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After 70 Years In Theatre, John Kenley Dies at 103.
1-Nov-2009
Written by: Justin Key
Pneumonia takes seasoned producer after a long life.
John Kenley (born John Kremchek) died of pneumonia Oct. 23 at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. He was 103.
With more than 70 years operating Ohio theatres, John started his connection to show business at the tender age of 4 as a church singer and eventually dropped out of high school at 15 to make it big in Cleveland. Through the 20s, John's home was the center stage with specialties in singing, dancing, and impersonations. As the 30s and the Depression rolled through, he quit acting to become Lee Shubert's assistant.
John found his true calling in the 40s: producing. With a brief pause to serve in WWII, he ran a summer theatre operation in Deer Lake, Penn.
After becoming the first producer to incorporate African Americans in his Washington, DC plays, John launched the Kenley Players in Dayton, Ohio and went on to open several more theatres.
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