William Morton (theatre manager)

William Morton (24 January 1838 - 5 July 1938) was an English theatre manager for 70 years. Born six months into Queen Victoria's reign, he retired from business just before the death of George V and lived to see George VI on the throne and the future Queen Elizabeth reach her 12th birthday. After an erratic start, Morton's career stabilised when he took on struggling illusionists Maskelyne and Cooke. He developed their careers, managed them for twenty years, and presented them by Royal Command for Prince George's 14th birthday. For sixteen years he was manager of the Greenwich Theatre, and this became his base for developing many other theatrical business interests. In later years he moved north to Hull where he developed theatres and cinemas. From 1920 onwards he was interviewed each birthday at his theatre office by the local press (they called him the Grand Old Man of Hull) for his views on the entertainments industry and life in general. Morton had become an observer and commentator on a century of English history.

Early Years

William Morton, son of George and Maria Morton, was born in the small village of Royston near Cambridge on 18 January 1838. George was an upholsterer and a leading light in Royston Tradesmens' Benefit Society which spent its profits in building houses. Morton Street bears the family name. A childhood highlight was travelling.by train (the third-class carriages were like cattle trucks) to see the 1851 Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park. On another occasion he rode on top of a stage coach. Early on he developed a love of horses, learning to ride at an uncle's farm.

Morton received a limited education at the local British School, further impeded by a severe stammer which lasted into his middle years. Aged 12, Morton's entrepreneurship and fascination for entertainment was already evident. He offered his services free to a promoter to sell programmes, thus gaining admission to the concerts. He also found himself a job looking after the Mechanics Institute reading-room for 4 hours each evening. Here he began what would become a lifetime habit of self-education, studying articles in the daily papers and monthly magazines.

At the age of 14, his father secured him an apprenticeship at a local newspaper where he became a printer's devil, laboriously setting up type on a primitive "Caxton" machine. Once his apprenticeship finished, and unhappy with a wage of sixteen shillings a week, he moved on. To increase his prospects while working on the Nottingham Guardian as a compositor and assistant reporter, he taught himself shorthand. Moving on to Wales, he practised his shorthand in the local church, writing down the sermons and causing the vicar considerable distress. Early on a prominent local councillor complimented Morton on the report of one of his speeches adding, 'It was a damned sight better than what I said.' In shaking hands Morton found himself left holding a sovereign. Morton went on to join the reporting staff of various country papers gradually working up his salary and after twelve months in Congleton he settled in Southport where he attained four pounds a week.

Southport

In 1862, after two years on the recently launched Southport Independent and Ormskirk Chronicle, Morton now aged 24, married local girl Annie. Southport had no theatre so, as a hobby, he began to organise concerts and entertainments including a series of literary lectures. This began a pattern of speculative ventures that he ran alongside regular employment. This he later described as "drifting into theatrical work". "I left the profession for which I was educated at the age of 28 and took that of an amusement caterer."

Lectures, Entertainments and Tours

His first lecture series was held in the Southport Town Hall early in 1865. He brought in speakers from around the country, arranging for local dignitaries to act as chairman. Another sideline that year was teaching shorthand. By 1867 he had become manager of Southport Town Hall Entertainments. By 1870 he called himself the agent for 'Morton’s Concert And Entertainment Institution, established 1865'.

Amongst the talent he engaged were George Grossmith pére,the lecturer, George Dawson the preacher, Clara Balfour the temperance campaigner and lecturer on influential women, and John Bellew, celebrated father of Kyrle Bellew. Bellew doubted Morton's ability to pay his fee of sixty guineas for six nights and insisted on being paid each night in gold. Morton accepted these terms but objected on principle to paying nightly for Bellew's brandy-and-soda and cigars. Alfred Vance was another popular client, as were Mr and Mrs Howard Paul, Henry Russell and Sir Ben Greet.

.After 8 years in journalism he took on more profitable work (it included first class rail travel) in nearby Liverpool using his shorthand as a solicitor's clerk, first at the County Court, and later with a firm of shipping solicitors. Later still, he opened a shop to sell books and music as well as providing entertainments.

His final entertainment series was in 1870 and included a six year old child prodigy, Lydia Howard, who was later taken on for a three-month tour. After six weeks, she and her family vanished. He had to cancel Southport and two other venues and was left with numerous expenses to cover. Although he later successfully sued the Howard family, they had no resources to meet their debt.

His business and shop "came to grief" and he was left virtually penniless. Arthur Lloyd, the music hall singer, heard of his troubles and offered him £5 a week plus travelling expenses as 'agent in advance' for a provincial tour. So Morton started again as a speculator and took various touring companies on the road, including Sims Reeves. Morton maintained his contacts and would later bring the best to his Greenwich Theatre and later still to Hull. He and Arthur Lloyd became firm friends in London, their families often visiting.

Maskelyne and Cooke

See also: John Nevil Maskelyne

Morton's breakthrough came about through a chance encounter with two struggling illusionists. After seeing their show debunking fake spiritualists in Liverpool at Easter 1869, he invited the duo to his office, negotiated a partnership with Maskelyne and after the first month broke even. He persevered and eventually engaged them at a weekly wage of £4 10s for Maskelyne and his wife, and £2 10s for Cooke. Morton ran them round the country for two years.

Morton was happiest behind the scenes. On one occasion Maskelyne persuaded him to introduce the act, suggesting that he take a glass of whisky to steady his nerves. Morton went onto the stage and found himself unable to speak at all. That was the first and last drink he ever took and it forever influenced his policy on theatre management and alcohol. His only appearance as a stage star occurred when Mrs Maskelyne was unexpectedly taken ill. Morton recalled being dressed up in Mrs Maskelyne's skirts; to this was added her feathered hat and veil, the latter principally to hide his moustache. Minutes later, one of the company  whispered, "Don't turn round. Something's bust." The scene was cut down to the limit, but finished with applause.

Sometimes things went badly. In Darlington, with small attendances and unable to pay the hall rent, he offered to leave behind his piano as security to the manager, an old Quaker. The Quaker declined, saying that although on principle he never attended entertainments, he had heard good reports of Morton's work and of his exposure of the 'false spiritualists'. Thereafter, Morton always raised his hat to Quakers, and almost, he said with characteristic boyish humour, to his regular breakfast cereal, Quaker Oates. At the end of their tour Morton brought them in March 1873, to the Crystal Palace at Sydenham for several weeks. Morton had at last gained for himself a regular and satisfactory income. Morton continued as Maskelyne's manager for a total of 20 years, getting him firmly established on the national stage. Later in 1873, Morton took on the lease of the Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, renovated it and by the year-end installed the company there, where Maskelyne continued until its closure in 1905.

The highlight of the partnership was a Royal Command to bring the now twenty-strong company to Sandringham on 3 June 1879 to entertain the young Prince George (the future George V) on his fourteenth birthday.

Greenwich

Around 1874 Morton moved south with his family to gain easy access to the metropolis and his Egyptian Hall. He set up his home in New Cross Road, Deptford, Greenwich.{} Each morning he drove his carriage and pair into the city. He maintained this choice of transport until the beginning of the Great War when the government commandeered his horses and he had to get a motor car.

New Cross Public Hall

In 1883 he took over the lease and management of the New Cross Public Hall and after renovations opened it as a thousand-seater theatre on 20 August with a relatively new play by Arthur C Jones entitled Elmine, or Mother & Son. Future Saturday bookings included Richard D'Oyly Carte's opera company with HMS Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance, Wood and Pleon's Ethiopian minstrels. He formed a local dramatic company headed by Henry Bedford which performed on Saturdays. The Hall was used on weekdays for local activities and amateur groups. Morton continued management of the Hall until 1897 when competition from the nearby newly opened 3000-seat Broadway Theatre,together with ever demanding County Council safety requirements, made the Hall unprofitable.{} Morton advertised it for sale in The Era and to his surprise got the asking price.

Greenwich Theatre

See also: Sefton Parry and Greenwich Theatre

In May 1884 Morton was offered the stagnating Greenwich Theatre by Sefton Parry, its owner and original builder. The theatre had under recent lessees gone into serious decline;  "a once prosperous place was reduced to utter ruin by the incompetence and mismanagement of the speculators". Morton eventually accepted the lease with an option to buy at some future date. Once reconstructed and redecorated, he proposed to distant himself from the recent past and rename it as the New Prince of Wales's Theatre. His plan was to meet the growing demand for good dramatic performances in south-east London. It opened on the 21 August 1884 when Morton introduced himself to the audience and explained his policies. In the first week he presented Lord Lytton's Money, Sheridan's The School for Scandal and Boucicault's The Streets of London.

Morton devoted sixteen years to running the Greenwich Theatre, investing his own money, and rightly claimed that by good maintenance, and by engaging some of the best of the touring companies such as D'Oyly Carte, Ellen Terry and Dan Leno, he turned a derelict property into something that mattered. {} Press reports on Morton's management of the Greenwich Theatre were consistently positive from the earliest days.

His second son, "W.F." came into the business at the age of twelve and was a theatre manager by the age of sixteen. George and Tom would also become managers. Of his four daughters, three eventually married theatre men. One married Morton's Scottish scenic designer, Tom Bogue, and the youngest would marry Gibb McLaughlin an amateur actor from Hull who later became a successful film star.

There were several name changes for the theatre during Morton's time. New, as is customary, was soon dropped. Later it became 'Morton’s Prince of Wales’s Theatre' to distinguish it from a new London theatre bearing the same name but whose letters and telegrams were getting mixed up with theirs. {} He was often called 'the Greenwich Morton', to distinguish him from other namesakes in the business. After renovations in 1891, the theatre reopened as Morton's Model Theatre, then soon after as The Model House and Temperance Theatre. In 1896 he purchased the theatre outright from the Sefton Parry Trust (Parry died in 1887) and finally simplified the name to an earlier usage as Morton's Theatre.

Throughout this time the theatre was often referred to in the press as the Greenwich Theatre, and sometimes by another older name as the Theatre Royal, Greenwich. In 1897 he purchased a nearby site and engaged the noted architect, W. G. R. Sprague, (who had designed the Broadway Theatre) to produce plans for a new theatre seating 3000, but this was never followed through. In 1900, he sold the theatre to Arthur Carlton and soon after, at the age of 64,moved to Hull to enter a new phase of his career.

London and Provincial Businesses

Morton had developed his theatrical business by drawing on skills and resources developed in previous careers. As a newspaper compositor he had learned about attention to detail; as a reporter he knew both the value of publicity and the best and most economic way to get it. The self-taught skill of shorthand he valued highly and advocated as a skill for all. His experience as a solicitor's clerk gave him a basis for navigating the increasing frustrating legal demands on managers.

Once established in his office at the Greenwich Theatre, he applied his skills to further businesses. In March 1892, he listed his south-east London projects as follows: Proprietor Of Morton's Theatres Greenwich, Lessee And Manager of New Cross Public Halls, New Cross Skating Rink and the Grand Theatre Hall, Bromley. The latter he had built and opened on 3 February,1890 with seating for 800. In all these projects he was assisted by George and "W.F.".

He was also London agent for the 'American Enterprises of James M. Hardie and Miss Von Leer', and he offered his services as 'Arbitrator to the Profession' generally. In particular he offered advertising skills, financial management, purchasing opportunities, and expertise in dealing with County Councils, etc. In March 1892, he was advertising as William Morton's Property Agency, with two West End Theatres to let, one suburban theatre to be let or sold, and declared an interest in any pleasantly situated theatre for either purchase or lease.

He had been Technical Director for the Victoria Theatre, Newport, Monmouth from at least 1889. He also took on responsibilities on behalf of the Sefton Parry Trust. By 1892 he was their representative and personal agent for the Avenue Theatre in London, and technical advisor and agent for their Prince of Wales's Theatrein Southampton. In 1895 he took on the management of their Theatre Royal in Hull and this he later bought outright.

Church and Stage

Conflict

Morton had already found himself in conflict with the church while a journalist in Southport. His wife-to-be found a note inserted in her hymn book which read "Be not unequally yoked together." Morton confronted his critic, won him round and received a generous wedding present. Morton commented in later years, "At this period there was more bigotry than now. As a rule the religious community looked upon actors and press men as less godly than other people." The Hull Daily Mail, echoed, "To many of extreme religious views, his profession was anathema". Over several decades, The Era reported on 'Church versus Stage' tensions.

In 1910, Morton said that "the Protestant Church took too prejudiced a view against the stage. Considering their greater temptations I do not consider that actors are any worse than the rest of the community. Both the Church and the Stage are moving to the same goal. No drama is successful which makes vice triumphant. Many of the poor do not go to church and chapel, and but for the theatre they might come to fail to see the advantage in being moral".

Many considered Morton's profession "a wasteful extravagance which lured young people from the narrow path they should tread," said the Hull Daily Mail. In fact Morton's advice to the young in 1910 was as follows: "Secure and retain a good character.  Cultivate your preponderating talent to the utmost. Persevere. Believe in God and in yourself. Do not recognise the word "cannot" in doing what others similarly placed could do. Be enterprising and have ambitious ideas. Sacrifice home comforts and launch out into the world. Show ability and energy, punctuality and truthfulness. If truth will not help you, falsehood never will. Alcoholic drinking is the greatest curse in the world."

Morton lived to see greater tolerance of his profession and was held in " the respect and regard of his fellows, even of those who would not dream of entering any theatre. Whatever he brought for his patrons, grand opera, musical comedy, drama, or pantomime, came as a clean, wholesome entertainment."

Criticism was not just a one-way process. In 1886 Morton complained publicly about the Church flouting regulations by putting on plays for financial gain without a license. The Era, which normally treated Morton with respect, responded with a robust satirical editorial. Morton, undeterred, explained that current church practice was in direct and unfair competition with his New Cross business. Furthermore, he had just received an unapologetic letter from a local clergyman who thanked him for the free publicity!

Positive interaction

Following the Evangelical Revival of 1859, it was not uncommon for flourishing churches to hire theatres for their expanding Sunday congregations. C H Spurgeon, Baptist preacher of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, (and highly respected by Morton) variously used the Surrey Music Hall, the Exeter Hall and the Crystal Palace. Morton seems unsure of the practice but he did advertise at least one of his halls as available for church activities. And clearly, he would have rented his New Cross Hall to local congregations for their weekday entertainments. His practice regarding sacred drama etc was positive. On Good Friday,1889, he organised a grand sacred concert at the Greenwich Theatre when the chief vocalists included Sims Reeves. In 1899 he booked William Greet's company for Wilson Barrett's popular Christian play, The Sign of the Cross. This drama he repeated on many occasions. In Hull he rented out a hall to "Woodbine Willie", the famous wartime chaplain.

Religion, sabbath and temperance

Morton's father had been a Churchman and his mother a Congregationalist. During the London years, Morton's daughters devoted their spare time to work at St. James's Church, Hatcham in New Cross. Morton, had been a sidesman there, but following a notorious and violent controversy between High and Low Church he left and became a member of Dr Joseph Parker's congregation at the nonconformist City Temple in London.

Morton was no party man in politics and hardly less so in religion.He summed up his own faith in one sentence: "I believe in the truth of the old-fashioned doctrine, that is, in God, the Creator and King and Ruler of the the Universe, and of Jesus Christ the Saviour of Sinners." He was always grateful for the Providence that sustained him.

His family motto was 'Sunday home'. "I was always a strict Sabbatarian and looked on Sunday as a day of rest, both for man and beast." In 1931, he said of the Sunday Opening Bill, "My personal views are opposed to Sunday labour." 

Morton took a stricter view on alcohol than many of the clergy. None of his theatres ever had a license for liquor. He was however tolerant of the views of others. He informed a disgruntled protester at Greenwich that six public houses were accessible during the three intervals. This practice built up positive relations with local publicans. Furthermore, his son 'W.F.' explained that a temperance policy contributed to success as it was quite common for audiences to attend theatre for the drink rather than the show. In a temperance theatre, a visiting "touring manager knows before he enters the theatre that his and Mr Morton's interests are identical; the audience pay their money solely for the purpose of witnessing the performance and so a more attentive gathering is secured."

Hull Theatres and Cinemas 1895 - 1919

See also: closed cinemas in Kingston upon Hull

Theatre Royal

On Sefton Parry's death, the ownership of his theatres passed to the Sefton Parry Trust. This included the Theatre Royal, Hull, built by Parry in 1871 in Paragon Street. In 1892 the Trust appointed Morton as their expert adviser for Hull and in 1895 persuaded him to take over its management. Morton's plan to do away with the bars caused quite a sensation in Hull. On 22 July, he told the Hull Daily Mail, "I hope to spend one week in each month at Hull. My second son, W. F. Morton, arrives here today to assume the duties of Managing Director." "W. F." (William Frederick Morton) had been touring for two years with Morton's own version of the comedy-drama, 'The Ups and Downs of Life', in which the youngest son Tom had also been playing a part. On opening night Morton introduced himself to the audience. Morton's son-in-law Tom Bogue, a talented artist, was to be based at the Theatre Royal. From this point on, it was clearly a family business.

In 1898 the Theatre Royal showed a 'Veriscope' film, probably the first time any film was shown in a Hull theatre. In 1902, Morton left Greenwich and established his new centre in Hull.

Alexandra Theatre

In 1900 'W.F' (aged 30) was featured in The Era as a manager of considerable talent and theatrical reputation. In 1902, Morton 'than whom there is no more highly respected man in theatredom' said the Hull Daily Mail, embarked on a new style of management. Together with his sons George and 'W.F.', he formed Morton's Limited, Morton being the Managing Director. Two additional directors were appointed, each of the five directors contributing £1000 pounds. Morton's Ltd then erected the Alexandra Theatre in Charlotte Street adjoining both George street and Bourne street. Designed by T. Guest, a special feature was a sliding roof. The theatre's distinctive tower was taller than Hull's Wilberforce Monument and topped by an electric searchlight visible for miles around. It opened on Boxing Day, December 1902, with a production of the W. G. Wills' historical play “A Royal Divorce”. The Alexandra maintained the Morton temperance tradition though smoking was permitted. There were four refreshment departments. George Morton, who had for some time been manager of the Broadway Theatre in New Cross, was appointed manager.

Grand Theatre and Opera House

In 1907, Morton sold the Theatre Royal as a successful enterprise and bought out his neighbouring rival in George Street, the Grand Opera House. He appointed "W. F." as the theatre manager. Despite it's name, the Grand, designed by the famous Frank Matcham and first opened in 1893, had never been an opera house. The Morton's however, capitalised on the name and occasionally brought opera companies to Hull.

Prince's Picture Hall

By 1910, the cinematograph was a regular part of the programme at the Alexandra. George brought in back-screen projection, further improving quality.^[3] Morton, convinced that moving pictures was the way forward, entered into partnership with the New Century (Leeds) Circuit and registered a private company called Prince's Hall (Hull), Ltd. with a capital of £10,000 in £1 shares to take over the Victoria Hall (previously the George-street Baptist Chapel and opposite their Grand) demolish it and rebuild. The work was designed and carried out by local architects, Freeman, Sons,and Gaskell and had 1500 seats. The Prince's was the first building in Hull to be built solely for the exhibition of 'animated pictures'. As the number of cinemas increased, managers sought to acquire exclusive features, and to exhibit major films as soon as possible after their release. Technical improvements were eagerly pioneered.

Holderness Hall

On 16 November 1912, two years after building the Prince's, Morton opened his Holderness Hall for cinematograph entertainment. This work was also designed and carried out by Freeman, Sons,and Gaskell. It was situated at the junction of Holderness Road and New Clarence Street, cost £12,000 and seated 2,000 people. A projecting balcony, rather like a box, had been built to support a grand piano (costing 175 guineas) that enabled the player to observe the film. "The working classes", said Morton, "shall hear such incidental music as they have not heard". In 1913 the Holderness Hall showed Kinetophone Talking Pictures. The following year the Prince's Hall also introduced experimental talking pictures.

Majestic Picture House

In 1914 Morton and his sons established another company called Morton's Pictures, Ltd. {+Hull Daily Mail Jan 1914} On February 1, 1915, the company opened the Majestic Picture House on the site the old Empire Variety Hall in George Street. Again, Freeman, Sons,and Gaskell, designed and carried out the work. The hall had a built-in wide screen and three projectors. Nearby rivals, the Kinemacolour Palace, had been showing colour films since 1910 so, on opening day 2,000 feet of Kinemacolour film was shown. The remainder of the programme was completed by 'the highest class of films'.

A total of 29 cinemas and public halls were now giving regular film shows. The London and Provincial Cinema Company owned the Hippodrome, the National Electric Picture Theatres owned the Theatre de Luxe, but Morton's was the largest and most influential cinema chain in Hull.

Soon after, Morton put together a concert party of professionals and amateurs to entertain local troops waiting for deportation to play their part in the Great War.

Assembly Rooms

On 30 September 1919, Morton's final venture was realised. The Assembly Rooms on Kingston Square had had a long and varied history. These Morton purchased, converting the larger hall into a picture house. As with all his projects, Morton supervised the building on a daily basis. Improvements included a new booking system that would abolish queues, music provided by an eight-piece orchestra, and special performances on the updated organ. The main film for opening week was Quinneys, the popular English romantic play by Horace Vachell, adapted for cinema, with Henry Ainley and Isobel Elsom in the leading parts.

Hull Theatres and Cinemas 1920 - 1935

Morton, now 82, focussed his energies on overseeing his empire which comprised two theatres: the Alexandra and the Grand, and four cinemas: the Prince's, Holderness Hall, the Majestic and the Assembly Rooms. His sons and son-in-law each managed projects and companies.

Hey-days

While the theatre was still in its hey-day, 'W. F.' travelled thousands of miles each year to see new plays and shows which he then brought to Hull. One of Morton's Directors was the well-known actor Sir John Martin-Harvey, a long standing friend and whose company paid an annual visit.

Despite the erosion of the theatre brought about by cinema over two decades, Morton's opinion in 1920 was that " theatrical matters were never more promising than at the present moment". He believed public taste had improved, that revues were on the wane and that people wanted something more substantial. Regarding companies currently buying up picture palaces in Hull, Morton thought that smaller halls would have difficulty; wages were now high, and current expenses were three times higher than before the war.

The Assembly Rooms had not prospered but financial success was achieved by converting the main building from a cinema into a dance hall. A smaller room was converted into the Little Theatre. In 1925, asked if the broadcasting of wireless concerts was yet more competition for the theatre, Morton said it was actually an advantage to managers and would not significantly affect attendances. "But in any case it is foolish to offer any opposition in any form, because the wireless has come stay."

In 1928 the Cinematograph Films Act came into force, it's aim being to improve the quantity and quality of British films, to encourage vertical integration between distributors and cinemas, and to protect the industry from the dominance of poor quality Hollywood films. The effect of the Act was mixed and not generally appreciated by independent managers. Despite these difficulties the family business thrived. The Hull Daily Mail said that "W.F." was highly regarded by theatre managers "for his business acumen, unquestioned probity, and his strict regard for the letter of his bond. His judgment of the public taste in theatrical entertainment was unerring. His co-directors regarded him as a very able man of proved capacity in theatre management and a very sound henchman in the troubled waters of cinema competition."

Troubled waters

By 1930 those troubled waters were intensified by the Great Depression. In addition, "the talkies" said Morton, "have really shut down the theatres and music-halls", and that even the building scramble for talkies was stopping. And so the Grand was remodelled as a cinema, leaving the Alexandra as their one remaining theatre.

Vertical integration was a challenge to independent cinemas and later that year Morton sold the Holderness Hall to Gaumont British Theatres. Gaumont initially film-makers, were expanding all over the country and finally acquired 343 properties. Their cinemas had exclusive access to all Gaumont films and considerable bargaining power elsewhere. The following year Morton declared optimistically, "The installation of talkies at the Grand Theatre has been a triumphant success." He thought greater success awaited the talkies once quality and musical accompaniment improved. "We need quality films but British financiers do not have the ' nerve' of the Americans." It was not until the war years that British film-making truly flourished.

For several years, George Morton had brought quality touring companies to the Alexandra Theatre, but attendances had become sparse. After a final season of repertory in 1934 followed by the production of Anne Croft's Christmas show "Tulip Time", the Alexandra closed down. Six months later and unable to sell the premises, they let it to Terence Byron as a variety theatre. It was destroyed during the Hull Blitz in 1941.

By 1935 the Morton family businesses ceased to be viable. An examination revealed a financial deficiency of nearly £50,000. The Grand's last film under Morton was the American documentary “Africa Speaks”. The Grand and the Majestic were sold to a consortium managed by Brinley Evans and known as Associated Hull Cinemas Ltd. Both theatres were remodelled and renamed the Criterion and the Dorchester respectively. The consortium's chairman, T. Fawley Judge said that "by acquiring these two fine theatres this circuit is now the largest in the city, owning as it does 11 cinemas, which will enable them to command the best films. Hull Cinemas continued to expand and also bought the Prince's Hall. Other cinema chains were also active. City and Suburban Cinemas (Hull) Ltd built the Regal, the Rex, the Regis, and the Royalty in rapid succession. The number of cinemas in Hull peaked at 36 in 1938, but by the end of World War II there were only 25 (several had been bombed) and by 1964 competition from television had reduced the number to 10.

Tributes

Tributes were paid in a Hull Daily Mail editorial to the family's forty-year contribution to quality entertainment in the city. A correspondent to the Hull Daily Mail also wrote: " I am old enough to remember, like many others, when Hull was very crudely served in the way of entertainment, and we owe a big debt to the Morton family for all they have done for the way of clean and refined recreation in this city. (signed E.B.A)."

'W. F.' Morton, aged 65, died that June as the businesses were being wound up. Tom Morton was licensee of the Prince's Hall Cinema, now owned by Hull Cinemas Ltd. (It became the Curzon about 1950). Tom Bogue, son-in-law and manager of the Majestic, became licensee of the West Park Cinema, Anlaby Road. (He retired in 1943, aged 83, after losing his wife and his home in an air-raid.) William Morton, now aged 97, severed his connections with cinema and theatre and finally retired to lead a quiet life in the company of his dog and his parrot, and cared for by his unmarried daughter.

Further tributes were paid by Morton's now famous film star son-in-law, Gibb McLaughlin, and by illusionist Jasper Maskelyne, grandson of Morton's protegee.

Lecturer and raconteur

From his earliest days at Greenwich, Morton made a report to his audience at each annual benefit. To a crowded house in 1898, he reminded them, "Ladies and Gentlemen, you know what difficulty I have had on similar occasions to find sufficient courage and suitable language to express my gratitude.". But by perseverance he had overcome his stammer and shyness, and developed a new skill. And so it was that in Hull he himself became a raconteur. His first lecture was "Reminiscences of a long business career". Ironically 30 years of business still lay ahead. At Cottingham in 1909 he spoke of "Shows and Showpeople", In 1910 at Princes Avenue of "Secrets of Success", and in 1913 at Pocklington of "Man, Woman and the Devil". He repeated his lectures around the county.

By 1920 the Hull Daily Mail was interviewing Morton on his birthday a practice which continued every January until his hundredth. They dubbed him the Grand Old Man of Hull and invariably asked for words of wisdom about life, his memories and the theatrical business. Morton eventually decided to write down his memories and reflections. The family insisted he first take a medical. The doctor declared that Morton had 'the complexion of a girl and the heart of a boy' to which a Mail journalist added "and the mind of a businessman in his prime." So at the age of 96, Morton published "I Remember", a series of anecdotes about his life.

Finale

So often did strangers express incredulity about his age that Morton took to carrying his birth certificate. In his nineties he still put in a full day's work at his office. He was frequently asked about the secrets of his longevity. His prescriptions were simple: a? healthy lifestyle, regular simple meals, no late night activities, no alcohol. The social context was such that no questions were raised about his taking up smoking in middle age, nor to an intensive business life that contained a weekly sabbath rest.

Morton was a man of contrasts. He had deep convictions but always tried to see the other person's point of view. He was a showman but self-effacing; a traditionalist who was forward-looking. He paid attention to detail but had regard for the bigger picture.

He died on the 5th July 1938, five months after his hundredth birthday, at Cottingham Road, Hull. He had the simplest of funerals with only two mourners, but a glowing obituary on the front page of the local press.

Bibliography

"Social institutions," in A History of the County of York East Riding: Volume 1, the City of Kingston Upon Hull, ed. K J Allison (London: Victoria County History, 1969), 418-432. British History Online, accessed May 18, 2016, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/yorks/east/vol1/pp418-432.

The Era, Hull Daily Mail and other newspapers accessed through British National Archive (subscription)

Morton, William (1934). I Remember. (A Feat of Memory.). Market-place. Hull: Goddard. Walker and Brown. Ltd.

References

Category:1839 births Category:1939 deaths Category:English theatre managers and producers