Our vaudeville story is really coming together!



Dick Lucke and His Arcadians & Marie Veatch and Her 8 Chicago Steppers
Great Grandpa is pianist Dick Lucke; Great Grandma is the dancer above him, Dottie Seery Lucke; Walt is Dick's brother, second from left on saxophone.
'Augmented Vaudeville' Stage, ca 1925, staged in Chicago for this photograph by H.A. Atwell.
Augmented Vaudeville: the newest style of vaudeville, with very elaborate staging, costuming and choreography.

 Three days ago, the caption for this photo would have been simply, "Dick Lucke and His Arcadians. Dorothea Seery Lucke above Dick, seated at the piano, on a stage in Chicago. Walt Lucke, second from left on saxophone. Photo by H.A. Atwell." See my most recent post for the story on connecting with David Garrick of  http://www.jazzage1920s.com/, who sent me a 1925 news clipping Friday morning about the Lucke Band and the Chicago Steppers making a huge hit in Vaudeville. That little article was loaded with missing links and clues!! As were the others he sent! Thank you, David.

Slim pickings in the beginning:
Beginning with a vintage pair of toe shoes, a drafting set, a saxophone, some photographs, a band poster, and the story of a legendary big label 78 record lost in a fire over 20 years ago, we've come a long way, baby! Each of these original pieces led to a multitude of new clues. Thanks to the internet and digital archives, we've made so many friends, connections, and discoveries... in the past several months alone. Thanks to http://www.ancestry.com/, I've even found other relatives who are most fascinated, helpful, and encouraging in this story. We still have not found the 78 recording of the Dick Lucke Band, but with any luck, and lots of persistence, we will!

There's so much more to learn about this piece of American dance & music history- and our wily ancestors!
So, my sister Dana Tock will soon be joining me for a big day of research in Chicago. We'll visit the University of Chicago's Regenstein Library, where we'll dig through the archives. We'll visit the Chicago History Museum. We'll make use of Chicago's libraries and their free access to ProQuest's vast collection of digitized articles.

What are we looking for?
Photos, recordings, news articles, and other printed publications related to 1920's vaudeville, 1920's Chicago music and dance, 1920's national tours on the Orpheum vaudeville circuit, stories of romance and adventure, and more... all centering around our fun and charismatic ancestors, Dorothea Seery Lucke, Richard Lucke, and Waldemere Lucke. aka Dick & Dottie & Walt.

Clues & staying organized!
I'll be adding a page to this blog which will include all of the key names of people, places and things discovered along the way, from emails, discussions, articles, books and more... names of actors, singers, musicians, teachers, photographers, social clubs, hot dance spots in Chicago and across the country, national vaudeville theaters, and more.