Performing career Nat M. Wills

1 performing career

1.1 notable stage appearances
1.2 film appearances
1.3 partial discography

1.3.1 1908
1.3.2 1909
1.3.3 1913
1.3.4 1915

performing career

nat m. wills

wills family moved washington, d.c. when child , , began theatrical career there. reportedly, 1 of first stage appearances minnie palmer, popular actress , operetta star of day.

as young man, wills appeared in melodramas , stage shows on united states. alternated between theatrical stage shows , vaudeville performances throughout life.

wills 1 of first entertainers perform @ famous palace theater, , appeared in 1913 edition of ziegfeld follies.

wills famous version of no news, old , copied vaudeville routine. in monologue fashion, wills played both wealthy man returned doctor-ordered vacation , servant reporting news on man s return home. routine begins servant assuring master there no news report, except 1 small thing... culminates in great deal of tragic news.

wills tried other entertainers forming, other performers, white rats, first entertainer s union. original member of board of governors. white rats (rats star spelled backwards) organized june 1, 1900 combat abuses of united booking office, group of managers had monopoly on vaudeville bookings.

notable stage appearances

broadway appearances

september 27, 1900 through october 20, 1900 - million dollars, role: cecil roads
august 17, 1903 through february 27, 1904 - son of rest, role: hunting grubb
september 11, 1905 through january 6, 1906 - duke of duluth, role: darling doolittle
june 16, 1913 through september 6, 1913 - ziegfeld follies of 1913
august 23, 1917 through may 11, 1918 - cheer - wills appearing in production when died in december 1917.

film appearances

nat wills king of kazam (1911)
webb singing pictures (1917)

partial discography
1908

no news, or killed dog? - comic monologue 1 of best-selling records of time.
the flag loved - parody of war songs describing young man heroically plays trombone during war.
are sincere? - parody describes timid police officer encountering bank robbers. track includes spoken introduction in wills tells topical jokes.
b.p.o.e : elks song - comic song in wills describes time in benevolent protective order of elks, or b.p.o.e., calls best people on earth. many elks lodges feature song on websites.
the old oaken bucket - parody of song based on poetic ode oak bucket written samuel woodworth in 1817 , set music in 1826, in happy tramp encounters bull. track includes spoken introduction in wills tells topical jokes.
our boarding house - parody of battle hymn of republic detailing comically deplorable conditions in boarding house.
hoboken - no recording of song known exist today.

1909

at comic opera - medley uses music many operas describe 1 humorous night @ opera, including mention of enrico caruso.
rainbow , sunbonnet sue - no recording of song known exist today.
the traveling man - comic song describing singer s time traveling united states in repertory theater company.
song of english chappie - parody of english music hall songs.
liberty - no recording of song known exist today.
hortense @ skating rink - comic monologue in speaker takes overweight girlfriend roller skating rink.
a talk on father - no recording of song known exist today.
jungle town parody: teddy in africa - parody of african safari taken former president teddy roosevelt after left office in 1909.
saving coupons mother - parody of popular sentimental ballads, particularly tell them saw me paul dresser, describing young man smokes himself death trying save enough green cigarette coupons purchase tombstone deceased father.
reformed love (and few other subjects) - comic monologue describing how new research on germs , bacteria, , role in sickness, affect love.
hortense @ sea - comic monologue in speaker takes underweight girlfriend on sea voyage regain health.

1913

too dog - comic monologue detailing speaker s misadventures wife s 5 dogs.
a new cure drinking - comic monologue describing group of men trying give drinking alcohol.
darky stories - comic monologue telling 2 stories african-americans. track considered offensive today, humor not unusual time. original title of track darky stories, later versions appear under name 2 negro stories.
parody on trail of lonesome pine - no recording of song known exist today.
new york, s matter you? - comic song wills appearance in ziegfeld follies of 1913, describes aftermath of new york city closing all-night restaurants. alternate title of song goodbye, tango , song describes many dance moves popular in era, including tango, turkey trot, , grizzly bear.
that ragtime suffragette - song ziegfeld follies of 1913. no recording of song known exist today.
if table @ rector s talk - comic song wills appearance in ziegfeld follies of 1913 describing nightlife @ rector s, restaurant popular broadway crowd. song referenced in book appetite city: culinary history of new york william grimes.
parody on 8 familiar songs - comic song parodying 8 popular songs.

1915

a father of 36 - comic monologue describing father s visit son s college.
automobile parody - comic medley describing joys of owning automobile.




^ how break ill news . retrieved 2015-05-30. 
^ cite error: named reference charliethejugglingclown.com invoked never defined (see page).
^ trav s.d., no applause, throw money: book made vaudeville famous.
^ broadway league. nat m. wills | ibdb: official source broadway information . ibdb.com. retrieved 2015-01-23. 
^ florenz ziegfeld: bio - part ii . musicals101.com. retrieved 2015-01-23. 
^ nat m. wills - imdb . imdb.com. retrieved 2015-01-23. 
^ elks.org :: elks history project . elks.org. retrieved 2015-01-23. 
^ elks.org :: lodge #1847 home . elks.org. retrieved 2015-01-23. 
^ grimes, william. appetite city: culinary history of new york. (new york: north point press, 2009)