Billy Hagan (1889–1986) was a

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

comedian whose catchphrase was "cheese and crackers". The phrase came from his religious German immigrant father, who used it as a substitute for blasphemy.''Variety''. Obituaries. June 18, 1986 When Hagan died,

Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over eight decades, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and ...

called him "one of the funniest men on the burlesque circuit. I learned a lot of my expertise from him."Rochester Democrat and Chronicle; June 12, 1986 According to Ralph G. Allen, one of Hagan's most famous sketches was "Meet Me Around the Corner," which he performed on the Mutual wheel. Born William Hagedorn in San Francisco, Hagan boxed and was the amateur lightweight champion of California before breaking into show business in 1907. Hagan met his future wife, Anne Toebe (1894-1968), in 1910 when she auditioned as a

chorus girl A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed. While synchronized dancing indicative of a chorus line was vogue during the first half of th ...

. They married in 1914 and toured together until 1931, when she left show business to raise their son. Toebe regularly performed in a boxing skit with Hagan and was also an early

striptease A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper", "exotic d ...

r. Hagan spent 62 years in show business and often performed at the

Trocadero Theatre The Trocadero Theatre (opened as the Arch Street Opera House) is a historic theater located in Chinatown in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It offered musical comedies, vaudeville, opera, and burlesque. The Trocadero Theatre was refurbished for us ...

in Philadelphia.

References

American burlesque performers 1889 births 1986 deaths {{US-comedian-stub