The Washington herald., 1909-03-14
GEORGE M. COHAN BREAKS DOWN

cesses. Some of the shows he has writ
ten are Popularity The American
Idea ''FOrty-fve Minutes from Broad
way" George Washington. Jr.. !" Little
Johnny Jones The Yankee Prince"
and at the time Of his collapse he was
working on the new show for Raymond
Hitchcock, The Chorus Man"
Wrote While He Played
Others have written as many comedies
as COhan. but no other under similar
conditions and in the same length OF time.
Cohan always Played IN one show while
he wrote another Ordinarily he was
rehearsing one or two productions at the
same time A ''Cohan chorus" has be-
come recognized as the last word IN this
feature of g musical show. Always the
girls are youthful. slender. passably good
looking. and invariably they can dance
They sing about as other choruses do. but
they dance as no others can Cohan IN
spires them with the vim. the energy. the
dash, that animated him They started
from scratch Ike a bunch OF sprinters.
Every foot slapped down az the same
moment Every arm swung al the cue
with nervous vigOr. They were always
completely exhausted al the end OF a
dance The pace killed them. But that
pace was maintained by Cohan hour after
hour. night after night. day after day.
On Broadway they say that he seldom
got more than two or three hours sleep
a night Out OF bed with bound IN the
morning. he swallowed his breakfast with
nervous haste BY his plate a pad might
lie, on which he jotted down the idea
for songs and business that flocked
into his active brain. Then Of to re-
hearse a company Lunch was served 10
him on the plano TOP, that he might
MUNICH a bit now and then as he kept
on going. II a matinee did not demand
his attention in the afternoon another
rehearsal did. At night he played and
sang and danced through three riotous
hours. and then a midnight rehearsal was
called for one OF the companies he was
breaking in. II isn't any wonder that
they call him The Human Sl<yrocket-"
II was his pride that he was born on
the Fourth Of July-the year was IS7S-
and in all his compositions the patriotic
motive figured. On every war ship and in
every army post a COhan composition
has the call with the Uniformed muSi-
clans. The army and navy have danced
10 them around the world. II need arises
they'll fight 10 the music Of a COhan
rag
-Four or Five at a Time.
Often he had four or i've shows rehears-
Ing at the same time. while he played in
another. and filed IN his spare time writ
ing songs or shows. That was the case
two weeks ago. when he was forced 70
abandon the pace He was playing IN
The Yankee Prince" which is billed
across the continent almost At the same
time he was writing the new show for
Hitchcock. This was 70 have its premier
az the New Amsterdam Theater on April
3. As the time drew on. and the work did
rot progress as rapidly as possible. Conan
resOrted 70 an uncommon device. He
called the company OF 100 people 70 meet
him. and made arrangements for special
train. He had planned 10 rehearse the
players and dancers IN their partS-sO far
as those parts were withdrawing them
with HIN on his route
All this time he was playing one show
day. and sometimes Two. and trying 90
complete the book al odd times He
finally gave Up Two weeks ago. when he
was al Bridbeport. Conn He went n
New York. accompanied by his wife.
VINO was MISS Helen Moan. or Boston
They registered az the Knickerb1cker
Hotel. where C0han Csaully lives when he
Is In the city. and Cohan consulted his
physician A rest VAS declared fmpe-a-
tive. and he repaired 90 Atlantic City. ac-
c0mpanied by Mrs Conan and her sis
ter. Mrs. Harris. he hoped 10 be able 20
work on the book OF the new show. but
he could not do IL He could not conceu-
trste his mind upon the work. IN his ex-
hausted condition. and finally gave up on
the mandate OF his physician Since then
he has devoted all his energy 20 the task
OF getting well, but en- IN that he has
not been successful.
COhan's real name is George Michael
COhane. He was born IN Providence. P.
I, and as boy gave promise OF becom-
ing wonderful violinist- At the time Mr..
and Mrs Cohane, his parents. had a 8
cent picture show In Hfbernla." with
which they Travelled al over New Eng
land George and his sister Josephine
used 70 sing and dance as the pictures OF
Ireland were shown on the screen. Later
when the Cohanes went on the vaude-
vile stage George gradually abandoned
the violin and devoted himself 10 dancing
and singing His first wife was Ethel
Levy. the vaudeville artist. whom he won
when she heard him sing one Of his coon
songs. L Guess III Have 70 Telegraph
Nah Baby Miss Levy got a divorce
from him some months ago. and shortly
afterWard he married his present wife.
Mss Nolan.