Julius Hurtig (October 18, 1868 – March 9, 1928) was an American

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

and theatre producer.

Life and career

He was born in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, the son of Metta and Daniel Hurtig, who were German immigrants. In his youth he joined the

Barnum and Bailey Circus The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, also known as the Ringling Bros. Circus, Ringling Bros., the Barnum & Bailey Circus, Barnum & Bailey, or simply Ringling, is an American traveling circus company billed as The Greatest Show on Earth ...

, and then became a producer of pyrotechnical shows.James Fisher, Felicia Hardison Londré, ''Historical Dictionary of American Theater: Modernism'', Rowman & Littlefield, 2017, p.337 He linked up with fellow producer Harry J. Seamon (1865–1938), and they became established as vaudeville promoters and producers. The partnership of Hurtig and Seamon worked in New York from at least 1899. Among their most successful acts was the pairing of

Bert Williams Bert Williams (November 12, 1874 – March 4, 1922) was a Bahamian-born American entertainer, one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. While some sources have ...

and George Walker. Often with Seamon, Hurtig also produced, and occasionally directed, Broadway shows, including '' In Dahomey'' (1903, for which he was credited as McVon Hurtig, and which featured Williams and Walker), ''Me, Him and I'' (1904), and ''In New York Town'' (1905). Hurtig and Seamon pioneered the development of

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.

entertainment, and leased theatres in Ohio as well as the Harlem Music Hall in New York. In 1913, they leased a newly constructed theatre building in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

, initially known as Hurtig & Seamon's New Theater, to accommodate the burlesque productions of the

Columbia Amusement Company The Columbia Amusement Company, also called the Columbia Wheel or the Eastern Burlesque Wheel, was a show business organization that produced American burlesque, burlesque shows in the United States between 1902 and 1927. Each year, between three ...

, which they had joined. Opened only to white patrons in its first few years, it began admitting black patrons in the 1920s, and later became the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...

. Jules Hurtig died in 1928, at the age of 59, from a heart attack while on a sea voyage. "Jules Hurtig Dies While on a Sea Voyage", ''New York Times'', March 10, 1928
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurtig, Jules 1868 births 1928 deaths American musical theatre producers Vaudeville producers