Master Entertainer

Billy Eckstein Dies
One of the most colorful careers in show business history came to an end today when William (Billy) Eckstein died at Jewish General Hospital following a stroke sustained only hours after he had been feted at a massive tribute held last May at Her Majesties Theater to mark 70 years in the field of entertainment. He was in his 75th year.
Mr. Eckstein, who started playing piano in public at the age of four, and who, at twelve, turned down a scholarship at the McGill Conservatory to go into vaudeville billed as "The Boy Padrewski", was born December 6, 1888 in the Point St. Charles area of Montreal of German - Swedish parents. He was one of 14 children. Classically trained and a fabulous technician, the child prodigy toured in Vaudeville starting in New York, where he was billed over such "name" performers as Houdini, Nora Bayes, Jack Norworth and countless other turn of the century stars, and then touring nearly every state in the U.S. and most canadian provinces. After a six year career on the vaudeville stage, climaxed by a tour of Europe, Billy returned to Montreal where, now 18 and despite his diminutive ( four-foot-eleven) stature, he could no longer play the role of the boy prodigy in the Little Lord Fauntleroy suit. The new fad. motion pictures, quickly offered a new field of employment.
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Silent Movies
Starting as a pianist at the old Lyric Hall on St. Catherine Street near Stanley, the young Eckstein soon established himself as a remarkable interpreter of the silent movies. Blessed with an extraordinary sense of extemporization and mixing his classical technique with the new Jazz, Eckstein played some six years at the Lyric Hall where, incidently, Beatrice Little started at the age of 15, singing to the colored slides and Billy's music In 1912, however, Eckstein entered his period of greatest celebrity when he took over the piano pit at the Strand Theater and reigned there billed as " The World's Foremost Motion Picture Interpreter." Playing the background music for such world war I movie classics as " Birth Of A Nation" ," Intolerance", the Charlie Chaplin masterpieces and the then popular Pearl White and Ruth Roland serials, the tiny pianist created a following of Billy Eckstein "regulars" who jammed the theater for both afternoon and evening performances, not particularly to see the movie but to hear their hero perform his feats of pianistic magic. It is recalled that concert touring artists, among them Rachmaninoff, Josef Hoffman, dePachmann and a score of others made the Strand a must visit place to take a look at the little fellow they'd heard so much about. Many Montrealers who later attained fame in movies, stage work or other lines of performing arts, among them Norma Shearer, were members of the Eckstein "cult".
Patriotic Songs
Rejected for service in WW1 because of his size, Eckstein still managed to contribute
handsomely to the war effort by appearing at Victory rallies and writing innumerable
patriotic songs. He also wrote extensively in the popular song field, having one of his songs sung in the Ziegfield Follies of 1919, and made scores of popular recordings which are today collectors items. With the death of the silent movies, he turned to the field of night club entertaining, moving to the Chateau St. Rose where he performed for a record 20 years, and later, until struck down with an illness some months ago, in several othermajor night spots and on radio and television. At the Her Majesty's "Eckstein Night" May 27th, the 74 year old entertainer was presented with an illuminated scroll and a purse collected by his associates and admirers of many years. Unable to play with his hands crippled by the ravages of illness and age, the longtime favourite of thousands of Montrealers thanked the audience, said the tribute gave him the will to get well and make a comeback. "I'll be back with bells on" he said. Billy will never be back but the consoling thought occurs that he went "the way he would have wanted to go" with the applause of the faithful ringing in his ears. The funeral service will take place in the First Presbyterian Church, 3666 Jeanne Mance street at 11 AM Thursday. Rev. Dr. C. Ritchie Bell will officiate. William Wray Inc., funeral directors, are in charge of arrangements.