Ritchie

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RITCHIE
Prestidigitateur Illusionist Shadowgraphist
and his company of Unigne Entertainers in an evening of Music · Mirth · Magic



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Ritchie
THE SUCCESS OF Ritchie in the Lyceum field has been a source of pride and pleasure to the friends who, four years ago, urged him to give up a prosperous commercial career for the uncertainties of what seemed to be an overcrowded profession.  It has been a long, hard climb for the young man, but a braver, more persevering artist never made his way up the steep ladder, or proved more conclusively that there is room at the top. Ritchie's paraphernalia, always good, has been much increased for the coming season, and his program will show several new experiments.  The famous Levitation feat will continue to be a part of the performance.  Lyceum committees long ago learned the lesson that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and the management can give positive assurance that the clean, crisp and wholesome performance given by Ritchie and his entertainers will fully satisfy the requirement for something amusing in the lecture course; not for the young folks alone, but for all, old and young alike, to whom the good medicine of a hearty laugh will bring a new lease of life.  Especial attention is called to Ritchie's supporting company.  No expense has been spared, and no effort omitted to make this company as strong and as novel as such an organization can possibly be, and with the able trio of artists he has gathered for his support, Mrs. Ritchie, Miss Davis and Mr. Howison, he feels equal to the demands of the most exacting Committee.  We urge our patrons to give this talented young magician a place upon their programs.




Personal and Press Comments

Some of his feats were truly marvelous.—
London (Ont.) Advertiser.


Ritchie was perfection itself as an artist.—
Laconia (N. H.) News and Critic.


Mr. Ritchie's work in magic was out of the ordinary and he held his audience in deep interest.—
Renova (Pa.) Evening News.


The pleasure of the audience manifested itself in roars of applause and every one was of the opinion that he was a marvel of trickery.—
Chambersburg, Pa.


Mr. Ritchie's sleight-of-hand work both pleased and mystified a large audience, before whom he proved himself a marvel of trickery.—
Chatham (Ont.) Daily News.


For two hours the wily magician kept his audience guessing upon the mysteries of his tricks, keeping up the while a continual rapid fire of jokes and humor.—
Ludington (Mich.) Record-Appeal.


As a magician, Ritchie has few equals and his illusions last evening were rapidly brought before the audience with a dexterity that was decidedly clever.  Most of his tricks were new.—
Jacksonville (Ill.) Daily Journal.


Ritchie, the prestidigitator, illusionist and shadowgraphist, is certainly among the best performers on the American stage.  The audience which filled the Opera House Friday evening will testify to the truth of the above assertion.—
Elgin (Ill.) Courier.


That Ritchie, the magician, is a wonder, was proven by his very fine sleight-of-hand work which was most skillful and varied.  He performs his feats in a most entertaining manner, supplementing them with explanations and pithy remarks.—
Woodstock (Ont.) Sentinel Review.


This is one time in the history of Huron when the Opera House was not large enough to hold the people, for at times the enthusiasm was so great that the lack of space prevented many from acquiring the desired expansion of the waist.  For fully an hour and a half Ritchie kept his audience in continuous laughter.—
Huron (S. D.) Daily Huronite.

HARRISBURG, PA., February 26, 1902.

Star Course patrons were delighted with the entertainment given by Ritchie.  His performance was all that could be desired, and scored a pronounced success.  We regard him as one of the cleverest magicians that ever appeared in our course, and we shall want to see and hear him again.

Yours sincerely,
HOMER BLACK, General Secretary, Y. M. C. A.

NORWICH, N. Y., February 22, 1902.

Dear Mr. Ritchie:—I believe it is due you and your company to say that your entertainment last night, which closed our ninth Star series, gave as general satisfaction as any attraction the committee has ever brought to Norwich, and has left an impression with our patrons which argues well for next year's course.

Your sleight-of-hand has never been surpassed in Norwich and the shadowgraphy and levitation were so new and mysterious as to make a most favorable impression.  I hear only good things this morning from those who were present last night, and am glad to take this opportunity of commending your work to the entertainment-seeking public.  I also take pleasure in assuring this same public that in dealing with you they have to do with a gentleman whose personality, both off and on the stage, has much to do with his popularity, I am sure.  Wishing you all the success you deserve in this, your chosen calling, I am,

Yours very truly,
F. A. DEVOLL, General Secretary, Y. M. C. A.


Ritchie introduces a number of new things in the province of magic—
Hanover, Pa.


The young magician succeeded in fascinating and amusing his audience from beginning to end with his tricks and funny sayings.—
Keene (N. H.) Evening Sentinel.

KEENE, N. H., November 12, 1901.

My Dear Mr. Ritchie:—The Ritchie Company opened our Star Course Monday night and delighted an audience that packed the hall, we clearing expenses of the entire course at opening number.  Every artist seemed capable of giving an entire evening's program, and the universal verdict was: We must have them again.

Yours truly,
W. F. MAYLOTT, General Secretary.

SALEM Y. M. C. ASSOCIATION.

Ritchie and his company appeared in our Association Entertainment Course, November 12, 1901, and delighted the audience with an unusually attractive program.  The feats of Ritchie were cleverly performed and the support he received from his company added variety to the program not usually given with that kind of an entertainment.

Yours truly,
C. LAUTZ, General Secretary.

MIFFLINTON, PA., December 27, 1901.

The largest audience that has ever assembled to witness the entertainments of the Teacher's Institute Course greeted Ritchie's Unique Entertainers on Thanksgiving evening, November 28, 1901.  The Court House was literally packed to the doors so there was scarce room for Ritchie to perform his wonderful tricks, yet every one of that vast audience went away happy and satisfied.  Ritchie is by far the cleverest magician it has been our good fortune to meet, and I most heartily recommend him to my fellow superintendents who desire a clean, humorous and popular entertainment.

ODEN C. GORTNER,
Superintendent Common Schools, Juniata County, Pa.


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Mrs. Ritchie, Contralto

MRS. RITCHIE


Mrs. Ritchie will again assist her clever husband in his entertainment, an announcement which will be received with pleasure by every one who has fallen under the spell of this little woman's sweet voice and charming, unaffected manners.  Her simple songs have been so well received, that perhaps more than her lawful share of the honors showered upon the company have fallen to her, and what the magician could do without the assistance of the deft little lady who is always at hand, is an open question.  Ritchie frankly acknowledges his dependence upon his gifted and versatile wife, whose skill and talent have done so much for the success of the performance.  Mrs. Ritchie's songs will have a prominent place on the program, and she will again be seen in the Levitation illusion, which has puzzled and mystified audiences both East and West for the past two seasons.


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Her voice and manner were sweet and winsome.—
Harrisonville, Missouri.


Mrs. Ritchie made a hit in her old-fashioned songs.—
Smethport (Pa.) Democrat.


She sang with ease and grace and without apparent effort filled the Opera House.—
Huron (S. D.) Daily Huronite.


Mrs. Ritchie did remarkably well and received a solid recall and the heart attention and applause of the audience.  There was a perfect ease and grace of manner, free from all strain and apparent mechanism, and a refreshing individuality characterizing her efforts.—
Springfield Herald.


Mrs. Ritchie played and sang in an accomplished manner.—
Jacksonville (Ill.) Daily Journal.


The songs of Mrs. Ritchie were received with great applause.—
Akron (Ohio) Democrat.


Mrs. Ritchie's solos were much appreciated.—
Woodstock (Ont.) Sentinel Review.


Mrs. Ritchie, in her old-fashioned songs, made a great hit and she was twice encored.—
Chatham (Ont.) Daily News.


Mrs. Ritchie was applauded to the echo and enthusiastically recalled after each number.  Her selections are fine and varied.—
Perry, Iowa.


Mrs. Ritchie was a favorite from the first.  Her voice, soft and musical, together with her ease and grace of delivery, captivated the audience.—
Carthage (Ind.) Record.


Mrs. Ritchie gave some excellent vocal selections which were liberally applauded.  Her rendition of Ben Bolt, sung in answer to a recall, was exceptionally fine.—
Auburn (Ill.) Citizen.


MRS. RITCHIE



Mrs. Ritchie quite captivated the audience.—
Harrisonville (Mo.) News.


Mrs. Ritchie's unaffected simplicity was much appreciated.—
Esterville (La.) Enterprise.


Mrs. Ritchie's sweet and rich contralto voice and distinct en unciation were notable.—
Cobleskill (N. Y.) Index.


When I Think of You, and Ben Bolt, old songs familiar but dear to every heart, very finely displayed Mrs. Ritchie's deep contralto voice.—
Laconia (N. H.) News.


He was assisted by his wife, a dainty, pretty little woman, who sang and played herself right into the hearts of the audience.—
Chattanooga (Tenn.) Daily News.


Mrs. Ritchie has a pleasing voice, marvelously sweet, full, rich and clear and sent it rippling over her audience until everything resounded with highest praise.—
The Hutchinson (Kas.) Clipper.


Mrs. Ritchie has an exceptionally sweet contralto voice, and was heartily applauded.—
Antioch (Ill.) News.


Mrs. Ritchie's singing was fine, a sweet voice and charming appearance.—
Peirce City, Mo.


The solos by Mrs. Ritchie were heartily applauded.—
The Franklin Falls (N. H.) Journal-Transcript.


MRS. RITCHIE
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MR. CHAS. HOWISON

Chas. Howison
MR. CHAS. HOWISON made his first bow to the Lyceums last season under the protecting wing of the Ritchie Company, although even then he was no novice in his art, for as a Club and Parlor entertainer, he swept all before him in Chicago.  During the season of 1902 and '03, he proved even a greater success on the platform.

Mr. Howison, who is a Michigan boy, was discovered by the Michigan Manager of the Central Lyceum Bureau and was urged by him to enter a professional career.  His success from the start has been unprecedented.  His work is difficult to describe, bird warbling being a rather tame and over-worked expression to apply to so unique and interesting an accomplishment as Howison's.  His rendition of such difficult numbers as Mendelssohn's Spring Song and operatic selections stamp him as a musician of high order, but apart from that the novelty of his work evokes the wildest enthusiasm and has absolutely no parallel in the amusement field.  Ritchie is to be congratulated on the good luck which permits him to again announce Mr. Howison as one of his company for the coming season.


Chas. Howison in bird warblings and imitations was a unique feature of the program.  His ability to entertain is fascinating.—
Jacksonville (Ill.) Daily Journal.


Chas. C. Howison, bird vocalist, is one of the strongest features on this week's bill at the Jeffries, his clear bird-like notes causing one only to close their eyes to imagine a whole forest of feathered songsters.—
Saginaw (Mich.) Evening News.


The last but not least pleasing member of the company to put in an appearance was Chas. Howison, who takes the number, bird warblings and imitations.  As for his ability, it will be enough to say, he kindly responded to five encores.—
Chatham (Ont.) Daily News.


Chas. Howison, the whistler, was great.—
Norwich (Kas.) Herald.


At a concert given last night at the West Side Y. M. C. A., Chas. Howison was the hit of the evening.—
Chicago (Ill.) Journal.


The bird warblings and imitations of Chas. Howison were remarkable.  He was encored again and again, making evident the thought that it would be pleasant to hear him often.—
Esterville (Iowa) Enterprise.


Chas. Howison, the whistler, is a wonder in his line, and his imitations of different song birds was as real to life as anything could be.  Mr. Howison does not use any reed or other artificial means to produce his warblings, simply the vocal organs nature has provided him with.—
Virginia City (Ill.) Virginia Enquirer.




Levitation

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THE most delusive and daring diversion ever devised to delight and disturb the comprehension of man.  This, the latest of Ritchie's illusions, is pronounced by scientists and all who have ever witnessed it, to be the most incomprehensible, the most astounding and marvelous effect ever conceived in the wide scope of necromancy.  The celebrated Hindoo fakirs outdone; gravitation defied.  A human body suspended in mid-air with no visible or invisible means of support, which is proved by passing a solid hoop several times around the suspended body.


An entertainment of high merit.—
Belvidere (Ill.) Daily Republican.


His exhibition of Levitation was as mystifying, though more openly performed, than Kellar's.—
Laconia (N. H.) News and Critic.


Ritchie, while one of the youngest, is without exception one of the most expert magicians before the public.—
Smethport (Pa.) Democrat.


As a magician Ritchie is a genuine success.  Many of his tricks were new and novel and extremely difficult.—
Harrisburg (Pa.) Star-Independent.


The exhibition of Levitation in which the subject was suspended in the air, apparently without support of any kind, was one of the best features of the evening.—
Kewanee (Ill.) Daily Star-Courier.


The suspension of Mrs. Ritchie in mid-air with no visible means of support, after having come in contact with the magic power of Ritchie, was wonderful in the extreme.—
Magnola Ark.


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Ritchie closed his performance with his Levitation act, which Mrs. Ritchie was suspended in mid-air.  The trick formed a fitting climax to a most enjoyable entertainment.—
Keene (N. H.) Evening Sentinel.


Perhaps the greatest mystery of the evening was the suspending of his wife in mid-air.  His on-lookers are astounded by seeing a human being lying peacefully in the air, about three feet from the floor, with no visible means of support.—
Huron (S. D.) Daily Huronite.


Ritchie is very clever.—
The London (Ont.) Daily Free Press.


A crowded house and an enthusiastic audience was a marked feature.—
Mifflintown, Pa.


Ritchie and his entertainers drew like a magnet among filings of steel, last night.—
Waterloo (Ia.) Courier.


Ritchie proved himself a capital entertainer.  His tricks were all first-class.—
Salem (Mass.) News.


Ritchie's tricks were cleverly done and both amused and mystified his audience.—
Akron (O.) Democrat.


Ritchie is a wonder in his sleight-of-hand turns, a pleasing performer and a hard worker.—
Harrisonville (Mo.) News.


Everyone present was unanimous in saying that last evening's attraction was the best one of the course.—
Manitowoc (Wis.) Daily News.


His work was clever and gave universal satisfaction, the whole performance making up one of the cleverest ever seen here.—
Flint (Mich.) Evening Journal.


The most interesting program of any entertainment of this winter's Y. M. C. A. Star Course was rendered by Ritchie's entertainers at the Opera House.—
Harrisburg (Pa.) Telegraph.




Miss Pearle Davis

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Mr. Ritchie feels that he has secured an entertainer of decided merit and versatility in Miss Pearle Davis.  Her impersonations and readings are so free from mannerisms, and withal she has such a pleasing personality, that she wins her audience from the start.  Miss Davis is a graduate of the Drake School of Oratory, Des Moines, Ia., also of the Columbia School of Oratory and the Chicago Musical College.  Being an accomplished pianist, she will assist in the musical part of the program as well.

MY DEAR MISS DAVIS:

Your earnest work and natural, charming manner in readings is refreshing.  You quite banish the thought from us that we are listening to someone who is reading for effect, or posing for admiration.

Your interested friend,
LETITIA V. KEMPSTER.

Principal of School of Expression, Chicago Musical College.



Shadowgraphy
The art of Shadowgraphy, except in a very crude way, has been very little practiced, and as an art was first introduced by Trewey, the famous French performer, a few years back.  By the dextrous manipulation of the hands and fingers, various laughable pantomimes are silhouetted on a screen.  A man goes fishing, catches a fish, is pulled overboard.  Policeman calls on servant girl at back door.  A serenader is flooded with a pitcher of water by an irate father, etc., etc.  In this art Ritchie has no superior.


Shadowgraphy created much laughter.—
Keene, N. H.


He delighted his large audience with illusions decidedly his own.—
Angelica (N. Y.) County Advocate.


His Shadowgraphy showed extremely deft manipulation of the fingers and hands.—
Laconia (N. H.) Critic.


He also gave an exhibition of Shadowgraphy, made by the hands, casting a number of interesting and amusing shadows upon a screen.—
Salem (Mass.) News.


The Shadowgraphy of Ritchie was excellent.—
Carthage, Mo.


Everyone was pleased with the entertainment furnished.—
Manitowoc (Wis.) Daily News.


Shadowgraphy gained for him much applause.—
Chatham (Ont.) Daily News.


His shadow pictures were very entertaining.—
Esterville (La.) Enterprise.


The Shadowgraphy features by Mr. Ritchie were truly unique and were greatly enjoyed.—
Chattanooga (Tenn.) Daily News.


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Specimen Program

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PART I
MIRTH BORN OF MYSTERY — Thirty minutes with Ritchie and his inimitable magic, being a display of exceptional digital dexterity.


1.
Handkerchief Productions.
2.
Mysterious Cradle.
3.
The Madame's Mistake.
4.
Flags of all Nations—America.

INTERMISSION—three minutes.



PART II


HUMOROUS IMPERSONATIONS
Miss Pearle Davis


OLD FASHIONED SONGS
Mrs. Ritchie


SHADOWGRAPHY
Ritchie



LEVITATION—Gravitation defied and all laws of nature set aside, in which a human being is suspended in mid-air with no visible or invisible means of support.



PART III


READING—Selected
Miss Pearle Davis


BIRD WARBLINGS AND IMITATIONS
Chas. Howison





PART IV.
CAN THESE THINGS BE POSSIBLE?—Thirty minutes more with Ritchie.


1.
The bowl of fire.
2.
The flight of the canaries.
3.
Wine, or water, which?
4.
The prolific hat.
5.
The bunny and the cannon ball.
6.
Oriental illumination.



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