# "Caning"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caning/218659>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 12, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caning/218659 "2003-12-12T19:59:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dopetalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@dopetalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dopetalker)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caning/218659/1 "2003-12-12T19:59:38Z")

</div>

Just out of curiosity, what happened to that cane to take people off the stage who are awful? To me that’s a more humane way to remove people from the public performance arena who shouldn’t be there, instead of the other custom of the public throwing orange peels, eggs, etc at the performer or listening to a certain well-known judge launch a diatribe of exactly how terrible a performance was. Some (not all) customs and practices should come back into being. Thanks and have a good day.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caning/218659/2 "2003-12-12T20:06:45Z")

</div>

Well, the cane thing is kind of a Vaudville type device, so I assume the custome died with Vaudville. No?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dopetalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@dopetalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dopetalker)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caning/218659/3 "2003-12-12T20:11:34Z")

</div>

Yeah, probably. I was just thinking it was used in the past in really any general performance event, but now that you mention it Vaudeville was what it was associated with. I’ve seen it in old television clips but obviously not in modern times.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Matchka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Matchka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matchka)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caning/218659/4 "2003-12-12T21:10:53Z")

</div>

I think they still use the cane in Sigapore for _particularly_ poor performances.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caning/218659/5 "2003-12-12T22:47:04Z")

</div>

It’s called the [hook](http://216.239.37.104/search?q=cache:CzIlTbfvjGoJ%3aphrases.shu.ac.uk/bulletin_board/19/messages/811.html+hook+vaudeville&hl=en&ie=UTF-8).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jodocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f04885/32.png) [@Jodocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodocus)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caning/218659/6 "2003-12-12T23:25:53Z")

</div>

They still use it at the Apollo theater in Harlem!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caning/218659/7 "2003-12-13T01:49:17Z")

</div>

Definitely from vaudeville.

It was asked a few years ago, and I answered with a cite from [1907](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=185067&highlight=hook+theater).