| Joe Weber | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 11, 1867 New York City, USA |
| Died | May 10, 1942 (aged 74) Los Angeles, USA |
| Occupation | Vaudevillian |
Joe Weber (11 August 1867, New York City - 10 May 1942, Los Angeles) born Joseph Morris Weber was a vaudevillian who, along with Lew Fields, formed the comedy team of Weber and Fields.
Fields and Weber started performing in museums, circuses, and variety houses in New York City. The young men had a "Dutch act" in which both portrayed German immigrants. They toured successfully in vaudeville for many years. In 1896, the partners opened the Weber and Fields Music Hall where they produced very successful burlesques of popular Broadway shows. In the music hall's casts were some of the greatest performers and comics on the American stage at that time including Lillian Russell, Fay Templeton, and DeWolf Hopper. The team broke up in 1904.[1]
In 1923, Weber and Fields reunited for a short film made by Lee DeForest in the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process, where the team recreated their famous pool hall routine. This film premiered at the Rivoli Theater in New York City on 15 April 1923.
Weber and Fields also reunited for the 27 December 1932 inaugural show at Radio City Music Hall, which proved to be the last stage appearance of the two performers as a team. They gave a cameo performance in the 1940 movie Lillian Russell.
The backstage hostility in Neil Simon's play and film The Sunshine Boys is reportedly based on Weber and Fields or on Smith and Dale, another comedy team.