Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1918, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Received a nice order from Harrison Company, operating the Redpath Lyceum Bureau for their chatauqua work.” The previous year. Sosman & Landis also delivered scenery for the Redpath Chautauqua Circuit.
In 1918, “Trench and Camp” reported:
“Mr. Marc Klaw was given the task of organizing four companies to play light comedies and four companies of vaudeville stars. ‘Turn to the Right,’ ‘Cheating Cheaters, ‘Here Comes the Bridge,’ ‘Inside the Line’ and other popular plays will be presented in turn at the various cantonments. The professional vaudeville companies will also make the rounds and the theatres will be offered to the men for the production of amateur dramatics or special moving pictures. There will be a small charge of from 15 to 25 cents made for professional entertainments. I addition to these theatres, and at both the National Army and National Guard camps, the Redpath Lyceum furnished entertainment. The general direction of all paid entertainments at the camps is in the hands of Mr. Harry P. Harrison, the president and general manager of the Redpath Lyceum Bureau” (22 Jan. 1918, page 7).
Written by Raymond B. Fosdick, Chairman of the Commission on Training Camp, the article explained, “Just after the war was declared last April, the President and Secretary of War, having these facts keenly in mind, asked me to assume the chairmanship of the newly appointed Commission on Training Camp Activities. The main job of this Commission is to apply the normal things of life to the hundreds of thousands of men in training camps. Besides the chairman, the members of the Commission are Lee F. Hanmer, of the Russell Sage Foundation; Thomas J. Howells, of Pittsburgh; Marc Klaw, the well-known theatrical producer; Joseph Lee, president of the Playground and Recreation Association of America; Malcolm L. McBridge, the former Yale Football star; Dr. John R. Mott, well known as General Secretary of the War Work Council of the Y.M.C.A; Charles P. Neill, of Washington; Col. Palmer E. Pierce, U.S.A., and Dr. Joseph E. Raycroft, director of physical education of Princeton University. It was our task, in the first place, to see that the inside of sixty odd army-training camps furnished real amusement and recreation and social life. In second place, we were to see to it that the towns and cities near by the camps were organized to provide recreation and social life to the soldiers who would flock there when on leave. In short, the Government took the attitude and is holding to it all along: ‘Over a million men are training hard to fight for the Government; the Government will give them, while they train, every possible opportunity for education, amusement and social life.’”
On March 8, 1918, the “Green Bay Press-Gazette” announced, “The work of entertaining the soldiers has been consolidated under the ‘Military Entertainment Council,’ of which James Couzens, of Detroit, is chairman; with Harry P. Harrison of Chicago, as chairman of the executive committee. Under the Council, the Chautauqua tents and Marc Klaw theaters all operate together, giving nightly entertainments. They will hereafter be known as ‘Liberty Tents,’ ‘Liberty auditoriums’ and ‘Liberty theaters’”(Green Bay, Wisconsin, page 13).
The attached newspaper clipping shows Camp Gordon’s Liberty Theater. Pictured upper left is Raymond B. Foswick (chairman of the war commission on training camp activities, in charge of all the theaters and director on the ‘off time’ of every sailor and soldier). Pictured upper right are Sam Harris and George Cohan, partners in song-writing, who are working to making the programs of the army circuit a success). In the lower left is E. F. Albee, manager of B. F. Keith’s circuit, who is sending a number of his best acts to the cantonment circuit). In the lower center is Marc Klaw of Klaw and Erlanger bookers, who is arranging the productions for the Liberty theaters, and who is now engaged in training a number of comedy casts). Pictured lower right is Harry P. Harrison, president of the Redpath Chautauqua, who is also giving his time attention and performers to the entertainment of the national army men.”
To be continued…
