“The Lawn Party”

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This “juvenile revue” was thirty-two minutes long on the full stage. Young William J. Dooley plays a sheriff and is a fantastic knockabout comedian. He tells the group of children who wait for their favorite stars that there has been a train wreck which has prevented them from coming. He suggests that they impersonate their favorites instead. The kids then impersonate Robert Mantell (James Dougherty), Eva Tanguay (Florence Hughes), David Warfield (Harry Anger), Fay Templeton (Marie Jacobs), George M. Cohan (Raymond O’Malley), Irene Franklin (Miss Hughes), Caruso (Frances Donia), Bessie McCoy (Elsie Taylor), and Lillian Russel (Elsie Dingas). O’Malley is a hit as Cohan and Donia showcases a phenomenal tenor range as Caruso. Dooley does the announcements and some comedy falls.
The audience particularly like Dooley as the sheriff.
The act could be shortened and run faster, but the children will speed up their work once they have more experience. Dooley does falls that adult knockabout comedians wold "give a season's salary" to be able to do. The act is definitely a big time number.
Source:
Variety 29:1 (06/12/1912)