Susan, You should definitely look to the silent work of Buster Keaton. Keaton was reared in vaudeville and shows a lot of that heritage in his short _The Playhouse_. There are theatre references in much of his work. As for books on Keaton that would include the information that you are looking for, look for _Buster Keaton and the Dynamics of Visual Wit_ which is George Wead's dissertation. Also _Keaton: the Silent Features Close Up_ by Daniel Moews. Good Luck -Missy Dr. Missy (Melissa Lee Price) [log in to unmask] Je suis blonde, mais pas bete. [log in to unmask]