 | travsd Nov 30 | Just the briefest of tributes to Australian swimming champ Beatrice Kerr (1887-1971), for she had the briefest of show biz careers. Kerr was only about 17 when she won several contests and broke several records in her native Australia. Much like Annette Kellerman and the later Gertrude Ederle, she decided to cash in on her fame by displaying her prowess before audiences. From 1906 through 1911 she toured throughout England playing seaside resorts, amusement parks, and public baths in the summer, and music halls, theatres and concert venues in the cooler months. Her act consisted of a line of patter about her experiences and demonstrations of swimming strokes, diving stunts and so forth. She repeatedly tried to draw out Kellerman, the bigger and more established star, for some sort of publicity generating public contest, but Kellerman never took the bait. In 1911 she returned to Australia and continued to tour her native country for about a year before settling down to raise a family. To find out more about vaudeville and music hall, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous. | | | |
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