The 1910s
3 milestones documented from 1910–1919.
Marx Brothers Move to Chicago and Learn Chicago-Style Improvisation
Minnie Marx moved her four sons from New York to Chicago in 1910 to exploit the city's position as hub of the national vaudeville booking circuit. In Chicago, the brothers transformed from a singing act into a comedy troupe. Chicago Comedy records that the Marx Brothers were not much for script or plot, learning to improvise during their shows and sometimes wandering out into the audience. Minnie moved them to New York in 1920, taking Chicago's improvisational approach to Broadway.
Charlie Chaplin at Essanay Studios, Chicago: "His Improvisation Skills Were Unparalleled"
Charlie Chaplin joined the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company in Chicago in 1914, producing films at two to five per week, a pace that required constant improvisation. Chicago Comedy records that most of these movies were improvised, with no time to rehearse while filming so frequently. The same source states that Chaplin's improvisation skills were unparalleled, and he was a comedian like no one had ever seen. Chaplin left Essanay in 1915 having codified a physical improvisational vocabulary for mass audiences.
Jack Benny Discovers Comedy Through Improvised Military Entertainment
During his service in the United States Navy in 1918, Jack Benny was performing as a musician in military variety shows when unscripted departures from his violin performance revealed his comic instincts. Chicago Comedy documents the moment: playing his violin, he improvised his way around it and had the troops laughing, and from then on the violin stayed but was mostly used as a comedy prop. Benny became one of the defining figures of American radio and television comedy.