First, I’ve posted a day late this week, to allow the report of Dwayne McDuffie’s unexpected death to sit at the top of the blog yesterday, daytime. I’ll always remember McDuffie, who I hadn’t previously met, for his stopping me at the San Diego Con while he was in the middle of promoting his newly founded Milestone Comics, just to give me some kind comments.

This week’s Theatrical Cartoons entry, involves a vanity cartoon book we’ve looked at before — Them As Is Because, a 1911 New York City-published book filled with caricatures of local figures, who for status and advertising paid to be depicted in cartoon form in this book. While most such books in this early twentieth century fad depicted bankers, manufacturers, and other such local business figures, Them As Is Because differed in its large number of vaudeville & other theatrical figures.

Above (and shown last year) is one of the more famous persons in the book, composer Irving Berlin. Below, left-to-right, are: vaudeville manager/producer Reed A. Albee, who in the 1920s was head of the B.F. Keith/Albee vaudeville theater circuit, and adoptive father of playwright Edward Albee; musical performer Howard S. Borden; and President of the Motion Picture Distributing Company, Jules E. Brulatour.

Click on the pictures above & below, to see larger versions.

Next, vaudeville managers/agents Pat Casey, James Clancy, and Irving M. Cooper.

And finally, three figures who believe themselves to be larger-than-life: vaudeville comedian-turned-producer, Madison Corey; Monopol Film Company president, P.P. Craft, demonstrates his mutant mind-powers at film strip manipulation; and producer A.R. Erlanger, poses in his everyday garb as Napoleon.

Next week, the women from Them As Is Because.

Doug Wheeler

TheatricalCartoons AsWeSeeEm