Jack (o-lantern) Of All Trades

In today's entertainment industry, let alone the horror business, it's common for someone to be devoted to one artistic pursuit. Maybe they're a director, maybe a novelist, maybe an illustrator. It's rare to find a jack-o-lantern-of-all-trades, if you will. This was not always the case. American theatre and film was once choked with men and women who did it all. Without their tireless efforts, it's not unfair to say that classic horror (and entertainment media in general) as we know it today would be quite different.

No list about multi-tasking entertainers can start with anyone besides George M. Cohan. Dubbed "the man who owned Broadway" for obvious reasons, Cohan was a ridiculously successful playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer. Yes, I did just copy that from Wikipedia. Saves time. Cohan did vaudeville at an early age, and would eventually go on to write over 500 songs in his lifetime, including the immortal "You're A Grand Old Flag." What does he have to show for horror cred? Not much, although he was the primary inspiration for Sander Cohen, the insane composer featured in the Bioshock games. That's got to count for something.

Yeesh. It's like Salvador Dali and The Joker's lovechild.