Get your preferred recording devices ready, there’s actually A LOT of Warren William airing on TCM this week!

First up, he’s Caesar tomorrow night in Cecil B. De Mille’s “Cleopatra” at 12:45 am EST (That’s actually very early Tuesday morning so as not to confuse). I don’t know if you’ve been checking it out, but I’ve been posting several of the TCM daily schedules with movie collectibles as illustration over in my spot on the Examiner.com. You may have the schedules already, but the images are the added bonus.

Then Wednesday, July 1, starting at 9:30 am, TCM is airing 6 of the 1930′s Perry Mason movies, the first four of which star Warren William in the title role. That schedule, again, all times Eastern:

• 9:30 am “The Case of the Howling Dog” (1934)
• 11:00 am “The Case of the Curious Bride” (1935)
• 12:30 pm “The Case of the Lucky Legs” (1935)
• 2:00 pm “The Case of the Velvet Claws” (1936)

I actually watched “The Case of the Lucky Legs” over the weekend with the intention of writing it up for the Examiner prior to Wednesday’s airing, but with that just 3 days off and another critical viewing required before I attempt to touch it, I’m not sure if I’ll beat TCM to the title or not. More than likely not, but I’ll try. Obviously I’ll link that up over here if and when I do get to it.

Enjoy them while you can, the next appearance Warren William makes on TCM won’t be until a July 17th airing of “The Man in the Iron Mask” (1939). Happy viewing –

Cliff

I was digging around Google tonight for any info I could find on Warren William’s father, as previously all I was really aware of was that he was born Freeman E. (or W.) Krech in Belleville, IL, 1856 (died 1931), and that he had owned a newspaper in Aitken, MN, where the actor Warren William was born.

I was disappointed to discover that the Krech.org site which I list on the Warren William links page no longer exists.  I’m glad I mined it for the few notes I had grabbed at the time (which are on the links page too).

I found this notice in the 1884 Report By Railroad and Warehouse Commission of the State of Minnesota:

RAILROAD COMPANIES ORGANIZED UNDER THE GENERAL LAWS THAT HAVE FILED ARTICLES IN THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE SINCE LAST RAILROAD REPORT
(For older organizations see Railroad Commissioner’s Reports for former years.)
AITKIN MILLE LACS & MINNEAPOLIS RY CO
Articles filed November 25 1884
Object of Corporation: To acquire, control and maintain and operate a line of railroad and telegraph running and extending from the village of Aitkin to some point on the north or east shore of Mille Lacs lake, thence in a southerly direction to the city of Minneapolis.

Capital stock: $1,000,000
Place of business: Aitkin, Minn
Corporators: D.J. Knox, Aitkin, Minn.; V.W. Parker, Spearfish, D. T.; C.W. McDonald, Aitkin, Minn.; Moses McKinney, Minneapolis, Minn.; Geo. W. Knox, Orange City, Fla.; James J. McDonald, Freeman E. Krech and Thos. R. Foley of Aitkin. Minn.

The following item was found in Volume VII, July to January 1894, of Paving and Municipal Engineering: A Monthly Magazine dedicated to the improvement of cities:

A contract has been effected between the county commissioners and Freeman E. Krech, W.B. Marr, Warren Potter, James U. Marr, James McDonald, and F.M. Shook, business men of Aitken, Minn., who pledge themselves to build a wagon bridge across the Mississippi river within one year from date or less, and the commissioners agreeing on behalf of the county to accept it as soon as possible, after completion.

Interesting to note a James (J.) McDonald associated with Krech in both dealings above.

Finally from a History of the Aitken Independent Age itself, published originally August 3, 2005, we have this:

…Barrett was succeeded by Freeman Krech, a young accountant and freelance writer from New York (my italics). The newspaper was published in a small frame building on the west side of Minnesota Avenue. It then moved to the building now occupied by Gramma’s Pantry, where it stayed until the mid 1890s. It moved again to the F. M. Shook building, where Sprint is now located, remaining until 1910. In the meantime, the paper changed hands several times, reverting many times to the proprietorship of Krech.

In 1901, B. L. Hollister started the Aitkin Independent, as editor and pubisher, with Tony Klee as the printer’s devil. Two newspapers were published for several years and then in 1912, the Age, now under the ownership of Hollister and the Independent under Krech, consolidated under the name Aitkin Independent Age…

I guess all I learned here was that Freeman Krech was in Aitken by at least age 26 and that in between his Illinois birthplace and settling in Aitken he had lived and worked in New York. Better than nothing.

In the previous post I’d mentioned that towards the tail end of World War I Warren William “found himself in the army as a sergeant in the Minnesota division.  But, once the armistice was signed, he found himself applying for a chance to tour the army camps with Madison Corey’s theatrical troupe.”

Immediately after posting that I wanted to see if I could find out anything about Corey’s army tour.  While I couldn’t find a direct reference to Warren William’s involvement, and of course, “applying for a chance to tour” doesn’t indicate whether he was accepted or not, I did find a 1920 publication copyrighted to the “International Committee of Young Men’s Christian Associations” titled “History of the Y. M. C. A. in the Le Mans area,” that does shed some light on the tour itself.

Since the title falls in the public domain I’m going to quote it extensively in this post.

Here’s the where and the why:

After the signing of the armistice, G.H.Q., A.E.F. searched for a center where, during the process of demobilization, the American Army could be sent to complete final arrangements for sailing for America. From a geographical standpoint no more central place could be found, because Le Mans is almost equally distant from the embarkation points, Bordeaux, Brest, St. Nazaire and Le Havre with direct railway communication to each. Therefore, it was chosen as the center for embarkation troops

Up until this time the Le Mans area was a part of the S.O.S. but on December 15, 1918 it was taken from that branch and made a separate unit known as the American Embarkation Center or the A.E.C.

What’s the Y.M.C.A. got to do with this:

The history of “Entertainment” for the American soldier by the Y.M.C.A. must necessarily be a combined report of Y.M.C.A. and Army service, due to the fact that the A.E.F. Show World was so closely combined in the two factors serving.

Corey’s involvement:

Y.M.C.A. Headquarters at Paris realized that the Le Mans Region was the largest in the A.E.F., and that here there must be a concentration of effort. On January 15 Madison Corey, a New York City theatre manager, arrived at Entertainment House to manage the program for the Y.M.C.A. Appreciating not only the heavy responsibilities but the great possibilities which entertainment held in the life of the soldier, Mr. Corey immediately laid the foundation for what S.O.S. Headquarters of the American Army at Tours reported as being the largest producing machine of the A.E.F. A report for the month of January stated four YMCA playing troupes and about a half dozen Army shows. These, with transient groups of players from the various home going divisions played about six hundred shows during the month to a total audience not exceeding a hundred thousand men. The value of the words, amazing growth in the A.E.C. Show World, may be appreciated when the figures mentioned for the month of January are compared with those for the month of April, when there were 4,250 performances given to a combined audience of more than 3,500,000, and in May when there were 3914 performances to an attendance of over 2,800,000.

Of course, this remarkable feat was attended with many interesting tales of trouping the gasoline circuit by the fliver route. Theatres were scarce and shows were played in huts, tents, on trucks, in the open on tables and possibly even in the loft of some French barn or stable. What professional actor or actress ever thought as they leaned over the glistening footlights of a metropolitan theatre, to an audience robed in tulle and lace, that their’s was to be the privilege of trouping France in rain and mud, mimicking and making merry for the victorious soldiers of our country!

Entertainment House was not, however, just a clearing house or booking agency for traveling shows of the Y.M.C.A. and Army.  It became known as the largest “Play Factory” in the A.E.F.

Entertainment House is, of course, the recognized name which covers the home of the “Y” and Army Theatre. Both the Y.M.C.A. and Army had its well organized details in charge. Madison Corey acted as Director for the Y.M.C.A., and Lieutenant C.C. Young, Entertainment Officer for the Army. There was a perfect coordination of forces and to say the least Entertainment House formed a model combination of an up to date “Play Factory” and booking office.

Without question entertainment was one of the most valuable forces in the life of the soldier after the signing of the Armistice. The A.E.F. Theatre has been commended as being the greatest builder of morale available.

An article titled “Warren William Talks” was published in the July 24, 1932 issue of The New York Times.  An interesting time to catch up with William as Hollywood is still kind of new for him and yet the interview actually took place on his first time back East since having “abruptly left the cast of ‘The Vinegar Tree’ two seasons ago.”

Warren William with Lili Damita in The Match King

At the time William wasn’t known to talk much:

“I think,” he said, “it’s a hangover from school days.  If I hadn’t been in mortal fear of examinations at that time, I wouldn’t be an actor now.  I’m still afraid of questions.  You see, I just missed becoming a nautical engineer by flunking an exam in mathematics.  I wasn’t really as bad as the exam painted me; it was just that I was afraid of the quiz and everything I ever knew froze inside me when I came to it.

“I think I am just psychologist enough to know how this all started.  When I was a youngster, my father owned a newspaper in Aitken, Minn.  Just like royal marriages, it seemed agreed all through my school days that I was ultimately to become a newspaper man and take over the reins from my father as soon as I was through with college.

” I rebelled and got the habit of rebelling against anything preconceived, cut-and-dried, foreordained.  If some one had planned that I would be a nautical engineer, I should have lose all enthusiasm.  If any one had hinted that I would become an actor, I would have done everything in my power to avoid it.”

In a brief paragraph the Times article shows how William tried to get his feet wet as a nautical engineer but wound up acting instead: “When the war broke out, he wanted to join the marines and get some nautical experience.  He found himself in the army as a sergeant in the Minnesota division.  But, once the armistice was signed, he found himself applying for a chance to tour the army camps with Madison Corey’s theatrical troupe.”

At the time of the article Warren William was to do two personal appearances, one in Washington and another in Philadelphia, with fellow Warner’s star Bette Davis.  William and Davis received the script for a sketch called “The Unexpected” just four days prior to the Washington performance.  “That’s where the old stage training does help out,” William said.  “If we were both just film players, we probably couldn’t do it.  But Miss Davis, of course, has been on the stage, too.  It’s a break for me that she has, I might add.”

Warren William was coming off the success of his appearances in “The Dark Horse” and “The Mouthpiece” during this period.  Davis appeared with William in both “The Dark Horse” and “Three on a Match” that year.

Mary Boland on the cover of The Vinegar Tree program