Canadian Film Weekly (Jul 5, 1944)

5 Page 8 a battle they became firm friends and formed a vaudeville team for local dates. In Grand Rapids they joined an acrobatic act, from which Charlie was fired for some horseplay. He moved on to manage a summer camp for actors at Manhattan Beach. Next he joined the BuschDevere trio, an illustrated musical act. Busch's daughter Mae, who travelled with the act, later became a screen star. Another acrobatic interlude followed as Burns of Blecksome & Burns, and after that a tour with Paul Dresser’s “The Two Johns" company. The lead in “Peck’s Bad Boy” came along and became his greatest triumph. He was twentyone. On the vaudeville circuits Charlie is perhaps best Imnown for his work in the act called Stevens and the Primrose Sisters, Q song-and-dance turn which played the leading theatres, including Hammerstein's famed New York theatre and his Victoria Roof. One review said that “Mr. Chas. Stevens and Miss Primrose sang a beautiful duet entitled ‘By the Light of the Silvery Moon.’ Their voices harmonized very nicely. Mr. Chas. Stevens sang a comedy Jewish song, ‘Yiddle on Your Fiddle and Play Some Ragtime.’ This song was one long scream and his rendition was great.” Up to 1914 he played in burlesque, drama and _ vaudeville, part of the time with Bill Stewart as his partner in “The Laugh Trust,” and also managed theatres and touring companies. Then he quit acting to handle booking for the Griffin Amusement Corporation, important in the Canadian business of that day. il basic was a musical trio around at the time which played under the name of Francis but whose real name was Lillie. The mother was a fine singer and the daughters, Muriel and Beatrice, were musicians. They didn’t use their real name for theatre appearances because Mrs. Lillie was a church singer and many people still frowned on the theatre. Charlie Stephenson booked them to Cobalt and Beatrice made her first professional appearance, giving indication of the comedy talent that was to make her famous. The next season Charlie again booked them {into Cobalt to appear with his show. Bea had progressed and was now a soubrette, doing a song-and dance with Charlie at the Orpheum Theatre. The Lillies stayed at a boarding house. Charlie was in the theatre working on the payroll when word came that the boarding house was on fire. He rushed out. pany taken in Canadian FILM WEEKLY (Continued from Page 5) There was a piano in the middle of the street among salvaged furniture and excited people. Until the firemen made her move Bea Lillie, the future Lady Peel, sat at that piano playing and singing “There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight.” Charlie, the Lillies and the Pickfords, also a Toronto theatrical family, were great friends. Charlie travelled with “The Shoemaker” dramatic company, in which the late Lottie Pickford was a child star. Part of “The Shosmaker” com formally while at the Lyric, Cleveland, in 1905. On the horse is Lottie of the Pick. {-rds Mother, Jack and twelveveor-old Mary were working elsewhere. The horse’s nom d2 script was Jake snd Horry Fields’ “Hello Jake!” became a popular catch-call, | BS OTHER days boxing and wrestling stars played special engagements with theatrical companies and in this way Charlie Stephenson got to know such famed athletes as Muldoon, Gotch, Hackenschmidt, Georgie Munroe, Joe Gans, Jack Johnston, Stanislaus Zbyszko and Jim Corbett. He had done considerable boxing around Toronto and often fought carnival booth fighters who called for challengers and paid off at so much per round. His particular pal was Georgie Munroe, who later fought Terrible Terry McGovern to a standstill. Charlie trained with him. Joe Gans was a good friend. Gans arrived for a week’s engagement with “Tiger Lillies,” a show Charlie was with. There was no sparring partner ready and Stephenson went on with Gans who of course carried him. Charlie was with Gans when he signed to fight Battling Nelson. In spite of all his pugilism, the only time Charlie got his eyes blacked was when he fell as an acrobat. : Zbyszko was fond of him and once, after some unfavorable publicity followed a bout in St. John with Stasiak, cried out his hurt to Charlie in the following letter: My dear Friend! Just a few lines to let you know that I am at present in New York—To my surprise I found all the papers here full of articles with title “Stanislaus Zbyszko in fake wrestling match in St. John”. Imagine dear Mr. Stephenson as you know me so long—other people know me all my life—I never done anything disgraceful te nobedy and now at this moment I have to go to St. John and fake there a match —what for?7?7? It must be a very dirty person who done that to me! Such disgrace?! .. How are my tenants looking on me-—?” Zbyszko, who owned apartment houses, was a rare breed—a land The derbied gent Harry Fields, co-star with Lottie. The birdie was too impatient to be looked at so Harry had to leave part of his makeup on. The horse was not only ready but the most photogenic, though he cost but seven dollars. Above Fields, being upstaged by the horse, is Charlie Stephenson, a member of the company. lord who worried what his tenants thought of him. Charlie says he was highly educated but the affront caused him to lapse into quaint English. Jim Corbett was a pal and a fellow member of the Friars Club, to which Charlie was proposed by the late George M. Cohan. HARLIE STEPHENSON could See the stage declining and his first move of an all-out interest in moving pictures was to join Herb Lubin, later the promoter of the Roxy, New York, as @ salesman in Montreal, soon coming to Toronto as branch manager. After working for other companies he organized his own, Super Features, Limited, which handled “The Whip,” “The Barrier” and other films. In 1919 he entered into partnership with Arthur Cohen and the Jate Ely Marks, becoming general manager of the Exhibitors Distribution Corporation, Cohen being president. They distributed the phenomenally successful “Mickey” and “The Still Alarm” as part of their list. He went out west for the company but differences arose and he abandoned his interest to join July 5, 1944 Regal as manager for that territory. Not long after he was in business for himself again as Stephenson Attractions, Limited, opening’ exchanges across Canada for the distribution of such films as “County Fair’ and “School Days.” The setup didn’t hold for reasons beyond his control so he went to Hollywood as publicity man for Lubin and Sawyer. After Hollywood he joined Willis P. Dewees in Vancouver, leaving for Australia with the film of the Prince of Wales tour. It was a happy association. “Willis,” he says, “is a thorough gentleman.” His next enterprise was a stage production which, because the leading player jumped the contract, cost him $10,000 in a few weeks without a chance to make it up. Among ‘the interests which followed was the United Television Corporatidn with Luigi Romanelli; a transcription record idea to lessen costs to radio stations; and the miniature golf courses which later swamped the land. In 1932 Charlie was ill for eight months and his money ran out so his old friends in the business ran a benefit show for him at the Madison, Toronto, for which he is still grateful. In his time he had appeared at many benefits for others. Ten years ago this month Charlie became manager of a theatre for a young fellow named Nat Taylor. That theatre has since blossomed into Twentieth Century Theatres, the third largest circuit in Canada. That’s where you find him now as advertising chief. Gea STEPHENSON was the victim of bad booking on the part of his guardian angel. They say on every side that-he should have made a million dollars but that he was ahead of his time. He says so too but he’s not sorry. That is, not too sorry. He often got there too early for the game and at other times somebody else picked up his marbles. He lives quietly today and watches his youthful counterparts setting out over the same road—which isn’t as rocky as it used to be, though there’s much more traffic, Sometimes that old feeling of more carefree days come back. Not so long ago Bill Stewart, now a vaudeville booker, was short of an act and he and Charlie filled in with their old routine—almost fifty years after they first hooked up. Did all right, too. It’s been fun all the way, says Charlie Stephenson. Would he start at the top of page one again? “You het,” he says.