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As a staff lyricist for the Feist music publishing company, Carroll contributed songs to several forgettable musicals before moving into theatrical management. A lifelong aviation enthusiast, he interrupted his career to fly for the US Army in World War I. On his return, he produced several trashy melodramas and made a fortune presenting the racy stage hit White Cargo. Carroll then built a 1,026 seat Broadway theater named after himself, where he produced a series of revues from 1923 to 1932 -- some were called Sketchbooks, and some Vanities. Relying on raucous comedians and lovely, under-dressed chorus girls, these were the first shows to present full nudity on a Broadway stage.

Considered tasteless by most critics, Carroll`s lavish revues had tremendous appeal and offered lively competition to Florenz Ziegfeld`s lavish Follies and George White`s Scandals. Carroll`s shows introduced "I`ve Got a Right to Sing the Blues" and "Goodnight Sweetheart," and showcased the talents of Sophie Tucker, Milton Berle, Jack Benny and director Vincente Minnelli. At the backstage entrance to the Earl Carroll Theater, a sign boasted, "Through these portals pass the most beautiful girls in the world." Claiming he was obsessed with feminine beauty, Carroll was the only Broadway producer who forced women to audition in the nude, claiming that he selected his chorines based on "the sway of their hips." Publicity antics and an unbridled private life got Carroll in occasional trouble with the law, including a stint in federal prison for perjury.

In 1931, despite the crippling effects of the Great Depression, Carroll rebuilt his theater as an extravagant 3,000 seat art deco showplace. Billed as "the largest legitimate theater in the world," it proved so costly to run that Carroll was forced into foreclosure after six months. Ziegfeld took over the theater and renamed it The Casino – an expensive gesture of revenge that helped force Ziegfeld into bankruptcy too. (After stints as a movie theater and cabaret, the space was converted into a Woolworth`s department store. Parts of the forgotten theatre decor were briefly uncovered at the time of the building`s demolition in 1990.) The resilient Carroll opened a successful nightclub in Hollywood, where he also produced screen and radio revues. His films included Murder at the Vanities (1933), A Night at Earl Carroll`s (1940) and Earl Carroll`s Sketchbook (1946). He died in a bizarre commercial plane crash in 1948.