Although Harry Houdini performed on vaudeville, his act didn't lead to animated cartoons.
J. Stuart Blackton was a British filmmaker who started out on vaudeville as "The Komikal Kartoonist" and drew "lightening sketches" or high-speed drawings that eventually developed into animated cartoons.
TOP CREDIT: "Harry Houdini performs the great milk can escape." 1908. The American Variety Stage: Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment, 1870-1920, Library of Congress.
BOTTOM CREDIT: Blackton, Stuart J. and Smith, Albert E., producers. "The Enchanted Drawing" Thomas A. Edison, Inc. 1900. Origins of American Animation, Library of Congress.
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