Before meeting Durante, by January 1921 Clayton and Cliff Edwards, working as a duo, had already achieved the most coveted booking in all of vaudeville, appearing as the headliners at the Palace Theater in Times Square.
[4] Clayton became their business partners, writing and performing songs while running the club.
[5] The trio made their vaudeville debut at Loew's State on Broadway in March 1927, with an act that literally included breaking up furniture.
By April 1928 they were headlining at the Palace, breaking the house record for receipts, and making $5500 a week.
The focus gradually shifted to Durante as a single act, and Clayton became his partner and longtime manager.