Frederick Hallen (1 January 1859 – 28 February 1920) was a Canadian-born vaudeville entertainer who found popularity on the North American stage.

Biography

Frederick "Fred" Hallen was born in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, United Province of Canada.The New York Times, 29 February 1920 He began touring the vaudeville circuit as early as 1880 with his American wife Enid Hart, as "Hallen and Hart". A year or so before she died in 1890 at the young age of 32, he teamed up with Joseph Hart, as "Hallen and Hart" (again), and found success touring for several seasons with Hart's musical comedies, ''Later On'' and ''The Idea''.Who's Who in Music and Drama - edited by Dixie Hines, Harry Prescott Hanaford - 1914 After the two went their separate ways, Hallen and his second wife, Mollie (or Molly) Fuller, became a headlining vaudeville act. Hallen and Fuller were known for their short comedic plays and skits performed in vaudeville houses across North America for nearly a quarter century. In 1900, Hallen starred in the Broadway musical '' Aunt Hannah'' at the Bijou Theatre; a work created by composer A. Baldwin Sloane, lyricist Clay M. Greene, and writer Matthew J. Royal. Mollie-Fuller001

Hallen died of

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a malignant tumor of the stomach. It is a cancer that develops in the Gastric mucosa, lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a numb ...

on 28 February 1920, at his residence in The New York Palace Hotel. Two months earlier he had fallen ill during an engagement in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada and was later told his condition was terminal. Hallen was survived by his wife, Mollie.

Mollie Fuller

After producer Edward Franklin Albee learned that Mollie Fuller was nearly blind and living in poverty in Chicago, he brought her back to New York where he asked writer Blanche Merrill to write a piece for her to perform in. With the help of friends Fuller, returned to the stage in December 1922 to appear in the playlet ''Twilight'' staged in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and later at the Strand Theatre in

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the ...

. Before her vaudeville days Fuller was on the legitimate stage in productions like the

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

musical ''Adonis'', by Edward E. Rice and William F. Gill, and Rice's ''Evangeline'', in which she replaced

Fay Templeton Fay Templeton (December 25, 1865 – October 3, 1939) was an American actress, singer, songwriter, and comedian. Her parents were John J. Templeton and Alice Van Asse, both of whom were actors/vaudevillians; Fay followed in their footsteps, m ...

when the actress was unavailable. The highlight of her career came in 1895 when Hallen bought the rights to the play ''The Twentieth Century Girl'' and cast her in the title role. Fuller died at around the age of 68 in

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

, on 5 January 1933. At the time of her death she was receiving assistance from The Troupers, a national vaudeville players association. Her funeral expenses were handled by the National Vaudeville Artist organization.The New York Times – 10 January 1933

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hallen, Frederick 1859 births 1920 deaths Male actors from Montreal Canadian male stage actors 19th-century Canadian male actors Canadian vaudeville performers Canadian emigrants to the United States