Max Kade Institute Library Search

Use the above window to search all fields. Otherwise, search individual fields below.
Please note: In many of the bibliographic records, MKI has not used umlauts (ä, ö, ü) or the letter ß. Try searching both for umlauts and for ae, oe, or ue, and ss.

FormatJournal Article
Author, AnalyticLeary, James P.
Title, AnalyticHerr Louis, the Weasel, and the Hungry Five: German-American Performers on Midwestern Radio
Journal TitleLied und populaere Kultur / Song and Popular Culture
Date of Publication2010
Volume ID55
Location in Work101-134, ill.
AbstractThe establishment of radio stations in the 1920s contributed importantly to the 20th century sustenance of German American culture in the Upper Midwest, particularly through the efforts of influential entertainers whose broadcasts combined dialect comedy with familiar folk songs and tunes, and who live appearances in communities throughout the region spawned local imitators. Foremost among them was Henry Moeller (1894-1946) who assumed the persona of 'Herr Louie,' while his radio partner, Harold J. Gilles, became the 'Weasel.' In the late 1920s, the duo joined with the 'Hungry Five'--a Little German Band whose specific members remain unknown--to reach audiences via Chicago radio stations WGN and WCFL. . . . Their remarkable yet scarcely examined careers are critical to our understanding of the complex continuous presence of German folk music and song in America's Upper Midwest.
NotesJahrbuch des Deutschen Volksliedarchiv Freiburg. Preprint copy from James Leary. Includes notes and bibliographical references.
Call NumberMKI P2011-11
MKI TermsSongs/ Artists/ Dialects/ Humor & Satire/ German Americans/ 20th century/ Language, German (US) -- Dialects