image of person or book cover 6171613700482631072.jpg
Source: Powerhouse Museum
George Sorlie George Sorlie i(A104010 works by)
Gender: Male
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BiographyHistory

(1885-1948) Theatre entrepreneur, dancer, singer, trick cycling, baton twirler, actor, comic.

George Sorlie came to Australia as a child and grew up in Melbourne and Kalgoorlie. He moved to Sydney ca. 1903 looking to find work as a professional variety performer and initially found regular employment with Harry Clay. Over the next decade he was associated with Harry Rickards, James Brennan, J. C. Bain and Bert Howard, and in 1913 was elected to the position of President of the Australian Vaudeville Artists Federation. Sorlie found much success in a partnership with Billy C. Brown (ex-Hugo's Buffalo Minstrels) on the Fullers circuit between 1914 and 1916. Following Brown's return to America in 1916 Sorlie worked a solo act, and during the years 1918 and 1919 was mostly engaged on Harry Clay's Sydney circuit.

In 1920 Sorlie reached an agreement with Philip Lytton to purchase some of his moving theatre equipment and from then onwards concentrated on touring his own companies (mostly) under canvas. Over the next two decades established himself as Australia's 'Tent Show King,' staging musical comedies, pantomimes, vaudeville and drama productions around the country year in and year out.

During his career Sorlie contributed regularly to a number of theatre magazines, as correspondent, anecdotist and industry observer. He also recorded a number of songs for the Parlophone label in the later 1920s.

[Source: Australian Variety Theatre Archive]

Most Referenced Works

Notes

  • 'Old Fashioned Locket' (words and music: Dale Wimbrow, Johnny Marvin, and Tom Ford). Published by D. Davis and Co, ca. 1927. Caption title reads 'Featured by George Sorlie.' Held in National Library of Australia: MUS N mba 783.2 W757; and State Library of NSW (NSL:M) Music File/Wim.

  • RECORDINGS:

    [The following recordings are available commercially and/or through various Australian libraries]

    Compilations (compact disks):

    • Australian Memories: Recordings from 1926-1943. Crystal Stream Audio, CD, IDCD10, 1998. ('I'm a Dreamer - Aren't We All')

    • Australian Memories - Volume 2: Recordings from 1927-1943. Crystal Stream Audio, CD, IDCD19, 2004. ('Roll Along Prairie Moon')

    • The Inaudible Music: Jazz, Gender and Australian Modernity. Larrikin / Festival Records, CD, D24156, 2000. [Companion CD to Bruce Johnson's book The Inaudible Music: Jazz, Gender and Australian Modernity, Currency Press, 2000]

    • Stars of the Australian Stage and Radio: Volume 1. Larrikin, CD, LRH 429. [Series: Warren Faye Presents Yesterday's Australia] ('Knock, Knock, Who's There')

    • Stars of the Australian Stage and Radio: Volume 2. Larrikin, CD, LRH 430. [Series: Warren Faye Presents Yesterday's Australia] ('Alexander's Ragtime Band' / I'm the Showman' with Humphrey Bishop)

  • Entries connected with this record have been sourced from on-going historical research into Australian-written music theatre and film being conducted by Dr Clay Djubal.
Last amended 6 May 2014 09:28:00
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