Louie Markowitz

Lives in the Yiddish Theatre
SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE Yiddish THEATRE
aS DESCRIBED IN zALMEN zYLBERCWEIG'S "lEKSIKON FUN YIDISHN TEATER"
1931-1969

Louie Markowitz
(Israel-Leib Mordkovitsh)

Born on 9 October 1895 in Mogelnitse, Poland. He learned in a cheder and in a Russian state school. He arrived in 1905, together with his family, in America to join his father, Itzhak, who had earlier migrated here and gotten involved in America in the founding of the workers' unions and fraternal organizations, especially for his townsfolk.

M. completed a public school, learned two years in a manual trading high school as a lithographer, dedicating himself to the artistic work, studying for three years, and in the evenings, in the drawing department in the Cooper Union art school, and he debuted with drawings in "art" (under the direction of Marinov). In 1914, through William Edlin, he was engaged by the "Tog" as a theatre reporter, and also a series of humorous cartoons, under the name of "Moshiakh Tsaytn (Time of the Messiah)." M. served, during the First World War, a year in the American army, and when the returned, he opened a small printing shop which specialized in printing posters for Yiddish theatre, which he illustrated, the first, with lithographic drawings and in color.

About this, A. Leiles-Glantz writes:
"Louie Markowitz, generally was a human being of the Jewish public. His press, in the span of many years, put out posters and other printed materials for Yiddish theatre. Besides this he is a painter and drawer for a short time -- during the first three years of the First World War -- was the assistant cartoonist and reporter for the 'Tog.'"

And Boaz Young writes in his memoir book:

"The well-known printer of the 'Trio Press' and lyric writer for the Yiddish theatre, Louis Markowitz, had recently mentioned to me that even the poster [in 1921 for Clara Young as 'Jakele Blofer' in the Liberty Theatre] had found a great success with the public -- it was the first poster for Yiddish theatre that was printed in four colors."

In his printing shop M. also published Yiddish theatre songs. Later he founded, together with L. Davidson and Y. Pargment, the printing shop "Trio Press," which was the home of the Yiddish theatre press work. Here also there was printed the first volume of the "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" and the "Album of the Yiddish Theatre."

M. is the composer of about one hundred lyrics [theatre songs] and made Jewish popular American songs, which became sung by Molly Picon, Menasha Skulnik, Seymour Rechtzeit, Miriam Kressyn, Henrietta Jacobson, Dina Halpern and Malvina Rapel. Several of them also were recorded. He also printed several humoresques in the "Yiddish Bakers' Voice (Yidishe bekers shtime)" and wrote in the "New Yorker Weekly" about his visit to the Land of Israel.

M. also wrote songs which were sung in various operettas, and every song for Freiman's operetta "Siomka's Wedding" (music by Moshe [Maurice] Rauch, staged in 1944 in the Hopkinson Theatre), and to Freiman's operetta "Ver iz shuldik?" (music by Ilya Trilling, staged in 1947 in the Hopkinson Theatre).

About the lyrics, I. L. Wohlman writes:

"We must emphasize strongly, Louie Markowitz's lyrics are an excellent example for others, that they needn't use dirty lyrics. And whatever else one can say, his music consists throughout of pleasant rhythms."

M. created several drawings which the Manischewitz company used for its calendars. He created the title page for the "Album of the Yiddish Theatre" and created the title pages and the profiles for the composers in books written by A. Leyeles, Shlomo Rosenberg, and Mendel Ackerman. He also produced the layout of the title page for the third volume of the "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre."

M. was very active in the landsmanshaft (countrymen society) of the Mogelnitse immigrants in the U.S.A., and was the chairman for the financial relief of the "Independent Mogelnitse Benevolent Society." In 1950 he published his book "Three Mogelnitse People" (144 pages in Yiddish, and 44 pages in English), in which he describes the life of the early immigrants, especially of his countrymen. This book has a forward by Zalmen Zylbercweig.

About this book, Leyeles wrote:

Zalmen Zylbercweig is correct when he said in his forward to his book that the "Three Mogelnitse People" is a charming reflection of Jewish immigrant life; a bridge from a small Yiddish shtetl in Poland to America, and also to the world at large."

Sh. Tenenbaum wrote:

"Louie Markowtz... showed us not only the love of a son for a father, but also presented an eternal monument for his hometown in Poland."

Louie Markowitz -- Bagrisung fun an "old timer," "Der tog," N.Y., 4 Nov. 1944.
I.L. Wolman -- "Siomkes khasene" -- Freiman's un Moshe Reich's naye operete in hopkinson teater, "Der tog," 8 December 1944.
Louis Markowitz -- Der ersht-farshtorbener muziker, ilya triling, iz oykh geven a moler un bkhll a feyne perzenlechkeit, "Der tog," N.Y., 11 Nov. 1947.
Boaz Young -- "Mayn lebn in teater," N.Y., 1944, 1950, 32 pp.
A. Leyeles -- Velt un vort, "Der tog," N.Y., 1 Dec. 1951.
I.M. Kersht -- 3 mogelnitser, zayer heimshtot un zayer landsmanshaft in nyu york, dort, 7 Dec, 1951.
Sh. Tenenbaum -- A chronik fun a yidisher shtetl, "Nyu-yorker vokhenblat," 29 February 1952.
Joe Martin -- One Man's Living is Another Man's Hobby, "The Billboard," N.Y., Oct. 20, 1917.

Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 3, page 2215.