Vaudeville, agent William Morris Aug. 21 Rangeley Library topic

RANGELEY — The Rangeley Public Library will host a presentation by Bill Berlinghoff about William Morris and 20th century vaudeville at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 21.

One hundred years ago, Morris was a “household name” to anyone in American show business — not the British William Morris of the 19the century, but the foremost theatrical agent of that time. Revisit with Berlinghoff the days before television, radio and “talkies,” when entertainment was always live and hardly ever in your living room. He’ll talk about the greatest agent in vaudeville, a man respected, revered, and even loved by the likes of Sir Harry Lauder and Sophie Tucker — a man whose legacy has continued to this day through the William Morris Theatrical Agency, the most influential booking agency of the 20th century.
Berlinghoff is a retired math professor from Colby College and Southern Connecticut State University. He has also been a semi-professional musical entertainer for more than half a century. His great-aunt Emma Berlinghoff was Mrs. William Morris. His grandfather Henry’s “Young American Band” was the first act the William Morris Agency ever booked, and Uncle Henry, as he came to be known, was a senior officer of the agency for many years.
Stop by the library at 7 Lake St. or call 207-864-5529 to sign up for the free program.