{"id":41,"date":"1950-02-03T00:00:48","date_gmt":"1950-02-03T05:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/radnorhistory.org\/collection\/articles\/ytmt\/?p=41"},"modified":"2016-06-26T17:16:46","modified_gmt":"2016-06-26T22:16:46","slug":"41","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radnorhistory.org\/archive\/articles\/ytmt\/?p=41","title":{"rendered":"Wayne Men’s Club Minstrels, part 5 \u2013 \u201cMerriemen of Wayne\u201d Del.Cty. LWD"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t<\/span><\/strong>It was in 1933 that the famous Men\u2019s Club Minstrels changed their name to the \u201cMerriemen of Wayne\u201d. After a twenty year career the Wayne Men\u2019s Club had gone out of existence, but its greatest activity, the Minstrel Show, continued on its way. However, without its founds, the former name seemed rather pointless. Therefore the new one was adopted. Ben James, who had sought to resign as president of the organization for several years, was now succeeded by Harry C. Creutzburg, who held the office until 1938, when he was succeeded by T. Griffiths Roberts.<\/p>\n

\t<\/span><\/strong>All this, however, was after the 1933 show which took place in the Anthony Wayne Theatre in a combination of minstrelsy and moving pictures. The early days of 1933, with the Bank Holiday, the change in administration and the beginnings of the New Deal made the Minstrel Men, like everyone else, autious in formulating plans that involved any outlay of money. Therefore, the arrangement with the Anthony Wayne Theatre, whereby there was an hour of songs and wise-cracks between the first and second showings of the picture. Expenses were thus held to a minimum.<\/p>\n

\t<\/span><\/strong>Linn Seiler, of Haverford College, was again the musical director, working this time under the difficulties of unfamiliar surroundings and inadequate acoustics. A new end man in the person of Ernie Davidson made a most successful debut. The program included many solos, among them a rousing rendition of \u201cGive Me a Roll on a Drum\u201d, by Bill Dowdell.<\/p>\n

\t<\/span><\/strong>His answer came when the Wayne Junior Drum and Bugle Corps marched in from the wings and gave the proper flourish to this stirring tune! Although lacking all the pretentiousness of early shows, this was still quite a creditable performance.<\/p>\n

\t<\/span><\/strong>In 1934 the Merriemen really put on two shows, the first a Winter Concert given in January and the second a regular MInstrel Show presented in the Spring. At the concert, which was given in the Saturday Club, they were assisted by the brilliant pianist, Jean Blackstone, a baritone. Charles W. Mintzer was the conductor and Paul D. Teel the accompanist. The affair was a great artistic success which was perhaps of more importance than the fact that it was not a financial one.<\/p>\n

\t<\/span><\/strong>Although the end of the depression was definitely in sight, economy was still the watchword in both the 1934 and 1935 shows. The Radnor High School band, being adequately uniformed and equipped, proceeds of the latter show went to the High School Scholarship Fund.<\/p>\n

\t<\/span><\/strong>The performances of both years were limited to the traditional circle with an intermission in the middle. Mr. Seiler was succeeded by Charles Mintzer as a very able musical director who had already demonstrated his abilities with the Radnor High School Glee Club.<\/p>\n

\t<\/span><\/strong>As Ben James was in the midst of a political campaign his place as interlocutor was taken by Joe Forrest, of the High School faculty. In fact, it is said that \u201cthe hit of the show came when the debonair Joe strolled out with the charming Betty Ott in \u201cThe Easter Parade\u201d, to be met at the other side of the stage by the Harlem Paraders, Bob Morrison and Doc Standen!\u201d Outstanding among the chorus numbers were such songs as \u201cDuna\u201d, \u201cTo Arms\u201d, \u201cThe Buccaneers\u201d, \u201cOld Man Noah\u201d and \u201cThe Battle of Jericho\u201d.<\/p>\n

\t<\/span><\/strong>In the 1935 show there were six end men, an unprecedented number. The four veterans of the year before, Bill Shuster, Doc Standen, Ted Park and Hal Reese were joined at this time by Bub Park and Theo Morris. Ben James was again the interlocutor. The Merriemen were now attracting many of the younger generation, some still in High School, others not long graduated. Ray Kruse was assisting Paul Teel at the pianos, while among the songsters were Scudder Boles, Bob Crane, Tommy Casper, Ralph Colflesh, Horace Fraim and Dick Newbold, Jr.<\/p>\n

\t<\/span><\/strong>In the musical numbers the chorus had the assistance of the Delaware Country L. W. D. Orchestra, which opened the show with \u201cPlantation Melodies\u201d and closed it with \u201cSemper Fidelis\u201d as the exit march. In the intermission they played a number of Victor Herbert favorites.<\/p>\n

\t<\/span><\/strong>Among the chorus numbers which met with especial applause were \u201cLassie of Mine\u2019\u201d \u201cGypsy Melody and \u201cSong of Songs\u201d, in which Addis Jacobs had the solo part. The latter also sang \u201cKashmir Song,\u201d while Hal Reese did \u201cDancing with My Shadow,\u201d \u201cSix Gentlemen of Color\u201d, with Bob Morrison as the \u201cEbony Lady\u201d, sang \u201cStrolling Thru the Park\u201d. And to highlight the whole evening\u2019s performances, Jules Prevost and Bub Park brought back \u201cFond Memories\u201d with their \u201cBubble Dance\u201d, which by now had become a local classic and which once again \u201cLaid them in the aisles!\u201d<\/p>\n

\t<\/span><\/strong>Then 1936 brought to Radnor High School Auditorium another of the \u201cGorgeous Era\u201d shows! One glance at the format of the program is enough to indicate that! In addition to elaborate programs there was new scenery and once again the traditional \u201cafter piece\u201d with its many specialty numbers! An innovation came with the addition of \u2018the ladies\u2019 in a dance number, when a group from the Bala – Cynwyd Junior Woman\u2019s Club put on \u201cHigh Yaller from the Gay Nineties\u201d, which made a great hit with those on both sides of the footlights! Charlie Smith of the HIgh School faculty was the new interlocutor and the old reliables, Doc Standen, Hal Reese and Bub Park were joined by a new end man, Al Whetstone. An instrumental sextet from the High School band consisting of Ray Kruse, \u201cBud\u201d and \u201cHap\u201d Howell, William Tobin, Arnold Morrow and Franklin Kelton played \u201cAlexander\u2019s Ragtime Band\u201d and Honeysuckle Rose\u201d.<\/p>\n

\t<\/span><\/strong>Among the chorus numbers were \u201cKentucky Babe\u201d, \u201cCap\u2019n Mae\u201d. \u201cLiza Lady\u201d and \u201cLittle David, Play on Yo\u2019 Harp\u201d. Opening Part II of the program was Rhodes Stabley and the chorus in an arrangement of \u201cMoon Over Miami\u201d, as made by Paul Teel and Charley Mintzer, while the entire company closed the show with a grand \u201cFinale\u201d the words of which had been written by Joe Flagler and Jules Prevost!<\/p>\n

(to be concluded<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was in 1933 that the famous Men\u2019s Club Minstrels changed their name to the \u201cMerriemen of Wayne\u201d. After a twenty year career the Wayne Men\u2019s Club had gone out of existence, but its greatest activity, the Minstrel Show, continued on its way. However, without its founds, the former name seemed rather pointless. Therefore the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[36],"class_list":["post-41","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-wayne-mens-club-minstrels"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radnorhistory.org\/archive\/articles\/ytmt\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radnorhistory.org\/archive\/articles\/ytmt\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radnorhistory.org\/archive\/articles\/ytmt\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radnorhistory.org\/archive\/articles\/ytmt\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radnorhistory.org\/archive\/articles\/ytmt\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/radnorhistory.org\/archive\/articles\/ytmt\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1056,"href":"https:\/\/radnorhistory.org\/archive\/articles\/ytmt\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41\/revisions\/1056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radnorhistory.org\/archive\/articles\/ytmt\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radnorhistory.org\/archive\/articles\/ytmt\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radnorhistory.org\/archive\/articles\/ytmt\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}