In 1911, Thomas G. Moses recorded that one of the studio projects was for the Columbia Burlesque Theatre.
Opening on January 10, 1910, the venue was operated by the Columbia Amusement Company from 1910 until 1927. Located on the northeast corner of Seventh Avenue and 47th Street in Manhattan, it specialized in “clean” and “family-oriented burlesque.” In other words, a series of variety acts, often with an overall theme. Similar to a vaudeville house, it was advertised as “the house that brought distinction to burlesque” (New York Times, 12 Nov. 1911, page 11).
Featured in the publication, “Architecture and Building” the Columbia Theatre and Office building was a twelve-story structure in the Italian Renaissance style, designed by W. H. McElfatrick. Interestingly, Julius Cahn’s 1912, Official Theatrical Guide listed W. H. McElfatrick’s offices as “Columbia Theatre Building, NY, Cor. Broadway and 47th St.” His advertisement noted, “Theatrical Bldg. A Specialty, “ with other New York theater projects including the Knickerbocker Theatre, the Metropolitan Opera House, the Manhattan Opera House, Manhattan Opera House, Lincoln Square Theatre, New York Theatre, Criterion Theatre, Broadway Theatre, Empire Theatre, Bijou Theatre, Bronx Theatre, Hudson Theatre, Harlem Opera House, Alhambra Theatre, Proctor’s 58th St. Theatre, Proctor’s 125th St. Theatre, Murray Hill Theatre, Metropolis Theatre, Grand Opera House and the Wadsworth Theatre.
Interior decorations for the Columbia Burlesque Theater were credited to John Wanamaker, with the mural above the proscenium, “Goddesses of the Arts,” painted by Arthur Thomas, R.A. The building had a frontage of 88 feet on Seventh Avenue and 148 feet on Forty-seventh Street. (Vol. 42, page 218) The theater had a seating capacity of 1,340 (Orchestra, 548, balcony 346, gallery 350 and boxes 96). The stage from the curtain line to the back wall was 30 feet deep, with a proscenium opening measuring 34 feet wide by 31 feet high.
As an aside, in 1910, “College Girl” was staged at the Columbia. This was in this production that Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. noticed Fanny Brice, and then secured Brice’s release from her Columbia contract to appear in his 1910 Follies.
Although Moses did not mention any details pertaining to his work for the Columbia in 1911, it is possible that the project was Cliff Gordon and Robert North’s staged adaptation of “The Merry Whirl.” The show settled at the Columbia Burlesque Theater for the summer run of 1911, after a successful spring touring the country. The one-act comedy featured the comic duo of Morton and Moore. Known as “The Crown Kings of Comedy,” the show was paired with another one-act burlesque “The Magic Ring” (Brooklyn Times Union, 25 Nov. 1911, page 7).
The “Merry Whirl” featured the Morton and Moore as the Cock and the Snowman; the two characters were a specialty from the previous season. In the second part of the show they played the roles of an American prizefighter and his manager, stranded in Paris and disguised as commissioners for a dressmaking establishment (The New York Times, 13 July 1911, page 9). One hit song from the show was “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” by Irving Berlin.
By 1925, however, the repertoire at the Columbia Burlesque Theatre began to change, introducing many more risqué acts. By 1929, the “Daily News” reported, “A report is the current that the Columbia burlesque theatre, on 7th ave. will soon be demolished to make room for the largest theatre in the world. The Radio-Keith-Orpheum Corporation is said to be behind the deal. Plans for the new theatre, to exceed in size Roxy’s and the other big film cathedrals, are supposedly now complete” (20 July 1929, page 21).
While looking for information about the Columbia Burlesque Theatre, an interesting article appeared in regard to activities on Fourteenth Street in New York. On May 11, 1925, the “Rock Island Argus” reported, “An immense Columbia burlesque theatre. Its curtain is the old kind that rolls up on a pole” (page 6). This refers to the standard roll drop that dominated much of 19th century American theatre.
To be continued…
