Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-11-11
JOHN w. kElLETTE.
Former Linotype Operator Makes
Good in the Movies.

Good in the Movies.
John William Kellette, member of
| New York Typographical Union NO.
who wrote the sensational song hit,
I'm forever Blowing Bubbles" which
his publishers believe will be the first
| j, 600, ,000-copy hit, has been MEM
! Der Of the International Typographical
Union since 1904, when he joined Rut-
Hand (Vt.) Union No. 226. He had
charge of the Herald linotype machine
| in that city for five years, until he re-
| signed and went to Annapolis. where
he worked at the Advertiser -Repubh-
can He went to New Haven in 1910
and remained there until the Pallad-
| ium died" the following year. He
went into Madison, an unorganiZed
town in New Jersey, after that, and
made the town union and caused It's
iaffiliation with Newark. Then he lelt
and in 1912 went to New Rochelle and
was a member of No. 521 until 1914,
when he began to write photo plays,
and is now directing the Briggs COM
edies for the Famous Players-Lasky
| Corporation, but still he holds his card
in No 6. In the five years since he
locked the pawls of his 'MerS" he has
risen from a $25-a-wcek job to S2o,-
600 a year directing, and his hobby
ng-writing--promises to net him a
fortune through the Bubble" song
alone. Joseph w. Stern has just taken
what Kellctte says is lyrically and mu-
sically superior to his Blowing Bub-
bles" song. 1t is on the presses now,
entitled "Bubbling Over" and the first
edition is 100000 copies. The music
of the old "MerS" inspired lot OF
Kellette's melodies, and he'd write out
his dreams and place them away IN his
"morgue" until they mellowed. Here's
the philosophy Of the "Bubbling over
chorus:
Bubbling over, bubbling over;
Hope with me is bubbling over all
the time;
Just as a rosebud blooms, its petals
fall; :,
Like all my dreams, they live and
die, then all goes
Crumbling over, tumbllng over
Like my castle high in the air; -
search for sunshine and the rain
drops fall,
Then as hunt for fortune it just hides,
that's all:
Dreams are over; hopes are over;
Life is bubbling over all the time
typographical Union, indianapolis, In
diana.
The subject of the foregoing, John
William Kellette, Jack" we all call
him, belongs to The Yorkville Enquirer
in part, for it was here that he got his
first lesson on the Linotype and also
he is a. very close personal friend or
both the proprietors of the paper.
Mr.. A. NJ. Grist became acquainted
with Mr.. Kellette in Charleston while
he, Mr.. Kellette, then a much younger
man than he now is, was waiting over
with the Massachusetts volunteers to
sail for Porto Rico, where Kellette
saw service.
The Charleston acquaintance ripened
into close friendship that was renewed
after the war, and on invitation Of Mr.
A. NJ. Grist. Mr.. Kellette came to York
Vile in 1904, and spent five weeks
learning to operate the Linotype.
From Yorkville he went to Rutland,
Vermont, installed machines in the Of
flee of the Rutland Herald, and within
less than six months established a re-
cord as the fastest Linotype operator
in the United States.
The editor of The Enquirer has seen
MN III MS Inherent 5SNSi"i
times since then, once in Rutland, once
in New Haven and once in New
Rochelle, and also Il day with him in
New York city.
In addition to his other accomplish
'ments Mr.. Kellette is an allround
athlete a master of jiu jitsu and the
noble art of elf-defense, and with 1t
all, lis one of the cleanest and whltest
men we have ever known.
On one occasion, in Boston, he took
the part Of Il woman street car passen-
ger from whom the conductor was try
ing to collect a second fare after kel-
lette had seen her pay the first. He
knocked the conductor down with his
fist and more than held his own with
half a dozen policemen who were
trying to drag him to the police station
by force, refusing to move n step with
the officers until they agreed to allow
him to go along like a gentleman. AZ
ter he had told his tory in the police
court. he was discharged with con-
gratulatory commendation.
But this is only one out of hundreds
Of similar incidents that occurred in
the life of what consider truly re-
markable man, and whose career If he
himself could be induced to give all the
facts would make a most wonderful
bool: with Il noble thriller on every
page.