Vaudeville was the most popular form of American entertainment from the 1880s to the 1930s. These comedy verses and dances are the forerunners of modern US pop culture. During short scenes only 6-15 minutes long, the artists not only engaged in dramatic art, but also performed tricks, performed with animals, and told anecdotes. Every major city in America had its own vaudeville theater.
In New York, such an institution was the Victoria Theater at the intersection of 42nd Street and 7th Avenue, opened in 1899 by German entrepreneur Oscar Hammerstein. The performances of the local artists were considered the most inventive, funny and interesting in the whole country. One of the more remarkable entertainments appeared here in the summer of 1907. The audience was introduced to a young woman named Susan Kelly, who was soon given the nickname Frowning Sue.
The entertainers announced that this lady never laughs or even smiles. Anyone who made her even smirk was offered a reward of $ 100, which was a solid sum in those days. At first, people from among ordinary spectators tried to get this money, who went on stage and made grimaces in front of Frowning Sue, and also told her their best jokes. As you might guess, this had no effect on the woman.
Soon, the amount of the reward was increased to a seductive $ 1,000, and professional eminent comedians, clowns, circus performers and other artists from third-party institutions reached the theater. They performed in front of Gloomy Sue on stage at Victoria (free of charge, of course), but the corners of Kelly's mouth never wavered. These concerts became incredibly popular with the public, and the owners of the establishment barely had time to calculate the profits brought to them by such extraordinary numbers.
Various speculations about Gloomy Sue were spread among residents and visitors of New York. Some said that the woman was blind and even deaf. However, this turned out to be untrue, since Kelly freely interacted with others. It was also rumored that Susan's facial muscles were paralyzed and she could not smile even when she was funny. Finally, some believed that Kelly hadn't smiled since birth, or stopped after some kind of tragedy in her life.
The identity of this woman is still shrouded in a veil of mystery. It is only known that this unmarried lady received from Hammerstein $ 20 a week and led a secluded life. Other details of her life remain a mystery. Over time, the name Gloomy Sue has become a metaphor in the US show business for the audience who is difficult to surprise. American journalists still write from time to time: "The comedian's performance was so hilarious that even Frowning Sue would have laughed …" Susan Kelly herself was never made laugh. True, many researchers of this phenomenon are interested in a deeper question - why this secret has remained a secret behind seven seals. Strange, isn't it?..