Ted Bloecher
Theodore Bloecher (August 22, 1929 – January 22, 2024) was an American ufologist, singer, actor, and author who performed on Broadway and toured with productions of Oliver!, Hello Dolly and My Fair Lady. Bloecher was a pioneering member of New York City gay culture, singing with the New York City Gay Men's Chorus from the 1980s.
Early life[edit]
Theodore Bloecher was born in Summit, New Jersey, on August 22, 1929.[1] Bloecher received a scholarship to study Fine Arts at Cooper Union and first began acting for the Provincetown Players.[2] He attended Columbia University, majoring in dramatic literature, with a minor in music.[3]
Career in the arts[edit]
Bloecher started his career as a singer, and worked as an actor in theater from the late 1950s until 1973.[2] In 1953, Bloecher was profiled for his upcoming role in a production of Street Scene.[4] In 1957, Bloecher co-authored a musical titled "The Money Colored Rainbow".[5] In 1959, Bloecher appeared in an opera titled The Clarkstown Witch based on the Nathaniel Hawthorne story Feathertop, with Bloecher taking the role of Feathertop; [6] His performance was praised in reviews.[7] In 1961, Bloecher appeared in productions of the musicals Tenderloin and Destry Rides Again.[8][9] In 1963, Bloecher appeared in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and Irma La Douce.[10][11] Bloecher appeared on Broadway and was part of the national touring company of the musicals Oliver!,[12] My Fair Lady in the 1960s,[13][14] and Hello, Dolly in 1972.[2][15]
In 1985, he joined the New York City Gay Men's Chorus as a tenor and served as the group's librarian.[2] In retirement, he served as a volunteer at the city's Museum of Modern Art.[2] In 2019, Bloecher's memoir Coming of Age in Provincetown was published.[2] In 2020, Bloecher's journals and art were exhibited as part of a retrospective on the role of queer people in New York's history; Bloecher, then aged 90, attended in person.[16]
Ufology[edit]
His interest in UFOs began in the summer of 1952, and he became known for his studies into early modern UFO cases.[1] In 1954, he co-founded Civilian Saucer Intelligence and he served as an officer of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena.[2] In 1967, Bloecher published the results of a historical study that sought to exhaustively document all reported UFO sightings during the 1947 flying disc craze.[2][17] The following year, Bloecher's report was adapted into a nationally syndicated comic strip by Supergirl-creator Otto Binder.[18] Bloecher was a regular speaker on UFO topics, appearing at meetings in Britain, Arizona, and the 1978 MUFON symposium in Dayton, Ohio.[19] Bloecher retired from ufology in the 1980s and donated his files.[20]
Death[edit]
Bloecher died in New York City on January 22, 2024, at the age of 94.[21]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Ted Bloecher". NICAP. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "archives.nypl.org -- Ted Bloecher papers". archives.nypl.org.
- ^ Clark, Jerome (1992). The Emergence of a Phenomenon: UFOs from the Beginning Through 1959. Omnigraphics. p. 79. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "'Street Scene' to Open Season At Festival Playhouse, Lenox". July 3, 1953. p. 13 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ https://www.newspapers.com/image/1007804180/?
- ^ "Old Rockland Legend Becomes New Opera". July 13, 1959. p. 27 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Article clipped from The Journal News". July 14, 1959. p. 6 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Courier-Post 06 Jul 1961, page Page 26". Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Bristol Daily Courier 27 Jul 1961, page Page 4". Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Boston Globe 25 Jun 1963, page 13". Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Boston Globe 20 Aug 1963, page 8". Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Morning News 01 Jun 1965, page Page 14". Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Morning News 27 Feb 1962, page Page 20". Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Record 13 May 1964, page 77". Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Kennebec Journal 16 Aug 1972, page 7". Newspapers.com.
- ^ ""Queer City" May Be the Best Campaign Ever". www.ana.net.
- ^ Arnold, Gordon (December 17, 2021). "Flying Saucers Over America: The UFO Craze of 1947". McFarland – via Google Books.
- ^ "1968-07-29 Our Space Age — 1947 wave - 1 Earliest disks". July 29, 1968. p. 37 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "UFO symposium". July 27, 1978. p. 6 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ted Bloecher". Northern Ontario UFO Research & Study. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "Theodore Bloecher". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
External links[edit]
- Ted Bloecher Papers, 1950–2000 The New York Public Library Archives & Manuscripts
- Ted Bloecher Oral History New York City Gay Men's Chorus
- Ted Bloecher page at Internet Broadway Database