As he would have willed it, “the show goes on.” And the late Julian Wylie’s Christmas pantomime, “Cinderella,” will be shown here as his final contribution to the world of the theatre he loved so well. It was while rehearsing this pantomime that the noted English producer died early this month at the age of fifty-six.
In good health almost to the day of his death, Wylie only the evening previous had rehearsed his company until nearly midnight at the Drury Lane. And for some time he had been traveling about the country, usually overnight, to the cities where he was producing pantomimes — Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Birmingham— and then back to Drury Lane.
1,200 AT RITES
The death of this man of the theatre was widely mourned. Over twelve hundred mourners, representatives of the theatrical and music-hall professions, stood in the drenching rain as his remains were lowered to their final resting place in the Jewish Cemetery at Willisden.
Chorus girls and stage carpenters, stars and stage doorkeepers, all joined in the testimonial to the man who was their friend. Wee Georgie Wood, Sydney Howard, Dan Leno, Lupino Lane, G. S. Melville, Will and Cliff Mollison were among the stars present at the services, read by Rabbi Michael Adler of the Central Synagogue.
Floral pieces were received from Binnie Hale, Cicely and Jack Hulbert, the Lupinos, Fay Compton, Blanche Tomlin, Vera Pearce, Bert Feldman and others. A huge goose made of flowers was sent from Glasgow by Mr. Wylie’s “Mother Goose” company. Six ars were laden with floral tributes. And over a hundred cars passed through the cemetery gates with the funeral cortege.
CHURCH, SERVICES
The Manchester Guardian, describing the funeral, said it was “as impressive as that of an Elder Statesman. The service itself, in Hebrew and English, could hardly have been simpler, and during the chanting of the Hebrew psalms by the cantor, and later the recitation of the Kaddish by the mourners, men and women could be heard sobbing.”
A special memorial service was held in the Trinity Church of Glasgow with Will Fyffe, the comedian, appearing in the pulpit. Fifty members of the cast were present as were representatives of all theatrical companies in town.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
