Louie Gilrod
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G. was born on 10 September
1879 in the village Ruizna and was raised in Ulanow, Podolia
Gubernia, Ukraine. He learned in a cheder and in a
school.
At the age of twelve he came
with his father to America. His father soon went back
and G. remained with an uncle in Newark, where he
entered into the lair with a hairdresser. But he did not
love the profession, and he founded at the age of seventeen
a dramatic club, in which he acted in the role of "Moshele"
in Lateiner's "Grinhorns (Greenhorns)." He also started
to write lyrics. The actors learned about him, and they
brought him out to New York.
Here he became a
professional lyric-writer. .Among others he also had
written the very popular songs "Got un zayn mishpat iz
gerekht" and "Kum israelikl aheym." (In print it was
signed authors Gilrod and Meyerowitz).
Asides from the songs, G.
also began to act in small roles in the Thalia and
Windsor Theatres, and then he took an active part in the
Yiddish vaudeville theatres, for which he wrote ten
one-acters.
G. also acted for five
seasons in summer theatre in the Second Avenue Theatre
on call to the National Theatre, then with Schwartz at
the Irving Place Theatre, in the Lyric Theatre in
Brooklyn, five seasons at the National Theatre and in
1926 in the Public Theatre. |
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Due to illness, G. has
since withdrawn from the stage, but he has
continued to write lyrics for the Yiddish theatre.
His last lyrics were written for Siegel's operetta
"Dos freylekhe yesoyme" (music by Joseph
Rumshinsky), which in 1930 was staged in the Second
Avenue Theatre.
On 12 March 1930 G.
passed away and came to his eternal rest in the
cemetery (society burial plot) of the Yiddish Theatrical Alliance
(Mount Hebron Cemetery, Flushing, Queens, New York
-- ed.).
G.'s wife, Paula Weiss,
has acted in Yiddish vaudeville theatre, and his
daughter is a chorus singer in Yiddish theatre.
M. E.
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Big Ben -- Yidishe
teater "Poezye", "Di varhayt," N. Y., 5 May
1917.
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M. Osherowitz --
David kessler un muni weisenfreund," N. Y.,
1930, pp. 186-188.
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Z. Zylbercweig --
Der farshtorbener gilrod hottsehndlige yohren
geshriben kupleten, "Forward," 14 March 1930.
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Joseph Rumshinsky
-- Yoszef rumshinsky shreybt vegen ersht
farshtorbenem kupletn-shreyber un aktyor louis
gilrod, "Forward," 21 March 1930.
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Lead Pencil --
Eriz geven eyner fun di interesantste typen in
der idisher teatervelt, "Forward,", 30 March
1930.
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