Throwback
Thursday and Will Mahoney
Born William
James Mahoney on February 5, 1894, Will came from an unlikely place: Helena,
Montana. His father was a rancher who died when Will was only 2 years old. His
mother went to work as a cook in logging camps to support the family.
Will and his
brother Frank formed a duo called The Mahoney Brothers and they first performed
onstage in 1902 – when Will was about eight years old. They ended up on the
vaudeville circuit and by 1914 had toured North America, Mexico and visited
Melbourne, Australia.
After his
brother left the act, Will designed a xylophone platform, on which he danced
with small mallets attached to his shoes. He soon achieved fame and George
Gershwin wrote music for him.
Will
appeared in three movies, and by the 1930s he was said to be the highest paid
variety star in American – said to be earning $5500 a week – an enormous sum at
that time.
By 1943,
Will had changed direction, becoming a theatre manager of the Cremorne Theatre, in Brisbane,
Australia. This venue
attracted entertainers from overseas, among them Mahoney's friends Jack Benny,
Bob Hope, Gary Cooper, and others.
In 1966, while
performing onstage at the Tivoili in Funny
Girl, Will collapsed. He died on February 9, 1967 and is buried in the
Melbourne general cemetery.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Dance History Factoid #174:
“Will Mahoney was said to be the
highest-paid variety star in America.”
Link of the Day:
Quote of the Day:
“Make your
ego porous. Will is of little importance, complaining is nothing, fame is
nothing. Openness, patience, receptivity, solitude is everything.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke
― Rainer Maria Rilke
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