Basically that was the premise of a stunt at the
Hammerstein Victorian Theatre in New York in 1907. The theatre offered $1,000.00
to anyone who could get Sober Sue to crack a smile. During the intermission of
whatever show happened to be playing at the time, Sober Sue would appear on
stage and you could tell your best jokes and funniest stories trying to get her
to laugh.
All summer long, people tried and couldn't do it. Word
got out and even the professional comedians showed up. Some of the biggest
stars of the day would come on stage and give it their best and true to her
name Sober Sue just wouldn't crack a smile.
This of course lured many folks to try their damnedest to
make her laugh. That is a lot of money for those times especially. The
audiences even tried to come on stage and make her laugh to no avail. People it
seemed grew frustrated with her.
They tried everything including making funny faces or
telling their best jokes right to her face. She didn’t even giggle. Word of
this spread across the city and eventually further. Professional comedians were
up to the challenge and came here from far and wide, trying to make her laugh
out loud.
Crowds got bigger, not for the stage show, but for the
intermission to see if anybody could get Sue to even smile. So the offer was
extended into the fall and finally as winter approached they took the sign down
and the offer came to an end.
Various theories circulated regarding Sober Sue’s
emotionless face. Some theorized that she was partially blind or deaf, but the
truth was finally revealed in winter of 1907 – it was impossible for Sue to
smile or laugh because her facial muscles were paralyzed. Later it turned out
that the vaudeville scam was pulled by Willie Hammerstein who managed Paradise
Roof Garden. Willie Hammerstein paid Sober Sue $20 a week, which was not that
bad at the time. For the venue owner, shows produced a great deal of profit as
he managed to lure top-rank comedians into performing for free. But after the
truth has been revealed, Willie was condemned and the comedians never forgave
him.
A lot of details about Sober Sue are still unknown and
there are no photographs of her left. It is believed that Sue’s actual name was
Susan Kelly and that she suffered from Mobius Syndrome. The syndrome is a rare
condition characterized by weakness or paralysis of multiple cranial nerves,
however, these are nothing more than mere speculations. Nevertheless, Sober Sue
did leave us a legacy – her name would continue to be used in show business as
a metaphor for particularly tough audiences. For example, some reviews of
comedies would call the show so funny, that “it could make even Sober Sue
laugh.”
Copycats
Hard facts on the original Sober Sue are hard, if not
impossible, to come by. We don't even know for sure if she really had facial
paralysis or if it was merely a fictional anecdote. However, we do know that
throughout history, other ladies took on the name and act of the original Sober
Sue.
In the October 1943 edition of Time Magazine, another
Sober Sue made headlines. According to the magazine, "In Philadelphia,
when her boyfriend was charged with evading the draft, Susan Cole, once billed
by carnivals as Sober Sue, the Mirthless Marvel ($100 if you can make her
laugh), muttered, 'The way I feel ... I could raise the ante to $500.'"
Then, in 1947, the Chester Times wrote a long anecdote
about Sober Sue ending up 500 miles from her desired destination at a
stranger's dinner table. "She telephoned her friends in Chester, and when
they came for her, she didn't smile her goodbyes to Mr. and Mrs. Patton (the
benevolent strangers)," it reads. "In Sue's business, a smiling face
doesn't pay -- it pays off."
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