Raymond Hitchcock (October 22, 1865 â€" November 24, 1929) was a
silent film actor, stage actor, and stage producer, who appeared in,
or produced 30 plays on Broadway from 1898 to 1928, and who appeared
in the silent films of the 1920s.He appeared first as a star in the
character of Abijah Booze in The Yankee Consul, and sang It Was Not
Like This in the Olden Time. In his stage career, Hitchcock went back
and forth between dramatic roles and ones in comic opera. In 1905 he
appeared on Broadway with John Bunny in Easy Dawson, the two
apparently playing firemen. Hitchcock also made several phonograph
recordings, many of which survive.In 1907, Hitchcock was charged with
the sexual abuse of two adolescent girls together with New York
magnate William A. Chanler. As Hitchcock's trial progressed, it was
revealed that the charges of sexual abuse were fabricated as part of a
blackmail scheme. Hitchcock was acquitted by a jury on June 11, 1908,
after spending almost nine months in prison.In 1925, Hitchcock
appeared in a test film made by Lee DeForest in DeForest's Phonofilm
sound-on-film process, in which Hitchcock performed a sketch from his
revue Hitchy-Koo, which was originally produced on Broadway in 1917,
1918, 1919, and 1920. Cole Porter wrote the music for the 1919
version. Raymond Hitchcock also figured prominently in John Ford's
Upstream (1927).
silent film actor, stage actor, and stage producer, who appeared in,
or produced 30 plays on Broadway from 1898 to 1928, and who appeared
in the silent films of the 1920s.He appeared first as a star in the
character of Abijah Booze in The Yankee Consul, and sang It Was Not
Like This in the Olden Time. In his stage career, Hitchcock went back
and forth between dramatic roles and ones in comic opera. In 1905 he
appeared on Broadway with John Bunny in Easy Dawson, the two
apparently playing firemen. Hitchcock also made several phonograph
recordings, many of which survive.In 1907, Hitchcock was charged with
the sexual abuse of two adolescent girls together with New York
magnate William A. Chanler. As Hitchcock's trial progressed, it was
revealed that the charges of sexual abuse were fabricated as part of a
blackmail scheme. Hitchcock was acquitted by a jury on June 11, 1908,
after spending almost nine months in prison.In 1925, Hitchcock
appeared in a test film made by Lee DeForest in DeForest's Phonofilm
sound-on-film process, in which Hitchcock performed a sketch from his
revue Hitchy-Koo, which was originally produced on Broadway in 1917,
1918, 1919, and 1920. Cole Porter wrote the music for the 1919
version. Raymond Hitchcock also figured prominently in John Ford's
Upstream (1927).
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