William Morton | |
|---|---|
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:William_Morton,_theatre_manager.jpg) William Morton, age 96 | |
| Born | 24 January 1838 Royston, Cambridge, UK |
| Died | 5 July 1938 |
| Resting place | Cottingham cemetery, Kingston upon Hull |
| Education | Royston 'British School' |
| Occupation(s) | Amusement caterer, theatre & cinema proprietor |
| Years active | 1865 - 1935 |
| Spouse(s) | Annie Todd, married 50 years |
| Children | Constance, Bertha, George, William F, Tom, Eliza, Eleanor (Nellie) |
| Parent(s) | George and Maria Morton |
William Morton (24 January 1838 – 5 July 1938) was an amusement caterer, a theatre and cinema manager in England for 70 years.
After an erratic start in Southport, Morton's career stabilised when he took on struggling illusionists Maskelyne and Cooke. He developed their careers, managed them for sixteen years, established them in the heart of London and presented them by Royal Command for Prince George's 14th birthday.
For sixteen years he was manager of the Greenwich Theatre where he further speculated, developing theatrical businesses in southeast London and the provinces.
In his sixties, he moved north to Hull where he established new companies, developed and built both theatres and cinemas. From 1920 onwards he was interviewed each birthday at his office by the local press who dubbed him the Grand Old Man of Hull. Morton had become an observer and commentator on a century of English life and entertainments.
Morton contributed to the development of Victorian entertainments and the flourishing of legitimate theatre. He prospered during its heyday and saw theatre's eventual acceptance by the 'respectable classes'. In the twentieth century, he embraced new technology and successful pioneered cinematographic entertainment. Only in the 1930s did the decline of theatre-going, and the boom and bust years of cinema, take its toll.