The Washington times., 1913-12-05
PAGES
JULIA MURDOCH WRITES OF THE
STAGELAND AND ITS BRIGHT STARS
George Cohan's Career
Like Fourth of July
BY JULIA MURDOCH.
, EORGE NJ. COHAN, actor, au-
thor. composer. producer. man
] ager-a regular Poo Bah of

| - EoRGE NJ. CoHAN, actor. au-
u thor. composer. producer. man
~ ager-a regular Poo Bah of
the theatrical world.
He was born on the. Fourth of July,
| ls7S, and Providence, r. l., Is proud Of
| the fact that he Is 4 native of that
city. They do not intend to wait to
] fight over the glory of having him born
IN their midst as did the cities that
| fought for Homer, dead They are
| proud of II now, as box office receipts
will attest whenever a Cohan show ap-
! pears i'm that town.
Having been born on the day the eagle
| screams and things are naturally lively,
\ 1t Is no wonder that George Cohan has
| an irrepressible desire to keep things
| on the hop. Incidents in his career
have tread so fast on each others heels
| that they go OF in punches. like fire.
crackers, the detonation of each drown
| ing the effectiveness of the other.
1t wasn't long after he was born that
George NJ. Cohan commenced to do
i things. Away back in 1857, when he
was but nine, years old Qm mathe-
matician as well as a critic, the peo-
| pie in the New England States were
introduced to a small boy who ap-
peared in little family entertainment
known as -Four of a Kind"
Pa Cohan and Ma Cohan and a little
Cohan sister formed the other three
! members of the company which
trouped' it through the States where
stone crop Is the biggest crop that is
gathered.
Has Lead In
Peck's Bad Boy.
Until 80 this small chap "trouped'
| with his parents, then he appeared in
| the title role. of ':Pecks Bad Boy" In
VI he went into a stock company, stin
with his parents, in Buffalo, playing
the entire season. Then in "a he played
silly boy part in April FOOL.
COMEDY IN which Gus Williams was
George NJ. Cohan first broke into song. i
ard mad -h1ss first seffusion published.
II was gan instantaneous success.
The rest of his histrionic career trots
/ along with the rapfdity of a moving pic
ture. Here is the record in BLACK and
white: oAo
lss4-So- with Lydia Yeamans-Titus
company, and later with Charles a.
Loder. a German comedian: 1856 with |
Hyoes Comedians, big vaudeville
company OF which Helene Mora was
the star: 1867 with Weber & Fields
vista RILEY company, the biggest |
troupe ever organized. 1t was about |
this time that Cohan began to write
one-act plays: 1915 with Harry Will |
Jams all-star vaudeville Company, the
-FOUR Cohans being the star attrac- ]
uoh is9s-s signed contract with |
HYDE & Behman and appeared with the |
-Four Cohans as the headline number:
1ss9-1900. the Four Cohans appeared in
musical comedy, THE Governor !
Son. playing their first Broadway en- |
gagement at the Savoy Theater: toured |
the country in this play for another
year, when, in 1901-o2, young Cohan |
elaborated into three acts his one-aet |,
play. Running For Office and played |
a remarkably successful engagement at |
the Fourteenth Street Theater: 19O2-O3 |
Joined hands with Sam II. Harris and |
formed the firm Of Conan & Harris. ap-
pearing for the first time as a star in |
the musical comedy, Little Johnnie |
Jones'"
In this play he appeared for two solid |
years, becoming recognized as one of |
the biggest box office attractions in the |
United states. Following this he wrote |
and composed ''Forty-five Minutes |
From Broadway" in which he starred |
Fay Templeton. Four companies play |
ed this attraction through the United !
States, and II is said to have made in |
profit and royalties over a million dol |