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HUDSON DISPATCH, UNION CITY, N.J., WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 1941

Palisades Park Puppeteers Await recall to Footlights

Mrs. Elizabeth Jewell and Son, John, Own Famous Marionettes Which Once Performed for Crowned Heads of Europe.

Marionettes, which once entertained audiences in Europe, Australia and North America under the skillful direction of Madame Jewell and her son, John, are now enjoying a rest in the trunks of a Palisades Park home.

Madame Jewell, otherwise known as Mrs. Elizabeth Jewell, and her son, an officer in Townley Lodge, F. and A.M. of Palisades Park, are awaiting the call to bring the marionettes into action again to entertain men and women in the 3 corners of the globe.

Madame Jewell holds the distinction of being the first to introduce puppet shows in New York City at Tony Pastor’s variety theater on 14^th St., where she was obliged to take 14 curtain calls at the end of the performance.

Came From England

That took place in 1904 during the heyday of vaudeville. Today there are not as many troupers on the road, and as a result the only performances the once internationally famous troupe has given in recent years have been at local theaters.

Mrs. Jewell and her son came to the United States from England 37 years ago. For the past 15 years they have been living at 337 East Harriet Av,

John Jewell, who represents the fourth generation of puppeteers in the family, said that puppets under the direction of his mother danced before the crowned heads of the world and performed on the stage of the old Palace Theater, and Oscar Hammerstein’s famous Opera House during vaudeville’s prime.

From the now demolished Hippodrome to London, then to Australia and New Zealand and then back to Chicago, Ill., went the Jewell Puppets. Fifty years ago the act appeared at a command performance before Queen Wilhelmina on her 50^th birthday in the capital of the Netherlands.

Save Programs

In addition to saving the programs from theaters in New Your City, which in their day were the goals of every vaudeville act, the Jewells also have memories of actors who in the past were obscure, but today are known to everyone.

The act, for example, once missed a performance at the State Lake Theater in Chicago as a result of a railroad accident. Something had to be done to replace the puppet show on the program, an obscure violinist to fill in the time. Today the obscure violinist, Jack Benny, is known more for his gags than his ability as a violinist.

The longest jump the act ever made came in 1918 when the company moved from Indianapolis to Melbourne, Australia, a 10,000-mile trip.

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