What did early Milwaukeeans do to have fun and relax?  The choices were many.  From the mid-1800s up to 1950, this book recalls the city’s pop culture, from the early tavern stages hosting traditional German plays and musicals, to the large traveling circus acts that arrived via the railroad, to the beer gardens, nickelodeons, and old grand cinemas that dominated the city’s landscape during the first half of the 20th century.  In its heyday, Milwaukee had several amusement parks with roller coasters, fun houses, water rides, and more.  The first movie was shown in Milwaukee in 1896, and by 1920, there were nearly 100 buildings dedicated to motion pictures.  And it was two Milwaukee businessmen who discovered the great Charlie Chaplin and also produced the 1915 epic Birth of a Nation.
Softcover, 6 x 9, 128 pgs.