GRAND OLD MAN

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 623, 30 August 1933, Page 2

GRAND OLD MAN

AGE OF 95 AMAZINGLY ACTIVE. "The Grand O'ld Man' 'of Hull ia though the holder will he 95 next birthday, he is surely the youngest "old man" in England, a Hull correspondent says. Drop into the Alexander Theatre, in this Yorkshire city, one evening and the odds are you will see, somewhere near the vestibule, a dapperlooking man almost as upright as a hop pole, with a flower in his buttonhole. He is the managing director of the theatre, and no glacing at his almost unwrinkled face, neatly-crop-ped iron-grey hair, and lceen brown eyes would suspect that he is within a few years of being a centenarian. A very wonderful man inndeed is Mr. William Moreton, for although he was born in 1838, the year after Queen Victoria came to the throne, he is still working and taking an active part in one of the leading theatrical and cinema organisations in the North of England. "Don't talk about feeling old," Mr. Moreton said when interviewed. "Why I feel as youn'g and as active as most men of 40. I am going so strong that at 95 I have actually started to write a book. I am putting in two hours a day on that aione, and I am doing that in what we might call 'spare time.' I suppose I must be the oldest active theatrical managing-director in the country. I have been providing entertainments, in some shape or form, since the days of 'penny readys,' for something like 70 years. Things have changed greatly since those days, and in the passing years I have seen many famous 'stars' in the amusement firmament come and disappear." Born at Royston, Hertfordshire, Mr. Moreton tried his ha,nd at quite a number of things before he settled down. After leaving school he became an apprentice compositor to a local printer. Setting type by hand in the vold-fashioned way did not appeal to him, however, and so he determined to strike out in another direction. In his spare time he taught himself a form of shorthand, and in due course he became what was known as a "printer-reporter." He obtained a post on a Nottingham paper, and subsequently went to Southport as the member of the staff of a weekly . newspaper. It was while he was at Southport that Mi\ Moreton developed the idea of becomirig a caterer for amusements. "There was no theatre at Southport at the time," he said, when recalling his early days. "The towri hall was used for what amusement? came to the town, and here I provided various kinds of entertainments. "In this way I came in touch with •the famous Maskelyne and Cook's and I suppose I am the oiily man alive who knew the ioriginatl Maskeilyne, We made a business deal wherehy i took the show on a provincial tour, visiting most of the towns in this 1 country, as well as Jersey, Dublinj Edinburgh. Then encouraged by the popularity achieved, we decided to introduce this kind of ent'ertainment into London." Opening at the Crystal Palaee, where they remained for five weeks,

the show, which by this time was . ; creatirig. a big sensation, went to the St. James' Hall, Piccadilly, then to the Agricultural Hall, Piccadilly; and finally to the Egyptian.Hall. Mystery and Meiodrama. "By this time," Mr. Moreton explained, "I had become Mr. Maskelyne's partner, and 16 years' most interesting associating with the 'home o'f mysteries' was served when the show was transferred to St. Gddrge's HaU." Mt. Moretoh then went to Greenwich, where lie t'bok over the Tlieatre Royal 'blood-and-thunder' dramas being amo'ng the prificipal attractioijl in' thq bill of fare> "I made such a suecess of the place," he sfcated, "that before I sold out after a stay of 15 years, I was booking the best of toui'ing companies. Then I came to Hull, ahd here I am still carrying on, still tryihg to entertain and amuse the public. It is interesting work. i like it. "Punctuality and two meals a day are mjr watchwords. I am always the fidst director in the board-room; I never go to bed before 11 o'clock, and I am up in the morning before many men are awake. I can eat an ele-" phant, but I have only two meals a day— breakfast and lunch," Beyond being slightly deaf, Mr. Moreton i? amazirigly (active ahd alert; Speetacles he fises only for reading. He is a life-long abstainer, but he smokes cigarette?. Gardening is his favourite h'obhy.