”
They were a dance team, ‘Cunningham and Clements’. They knew George M. Cohan and Fred Astaire and his sister, Adele.
They took their act on a world tour, George M. told them not too, that Hollywood, which was silent, was going to open up with talkies. They didn’t think so and left for Australia....
they were wrong. When they came back Vaudville was dead, or gasping it’s dying breathe.
Wow, they were famous. Saw they have two movie credits on IMDB. (Today, the closest thing we have to vaudeville is YouTibe)
My grandfather's act was called "The Two Jacks" and at one time included Burt Lancaster and Nick Cravat. They went to Hollywood and urged my grandpa to follow as there was plenty of work. The stubborn old Irishman repeatedly turned them down.