Will Ahern was a vaudeville

Vaudeville

Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...

 entertainer at the beginning of the 20th century. He is best known for being part of a comedy duo with his wife, Gladys Reese Ahern. Ahern told jokes and performed rope tricks while his wife, using a Mexican accent, sang and danced.

Early life

William James Ahern was born in Waterbury, Connecticut on October 9, 1896. Ahern reportedly ran off with Buffalo Bill's Wild West troupe in 1909 after a local appearance, and learned rope spinning while working with the show.

Performing career

Ahern's first performance was in 1913 at the Lyric Theater in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He did a comedic act featuring rope spinning. He subsequently worked in circuses and the Oklahoma Ranch and 101 Ranch ranch shows doing trick riding and roping.

He joined the Navy

Navy

A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...

 in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 and performed in shows for Liberty Loan drives.

After World War I, Ahern and his partner, Joe O'Hare, performed a mind-reading act aboard the George Washington, a ship carrying U.S. delegates to Europe for the peace conference. After splitting up, Ahern performed solo until he met Gladys Reese in Chicago in 1919 and they formed an act.

The Aherns' act consisted of Gladys dancing inside the open lasso Will twirled, as well as comedic song and dance numbers they performed together, in and out of the rope.

The Aherns spoke German, French, Italian, and Spanish, and performed for many years in Europe after American vaudeville became less popular, including appearances for soldiers during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. They also appeared in RKO studio shorts in the 1930s.

Will had an uncredited bit part in Hello Dolly dancing with Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand

Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...

.

The Aherns opened The Rainbow dance studio in Burbank, California as a rehearsal space.

Notable stage appearances

Broadway appearances

• October 3, 1927 - January 7, 1928 - Sidewalks of New York, roles: Goofy, Willie
• February 18, 1930 - June 14, 1930 - Simple Simon, role: Jack Horner