"Hard act to follow"

Posted by Bob on January 01, 2001

In Reply to: "Hard act to follow" posted by R. Berg on December 31, 2000

: The Origins section has nothing for "hard act to follow." I've always assumed (no, of course an assumption is not evidence) that the phrase originated with vaudeville entertainers who competed for places on the bill of a variety show. They had a saying "Never follow an animal act." Acts featuring trained dogs, trained seals, and so forth were so appealing that the audience would experience whatever came next as anticlimactic.

Agreed. You'd never want to be a standup comic and follow Steve Martin.

• "Hard act to follow" R. Berg 01/02/01
  • "Hard act to follow" ESC 01/05/01