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Poll: Vaudevillian Comedians Who Made it Onto the Big Screen

A poll by NellsFlickers.
The American vaudeville circuits gave birth to some of the best known comedians of all time, who went on to succeed in radio, movies, and television.

A complete list of those comedians with vaudeville backgrounds would be very long indeed! But it is obvious lessons learned on stage helped these folks immensely.

Which of the ones listed here is YOUR favorite?

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Make Your Choice

  1. Vote!

    Fred Allen

    Once billed as "The World's Worst Juggler", Allen became hugely successful during the golden age of radio. His on-air rivalry with Jack Benny resulted in a film called "Love Thy Neighbor" featuring the duo, the star-studded comedy "It's in the Bag", and appearances in "We're Not Married!" and "O. Henry's Full House".
  2. Vote!

    Jack Benny

    Jack Benny is best known for his radio and TV shows, but he did appear in films, such as the original "To Be or Not To Be" and cult-status "The Horn Blows at Midnight".
  3. Vote!

    Bob Hope

    Hope appeared in many films with the likes of Lucille Ball and Jane Russell, and of course the "Road Pictures" he made with Bing Crosby.
  4. Vote!

    The Marx Brothers

    Their 1929 film "The Cocoanuts" was basically a filmed version of their stage show. The brothers went on to give us a batch of now-classic comedies.
  5. Vote!

    Buster Keaton

    The "Human Mop" of the American vaudeville stage transitioned to films with a little help from Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, and the rest is history!
  6. Vote!

    Milton Berle

    While better known for being one of the very first TV comedians, Berle also made it onto the big screen in films like "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World".
  7. Vote!

    The Three Stooges

    Their stage work with Ted Healey made the move to movies, then they went "solo" and an entire generation of kids was told not to imitate them when their shorts got new life on television.
  8. Vote!

    W.C. Fields

    From humble beginnings, Fields attained stardom both on the big-screen and on the radio, feuding with Charlie McCarthy.
  9. Vote!

    Ed Wynn

    This comedian was also one of the very first television stars. But Ed Wynn also appeared in such serious projects as "The Diary of Anne Frank" and "The Twilight Zone".
  10. Vote!

    Edgar Bergen

    A ventriloquist on radio? That is exactly where Bergen took his puppet Charlie McCarthy. He also brought him onto the big screen.
  11. Vote!

    Cary Grant

    Known later for his suave dramatic roles, Grant started off like so many others, on stage doing comic turns! Though most of his stage work was done in Europe, he did perform on American stages before hitting it big.
  12. Vote!

    Eddie Cantor

    Cantor's comedy and singing moved onto radio and film screens after many hit performances on stage.
  13. Vote!

    Jimmy Durante

    The "Big Schnozzola" made it big on the big and small screens.
  14. Vote!

    The Ritz Brothers

  15. Vote!

    Fanny Brice

    Subject of the film "Funny Face"!
  16. Vote!

    Al Jolson

    Known today as the star of the first actual (partial) talking feature film, "The Jazz Singer". But he had been on stage for years prior.

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