A Day and a Night with Our Life Savers

              A Day and a Night
WITH
Our Life Savers
Presented by J. E. COMERFORD


A SHIP IN NEED


A GREAT ILLUSTRATED ENTERTAINMENT



A DAY AND A NIGHT WITH OUR LIFE SAVERS
We have never made a better offering or a stronger plea for your business than we are making now in presenting J. E. Comerford and his great Illustrated Entertainment.  Mr. Comerford is a gentleman, a scholar, an actor and a dramatic interpreter.  He comes to you with his laurels already won.  He has something which the Lyceum field needs.  We cannot do better than to insert the unsolicited notices from the Boston press.

In addition to the intensely interesting and thrilling illustrated story of Our Life Savers, Mr. Comerford will present with the aid of his skilled electricians the very latest moving pictures extant.  Do not confuse these with the ordinary moving pictures (so called).  He has the latest, the largest, and the best machine and films—such as one sees only in our largest theatres.


MR. J. E. COMERFORD




Boston Globe.

THE SIGNAL


The magnet that drew me to Keith's beautiful theatre last evening was J. E. Comerford's illustrated recital on the United States life saving service.

In the hands of a less experienced actor, it would be interesting: as presented by Comerford, it is intensly interesting.  It is one of the sort of things that, having been once seen, is not quickly forgotten.  It is a masterpiece in realistic art.

No better tribute to Mr. Comerford's art can be paid than to say he fascinates.  So convincing is his story that one finds himself aquiver at its close.

The appalling grandeur of a storm at sea has never been depicted with anything like the vividness he gives to the scene.  When in these days of many war correspondents a soldier takes part in a battle, he may be said to do so in the eyes of the whole world.  An act of conspicuous bravery is recognized and applauded
 in many countries besides his own: on the close of a campaign he returns home to be received with acclamation and rejoicing.  But the life-saver on our coast, how different with him!  When he goes forth to conflict, no flaring trumpets or rolling drums spur him on to deeds of valor, no cheering multitudes bid him be of good heart.  Nothing but the bleak darkness of storm, the deep boom of the midnight surf—the merciless swirling of the pitiless elements, and, perhaps, a few silent, tearful women who know but too well his awful peril. These are the only witnesses.



The Act
In the theatre all is dark.  The lightning flashes, the thunder rolls; the wind whistles and screams.  On the canvass appears the picture of a ship in distress.  She seems to pitch and rock while the sea tosses its foam to the maintop; through it all the the muffled dong, dong, of the bell buoy is heard.

ONE OF THE STATIONS
  A life-saver appears on the scene; holding his lantern high above his head and shading his eyes with his hand, he tries to pierce the darkness; he discovers the wreck, burns his signal, which seems to light the heavens, and departs on the run for assistance.

The whistling buoy and fog horn still cry out a warning.  Along the beach life-savers, with determined, anxious faces, drag the life-boat; showers of spray dash over them: the sea runs mountains high; above the din of the gale is heard the cry, on to the rescue.

In the theatre a death-like silence prevails; one scarcely breathes and, from the intensity and naturalness of the picture, I grasp the arm of my chair.  In an instant the theatre lights are turned on and Mr. Comerford appears and stepping quickly to the footlights tells us in a very few words when the life-saving service was founded and by whom, the amount of property and lives saved annually, etc., etc.  Once again the theatre is darkened and through a thrilling word-picture, during which we see a life-boat launched, the wreck gun fired, the rescue by the breeches buoy, we continually hear the swash of the sea, and the fog horn toots as before.  Now we see wreck after wreck; some buried in the ocean, some standing on end, others broken apart, hundreds of them, all wrecked off the Massachusetts coast.  Yes, since 1871 over 2,700 vessels have been lost.  Mariners call it the graveyard of the Atlantic Ocean.

Mr. Comerford's story is cast in the romantic world.  It shows the character and characteristics of the people who dwell in a fisher village.  It is beautifully illustrated, while startling realistic features are introduced to add life and color to the picture.  He was listened to with the deepest interest last evening.  He has a voice of rare sweetness and a way that touches the heart and brings the tear to the cheek of strong men.

Mr. Comerford's recital arouses sympathy and this accounts for the hold it has on the audience.  The telling scenes were given with an art that called forth the warmest demonstration of applause.  The act is a novelty and the best offering seen at Keith's this season.



Boston Herald.
The contention that it does not really matter how you move vaudeville audiences, whether to tears or laughter, so long as you appeal to their emotions, was fairly tested at Keith's yesterday and measured by the applause bestowed on both features.  The criticism seems to be a just and proper one.  Sandwiched in between two of the funniest single entertainers in the profession, during the afternoon entertainment, J. E. Comerford gave a most interesting description of the work performed at the Life-Saving Stations along Cape Cod, and was listened to with the deepest interest.

He told in graphic language of the hardships endured by the brave men, the deeds of heroism they performed and the thousands of lives that are saved annually by their faithfulness to duty, and he illustrated it all with pictures that conveyed to the eye with additional force what his eloquent words poured into their ears.  There were views of several of the best known life-saving stations and their crews; the working of the breeches buoy during a wreck, the launching of life-boats and pictures of some of their intrepid captains, like Joshua James of Hull, and Isaac Fisher of Wood End, Provincetown.

Mr. Comerford concluded with a thrilling reading of The Old Volunteer Crew, Simms' great poem, which was also appropriately and beautifully illustrated: and that there was use for handkerchiefs at the end was to the credit of those who listened.  The act is a novelty and made a great hit.



How the Entertainment Was Featured in Keith's Theatre, Boston.

KEITH'S
The Model Playhouse of the Country.
(Entrances from Washington, Tremont and Mason Streets.)



B. F. KEITH
Proprietor


E. E. ALBEE
General Manager



Always the Best Vaudeville Show in Boston.

WEEK OF MARCH 20

The UNITED STATES Life Saving Service
IN AN
Illustrated Storm on the Coast
BY
J. E. COMERFORD

(Late leading man with The White Squadron.  Great Diamond Breaker, etc.)  Also, a thrilling and powerful reading of Simms' The Old Volunteer Crew.  The whole to be illustrated by stereopticon views of the life-saving stations, the crews at work rescuing the shipwrecked, some of the most noted of the life-savers, and aided by every effect and device known to the stage.  Do not confound this act with the illustrated lecture.  It is the first of its kind in the world, with originality and realism as the basis.




The Dog
A LIFE SAVER
On the coast of North Carolina, while the life-saving men were engaged in rescuing the crowd of passengers thrown into the sea by the breaking up of the steamship Metropolis, a large Newfoundland dog belonging to a gentleman residing in the vicinity, seemed suddenly to comprehend the situation, and joining the life-savers, plunged into the surf, seized a drowning man and safely dragged him ashore.

Shortly afterwards he left his master and went to the station of the crew with whom he rendered this first service in life-saving, and there he still remains, steadily resisting every inducement to return to his former master.  Every alternate night he sets out with one of the first patrol and accompanies him until the patrolman from the station below is met, when he joins the latter and proceeds with him to that station, where he remains until the first watch of the next night, when he returns to his own station in the same manner, while very sensibly keeping but one watch each night.


THE SURF



TO THE RESCUE






THE LIFE BOAT


The noted KINETOGRAPH COMPANY of New York keep us supplied with the LATEST and BEST MOVING PICTURES extant.  The LATEST PICTURES obtainable.


The Boston Transcript
J. E. Comerford. with his illustrated entertainment on the United States life-saving service, is easily the leading feature of the programme at Keith's Theatre, this week.



The Boston Traveller.
At Keith's Theatre yesterday J. E. Comerford told in graphic language of the hardships endured by those brave men, the deeds of heroism they perform and the thousands of lives that are annually saved by their faithfulness to duty, and he illustrated it all with pictures that conveyed to the eye with additional force what his eloquent words poured into the ears.  He concluded with a thrilling reading of The Old Volunteer Crew. Simms' great poem, which was also beautifully illustrated.


A HARD PULL







THE RETURN

Dramatic Recital
Life-Boat Men
First and only act of its kind in the world

The recital depicts the life of the United States life-savers in a storm on the coast.  It must not be confounded with the illustrated lecture or picture play.  It is an intensely dramatic story with sensational stage effects.


The Boston Evening Record
J. E. Comerford's contribution to this week's show at Keith's Theatre is one of the most interesting and original turns that has ever been offered in the vaudeville, and it made a big hit.  Although it is an illustrated talk, it is in no sense a lecture.  He is an impressive speaker, and the audience yesterday afternoon and evening hung on his every word as he graphically described the work of the heroic men employed in the work of life-saving.




Boston Journal.
Keith's Theatre. Mr. Comerford's dramatic recital of the work of the life-savers at the United States stations along the shores, with illustrations of stirring scenes in connection with noted wrecks, pictures of celebrated life-savers, etc., was listened to with close attention, and he was given a great round of applause at the close.  Then followed a thrilling recital of The Old Volunteer Crew, splendidly illustrated with colored views, which made a tremendous hit.

Mr. Comerford with the aid of his skilled electricians introduces at each entertainment the realistic RAIN AND SAND STORM first presentation in the Lyceum.

The life-saving service of this country saved about three thousand lives last year, many of them under circumstances which called for the exercise of great bravery on the part of the life-savers.  Taking it altogether, no doubt there was as much heroism manifested in it as there was in the war with Spain.


THE WRECK