Copyright © 2019 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1914, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Did a spectacle set for the Stanley, Philadelphia. I went with it, and spent a whole week with it. Got some good lighting effects. Kleigel [sic.] came on from New York to do it.”
In 1914, the “Kliegl Bros.” were advertised as “the greatest experts in their line in this country” (The Indiana Gazette, 1 Dec. 1914, page 1). The brothers had worked their way up from employees in a factory that manufactured electric arc lamps, to establishing their own company in 1896 – Universal Electric Stage Lighting Co. Much has been written about their early history, but here is a link to some of their patents: https://klieglbros.com/patents/default.htm
In addition to being marketed as the famous duo, “Herr Kleigl” was mentioned in newspapers for his design of special effects for stage spectacles. It remains uncertain whether “Herr Kliegl” was Anton T. or his brother Johann “John” H. My gut instinct says it was Anton.
Regardless, newspapers claimed that “Herr Kliegl” created a specific effect for Al G. Field’s Minstrel Show in 1914. That year Field’s touring production included “sumptuous stage pictures” and “mammoth pictorial presentations” featuring four unique spectacles (Pensacola News Journal, 18 Oct, 1914, page 12). The four spectacles were “The Birth of Minstrelsy,” “Minnie Ha Ha,” “The Land of the Midnight Sun” and the “Panama Pacific Exposition.” The lighting effects for “The Land of the Midnight Sun” were credited to Herr Kliegl and described in great detail.
Alfred Griffin Hatfield was the namesake of the touring minstrel show, going by both Al G. Field and Al G. Fields by the early twentieth century. Hatfield was born in Leesburg, Virginia, between 1848 and 1850; surprisingly, the date varies in many historical records. The man led an exciting life and traveled extensively as he made a name for himself in the beginning. Hatfield first appeared on stage at Jeffries Hall in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. It was early in 1871, and his black-face portrayal of “Handy Andy” caught the attention of Sam Sharpley. Sharpley was a well-known member of Sharpley, Sheridan, Mack and Day’s Minstrels. Hatfield began performing with the group by the winter of 1871, and his career took off. Later shows included Bidwell and McDonough’s “Black Crook” Company, Tony Denier’s “Humpty Dumpty,” Haverly’s “Blackbird’s of a Nation,” the California Minstrels, and Simmon’s and Slocum’s Minstrels, Duprez and Benedict’s Minstrels.
By 1884, he organized his own show in Peru, Indiana; a popular company that became known as the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. He remained with the group until 1886 when he established the Al G. Field’s Minstrels. Later in life, Fields claimed that his minstrel show was the first to carry their entire stage setting and scenery, as well as being the first to operate their own special train of cars. For more information pertaining to Field, see “Monarch of Minstrelsy, from “Daddy” Rice to Date” by Edward Le Roy Rice (1911). Here is the link: https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=rRc5AAAAIAAJ&hl=en&pg=GBS.PP10
By 1910, the Al C. Field Minstrels company was incorporated and continued to expand their offerings, producing increasingly elaborate shows each year. In 1914, the “Jackson Daily News” advertised, “Al G. Field, the dean of minstrelsy, is the one minstrel manager who dares invited the public to accept the past as a criterion of the present, and hence the slogan of the Al G. Field Minstrels this season is ‘Twenty-ninth Successful Year.’ Likewise the annual guarantee is given ‘everything new this year.’(Jackson, Mississippi, 26 Oct, 1914, page 80).
The article continued to describe “The Land of the Midnight Sun” reporting, “it is conceded to be the most elaborate and impressive effort ever undertaken in a minstrel production. The spectator beholds the Arctic north, with its seemingly boundless reaches of ice, snow, and sea – all opalescent with every hue, color and tone from the reflection of the sun, moon and stars. This evolves into the transformation picture, ‘The Aurora Borealis,’ when this magnificent phenomenon of nature is shown so realistically as to transport the audience. These wonderful scenes accompany a travesty skit, which introduces old Doc Cook, the North Pole, a Polar bear, cleverly acted by Henry Neiser, the Esquimaux, the seals, ice floes, bottomless well, and other Arctic features that accentuate the comedy situation.”
In 1914, the “Charlotte News” further described the “Land of the Midnight Sun:” “The Arctic regions, with the sun sinking behind the polar mountains of ice and snow, and yet illuminating all by a reflected iridescence. Then is beheld the gorgeous phenomenon of the Aurora Borealis with its irradiation of dazzling contrasted colors. Never before has it been possible to project separate colors so as to give a representation of this magnificent rainbow-like phenomenon. The device by which it is accomplished is the invention of Herr Kliegl and he worked for over four years before perfecting it. The exclusive rights to the stage use have been secured by Al G. Field, and the spectacle can only be seen in connection with his minstrel show. The scenery and effects employed in displaying this novelty are of the most elaborate and expensive, and the combined results are among the sensational surprises of the year. In starting work, Herr Kliegl had no detailed scientific analysis of the real Aurora Borealis upon which to base his experiments. Even today, the scientists have not fathomed the actual richness by which the real Aurora Borealis is produced. They are all agreed that it is caused by some kind of an electrical discharge in the atmosphere. This in turn is brought about by a magnetic influence emanating from the sun. When the particles of the earth’s atmosphere are thus charged magnetically, the electrolyzation causes such an arrangement of the light rays that many of the spectrum colors are visible. Thus it is that the crimson and gold, apple green, sea blue, violet, purple haze, mellow yellow and azure blue, form magnificent color arch, or band, or corona, or curtain that is known as Aurora Borealis. This phenomenon is not visible to the people of this country very often. Here to see it accurately reproduced in the theatre is a rare opportunity for the present generation when it can acquaint itself with one of nature’s grandest and most imposing spectacles” (10 Sept, 1914, page 7).
I would give anything for a time machine right now and see the show.
The “Wilmington Morning Star” also reported, “No invention of a mechanical device for realistic, beautiful stage effects has aroused more interest and discussion than the one which creates the awesome gorgeousness of the Aurora Borealis, as pictured in the performance of The Al G. Field Minstrels. Just as the tread mill device by Neil Borgess for the horse race in ‘The Country Fair’ made possible the one employed in ‘Ben Hur,’ so this new lighting contrivance controlled exclusively by Al G. Filed, promises a revolution along lighting lines. This is true because it enables the projectment [sic.] of separate colors. The invention is the work of Herr Kliegl. Prior to his endeavor, little had been done in trying to produce artificially the color sheen of the Aurora Borealis. The most conspicuous experiment was that of German savant Kr Birkland. [Dr. Kr Birkland was from Christiana, Norway, and he wrote about the division of terrestrial magnetism, publishing his findings in 1911]. His apparatus consisted of a vacuum vessel containing a magnetic atmosphere. A partial Aurora Borealis effect was secured by sending electric currents through the glass vessel to the magnetic sphere. With this elemental knowledge Herr Kliegl evolved the present successful device. The Aurora Borealis is presented in the number, “The Land of the Midnight Sun,” which shows the Arctic North, with its sweep of ice and snow, indescribably brilliant from the reflection of sun, moon and stars. This spectacle is only one of four, which the unrivaled minstrel program of The Al G. Minstrels offers this season. The production is at the Academy of Music tonight and seats are now selling at Woodall & Sheppard’s” (28 Sept. 1914, page 6).
Other than one advertisement, I have been unsuccessful in locating an image of the spectacle. However, the Kliegl Bros. electrical effects called the “Aurora Borealis” in Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide, 1912-1913 (page 38).
A year later, Kliegl designed an “Aurora Borealis” effect for Al G. Field’s Minstrel spectacle “The Land of the Midnight Sun.” Universal Electric Stage Lighting Co. advertisement in Cahn-Leighton’s Official Theatrical Guide, 1912-1913.
As for Field, he passed away in 1921, a victim of Bright’s disease. He bequeathed his show and a substantial estate to brother Joseph E. Hatfield and relative Edward Conrad. Field was a member of the Elks. Tomorrow I look at Kliegl’s Masonic affiliations.
To be continued…
