Nat M. Wills
Encyclopedia
Nat M. Wills (July 11, 1873 - December 9, 1917), was a popular stage star, vaudeville
entertainer, and recording artist at the beginning of the 20th century. He is best known for his "tramp
" persona and for performing humorous or satirical
musical numbers, including parodies
of popular songs of the day.
, Virginia
, on July 11, 1873, the son of John (1832–1904) and Sallie B. (1845–1881) Wills. His birth name is variously given as Louis Magrath Wills, Matthew McGrath Wills and Edward McGregor, but census records from 1880 show a boy named "Lewis" Wills, and Wills gave his legal name as Louis on official documents. He had a brother, Clarence (1877–1896), and a sister, Maud, born in 1875. He also had a half-sister, Indianna, born in 1855, and a half-brother, George F., born in 1853, from his father's first marriage to Susan A. Wills (1832–1865).
Little is known about his early life. There is no record of his birth in Virginia. An article in the Fredericksburg, Virginia Daily Star, dated Tuesday, October 9, 1923, mentions Maud, and says that Wills was the grandson of James Taylor, a policeman. James Taylor was Wills' mother Sallie's father and is listed on census records as a policeman.
when he was a child and he and began his theatrical
career there. Reportedly, one of his first stage appearances was with Minnie Palmer, a popular actress and operetta star of the day.
As a young man, Wills appeared in melodramas and stage shows all over the United States. He alternated between theatrical stage shows and vaudeville performances throughout his life.
Wills was one of the first entertainers to perform at the famous Palace Theater, and he appeared in the 1913 edition of the Ziegfeld Follies
.
Wills created "No News," one of the most famous and copied vaudeville routines. In a monologue fashion, Wills played both a wealthy man returned from a doctor-ordered vacation and a servant reporting the news on the man's return home. The routine begins with the servant assuring the master there is no news to report, "except for one small thing..." which culminates in much news.
Wills tried to help other entertainers by forming, with other performers, The White Rats
, the first entertainer's union. He was an original member of the Board of Governors. The White Rats (rats is "star" spelled backwards) were organized June 1, 1900 to combat the abuses of the United Booking Office, a group of managers who had a monopoly on vaudeville bookings.
His third wife was Heloise Titcomb, a fellow vaudeville performer who sang French
songs and performed an act with white horses using the stage name "La Belle Titcomb
." After their divorce, Wills was quoted as saying, "I should have married the horse."
His fourth wife was the actress May Day. Wills and May had a daughter, Natalie, born in about 1915.
On August 20, 1909, tabloids reported that vaudeville player Trixie Friganza
was engaged to Wills, but no further mention was made of this and they did not get married.
while working on his car in a closed garage. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.
or used ethnic stereotype
s in their humor. Such humor is considered offensive today, but was not unusual for the time. One such routine was called "Darky Stories." Wills also used "black dialect" in his famous "No News" routine.
Wills went to court on April 13, 1915, after his divorce from La Belle Titcomb
and remarriage to May Day, to try to reduce his alimony
payments to Heloise. He claimed they were a hardship, as they took too much of his salary, and he had May and their daughter Natalie to support. In addition, he claimed that Heloise made sufficient income with her own stage show, and had assets enough to keep her well without his alimony payments.
's autobiography, My Life and Hard Times. Thurber describes how he and his brothers would listen to Wills' recording of "No News" over and over, to the irritation of their father.
Wills is mentioned in Jack Kerouac
's The Dharma Bums in a passage describing a cartoon of a young boy going out into the wilderness "with a small staff and pack, like an American Nat Wills tramp of 1905."
released a CD containing all existing songs by Wills remastered from their original cylinder or disk formats. The CD includes a 24-page booklet with information about each track, as well as biographical information about Wills, written by Trav S.D.
, author of No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous.
Wills' recording of "No News" was identified as one of 25 "cultural, artistic and historical treasures to be preserved for future generations" by the Library of Congress
in 2008 under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000.
Wills' songs and comic monologues are often played on East Village Radio
's "The Ragged Phonograph Program," and his recordings are occasionally played on Venerable Radio and WFMU's Antique Phonograph Music Program.
In May 2011, Wills' recording of "No News" was chosen by the lead curator of the Library of Congress' free streaming National Jukebox, Gene DeAnna, as one of his favorite recordings in the Library's collection on a playlist for The Atlantic magazine online.
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
entertainer, and recording artist at the beginning of the 20th century. He is best known for his "tramp
Tramp
A tramp is a long term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking or hiking all year round. In British English meanwhile a tramp simply refers to a homeless person, usually not a travelling one....
" persona and for performing humorous or satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
musical numbers, including parodies
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of popular songs of the day.
Early life
Nat Wills was born Louis McGrath Wills in FredericksburgFredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, on July 11, 1873, the son of John (1832–1904) and Sallie B. (1845–1881) Wills. His birth name is variously given as Louis Magrath Wills, Matthew McGrath Wills and Edward McGregor, but census records from 1880 show a boy named "Lewis" Wills, and Wills gave his legal name as Louis on official documents. He had a brother, Clarence (1877–1896), and a sister, Maud, born in 1875. He also had a half-sister, Indianna, born in 1855, and a half-brother, George F., born in 1853, from his father's first marriage to Susan A. Wills (1832–1865).
Little is known about his early life. There is no record of his birth in Virginia. An article in the Fredericksburg, Virginia Daily Star, dated Tuesday, October 9, 1923, mentions Maud, and says that Wills was the grandson of James Taylor, a policeman. James Taylor was Wills' mother Sallie's father and is listed on census records as a policeman.
Performing career
Wills' family moved to Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
when he was a child and he and began his theatrical
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
career there. Reportedly, one of his first stage appearances was with Minnie Palmer, a popular actress and operetta star of the day.
As a young man, Wills appeared in melodramas and stage shows all over the United States. He alternated between theatrical stage shows and vaudeville performances throughout his life.
Wills was one of the first entertainers to perform at the famous Palace Theater, and he appeared in the 1913 edition of the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
.
Wills created "No News," one of the most famous and copied vaudeville routines. In a monologue fashion, Wills played both a wealthy man returned from a doctor-ordered vacation and a servant reporting the news on the man's return home. The routine begins with the servant assuring the master there is no news to report, "except for one small thing..." which culminates in much news.
Wills tried to help other entertainers by forming, with other performers, The White Rats
The White Rats
The White Rats was an organization formed by vaudeville performers, led by George Fuller Golden, as a labor union to support the rights of performers...
, the first entertainer's union. He was an original member of the Board of Governors. The White Rats (rats is "star" spelled backwards) were organized June 1, 1900 to combat the abuses of the United Booking Office, a group of managers who had a monopoly on vaudeville bookings.
Notable stage appearances
Broadway appearances- September 27, 1900 through October 20, 1900 - A Million Dollars, role: Cecil Roads
- August 17, 1903 through February 27, 1904 - A Son of Rest, role: Hunting Grubb
- September 11, 1905 through January 6, 1906 - The 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 Up - Wills was appearing in this production when he died in December 1917.
1908
- No News, or What Killed the Dog? - Comic monologue that was one of the best-selling records of its time.
- The Flag He Loved So Well - Parody of war songs describing a young man who heroically plays the trombone during war.
- Are You Sincere? - Parody that describes a timid police officer encountering bank robbers. This track includes a spoken introduction in which Wills tells topical jokes.
- B.P.O.E : Elks' Song - Comic song in which Wills describes his time in the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, or B.P.O.E., which he calls "The Best People on Earth." Many Elks lodges feature this song on their websites.
- The Old Oaken Bucket - Parody of a song based on a poetic ode to an oak bucket written by Samuel WoodworthSamuel WoodworthSamuel Woodworth was an American author, literary journalist, playwright, librettist, and poet.-History:...
in 1817 and set to music in 1826, in which the Happy Tramp encounters a bull. This track includes a spoken introduction in which Wills tells topical jokes.
- Our Boarding House - Parody of The Battle Hymn of the RepublicThe Battle Hymn of the Republic"The Battle Hymn of the Republic" is a hymn by American writer Julia Ward Howe using the music from the song "John Brown's Body". Howe's more famous lyrics were written in November 1861 and first published in The Atlantic Monthly in February 1862. It became popular during the American Civil War...
detailing the comically deplorable conditions in a boarding house.
- Hoboken - No recording of this song is known to exist today.
1909
- At the Comic Opera - Medley that uses music from many operas to describe one humorous night at the opera, including a mention of Enrico Caruso.
- Rainbow and Sunbonnet Sue - No recording of this song is known to exist today.
- The Traveling Man - Comic song describing the singer's time traveling the United States in a repertory theater company.
- Song of the English Chappie - Parody of English music hallMusic hallMusic Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
songs.
- Liberty - No recording of this song is known to exist today.
- Hortense at the Skating Rink - Comic monologue in which the speaker takes his overweight girlfriend to a roller skating rink.
- A Talk on Father - No recording of this song is known to exist today.
- Jungle Town Parody: Teddy in Africa - Parody of the African safari taken by former president Teddy RooseveltTheodore RooseveltTheodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
after he left office in 1909.
- Saving up Coupons for Mother - Parody of popular sentimental ballads, particularly "Just Tell Them That You Saw Me" by Paul DresserPaul DresserJohann Paul Dresser, Jr. was a popular American songwriter of the late 19th century and early 20th century. As a child and adolescent he was frequently in trouble and spent several months in jail before joining a band of traveling minstrels...
, describing a young man who smokes himself to death trying to save enough green cigarette couponsLoyalty marketingLoyalty marketing is an approach to marketing, based on strategic management, in which a company focuses on growing and retaining existing customers through incentives...
to purchase a tombstone for his deceased father.
- Reformed Love (and a Few Other Subjects) - Comic monologue describing how new research on germs and bacteria, and their role in sickness, will affect love.
- Hortense at Sea - Comic monologue in which the speaker takes his underweight girlfriend on a sea voyage to regain her health.
1913
- Too Much Dog - Comic monologue detailing the speaker's misadventures with his wife's five dogs.
- A New Cure for Drinking - Comic monologue describing a group of men who are trying to give up drinking alcohol.
- Darky Stories - Comic monologue telling two stories about African-Americans. This track is considered offensive today, but the humor was not unusual for the time. The original title of the track was "Darky Stories," but later versions appear under the name "Two Negro Stories."
- Parody on Trail of the Lonesome Pine - No recording of this song is known to exist today.
- New York, What's the Matter With You? - Comic song from Wills' appearance in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1913, which describes the aftermath of New York City closing all-night restaurants. The alternate title of the song is "Goodbye, My Tango" and the song describes many dance moves popular in this era, including the tangoTango (dance)Tango dance originated in the area of the Rio de la Plata , and spread to the rest of the world soon after....
, turkey trot, and grizzly bearGrizzly Bear (dance)The Grizzly Bear is an early 20th century dance style. It started in San Francisco, along with the Bunny Hug and Texas Tommy and was also done on the Staten Island ferry boats in the 1900's. It has been said that dancers John Jarrott and Louise Gruenning introduced this dance as well as the Turkey...
.
- That Ragtime Suffragette - Song from the Ziegfeld Follies of 1913. No recording of this song is known to exist today.
- If a Table at Rector's Could Talk - Comic song from Wills' appearance in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1913 describing the nightlife at Rector'sGeorge RectorGeorge Rector was a restaurateur, raconteur and food authority who wrote several cookbooks in the 1920s and 1930s. He also appeared on radio on the Columbia Broadcasting System in "Dine with George Rector"...
, a restaurant popular with the Broadway crowd. This song is referenced in the book Appetite City: a Culinary History of New York by William Grimes.
- Parody on Eight Familiar Songs - Comic song parodying eight popular songs.
1915
- A Father of 36 - Comic monologue describing a father's visit to his son's college.
- Automobile Parody - Comic medley describing the joys of owning an automobile.
Personal life
Wills was married four times. His first two wives died.His third wife was Heloise Titcomb, a fellow vaudeville performer who sang French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
songs and performed an act with white horses using the stage name "La Belle Titcomb
La Belle Titcomb
La Belle Titcomb was the stage name of Heloise McCeney , a popular vaudeville performer known as The Parisian Dancer on Horseback. Her act usually had her riding upon a white horse while singing operatic arias....
." After their divorce, Wills was quoted as saying, "I should have married the horse."
His fourth wife was the actress May Day. Wills and May had a daughter, Natalie, born in about 1915.
On August 20, 1909, tabloids reported that vaudeville player Trixie Friganza
Trixie Friganza
Trixie Friganza , born Delia O’Callaghan, began her career as an operetta soubrette, working her way from the chorus to starring in musical comedies to having her own feature act on the vaudeville circuit....
was engaged to Wills, but no further mention was made of this and they did not get married.
Death
Wills died on December 9, 1917, of carbon monoxide poisoningCarbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after enough inhalation of carbon monoxide . Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and initially non-irritating, it is very difficult for people to detect...
while working on his car in a closed garage. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.
Controversy
Many vaudeville performers, including Wills, performed in blackfaceBlackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
or used ethnic stereotype
Ethnic stereotype
An ethnic stereotype is a generalized representation of an ethnic group, composed of what are thought to be typical characteristics of members of the group.Ethnic stereotypes are commonly portrayed in ethnic jokes.-Ethnic stereotypes:*African Americans...
s in their humor. Such humor is considered offensive today, but was not unusual for the time. One such routine was called "Darky Stories." Wills also used "black dialect" in his famous "No News" routine.
Wills went to court on April 13, 1915, after his divorce from La Belle Titcomb
La Belle Titcomb
La Belle Titcomb was the stage name of Heloise McCeney , a popular vaudeville performer known as The Parisian Dancer on Horseback. Her act usually had her riding upon a white horse while singing operatic arias....
and remarriage to May Day, to try to reduce his alimony
Alimony
Alimony is a U.S. term denoting a legal obligation to provide financial support to one's spouse from the other spouse after marital separation or from the ex-spouse upon divorce...
payments to Heloise. He claimed they were a hardship, as they took too much of his salary, and he had May and their daughter Natalie to support. In addition, he claimed that Heloise made sufficient income with her own stage show, and had assets enough to keep her well without his alimony payments.
Influence on Popular Culture
Wills in mentioned in James ThurberJames Thurber
James Grover Thurber was an American author, cartoonist and celebrated wit. Thurber was best known for his cartoons and short stories published in The New Yorker magazine.-Life:...
's autobiography, My Life and Hard Times. Thurber describes how he and his brothers would listen to Wills' recording of "No News" over and over, to the irritation of their father.
Wills is mentioned in Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
's The Dharma Bums in a passage describing a cartoon of a young boy going out into the wilderness "with a small staff and pack, like an American Nat Wills tramp of 1905."
Current interest
In 2007, Archeophone RecordsArcheophone Records
Archeophone Records, LLC, based in Champaign, Illinois, specializes in preserving recordings of the acoustic era of the recording industry by remastering phonograph cylinders and gramophone records from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and releasing them on compact disc...
released a CD containing all existing songs by Wills remastered from their original cylinder or disk formats. The CD includes a 24-page booklet with information about each track, as well as biographical information about Wills, written by Trav S.D.
Trav S.D.
Donald Travis Stewart is a leading figure in the new vaudeville movement, an author, journalist, playwright and stage performer.-Career:...
, author of No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous.
Wills' recording of "No News" was identified as one of 25 "cultural, artistic and historical treasures to be preserved for future generations" by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
in 2008 under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000.
Wills' songs and comic monologues are often played on East Village Radio
East Village Radio
East Village Radio is an Internet radio station which broadcasts from a storefront studio in the East Village of Manhattan, in New York City. EVR serves both as a voice for the local downtown cultural scene and as a forum for the community at large...
's "The Ragged Phonograph Program," and his recordings are occasionally played on Venerable Radio and WFMU's Antique Phonograph Music Program.
In May 2011, Wills' recording of "No News" was chosen by the lead curator of the Library of Congress' free streaming National Jukebox, Gene DeAnna, as one of his favorite recordings in the Library's collection on a playlist for The Atlantic magazine online.
Media
External links
- http://www.archeophone.com/product_info.php?products_id=84Archeophone RecordsArcheophone RecordsArcheophone Records, LLC, based in Champaign, Illinois, specializes in preserving recordings of the acoustic era of the recording industry by remastering phonograph cylinders and gramophone records from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and releasing them on compact disc...
] - http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?keyword=nat+wills photo gallery at NYP Library