Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
Thomas G. Moses resigned at Sosman & Landis on September 1, 1918 and began working for New York Studios that fall. In 1919, he left the employ of David H. Hunt at New York Studios and signed a new contract with the Chicago Studios. Even though Moses was no longer affiliated with Sosman & Landis the company trudged on under the management of Perry “Lester” Landis, son of the co-founder Perry Landis. Much of the scenery credited to the studio in 1919, however, had been completed under the direct supervision of Moses before his departure.
In 1919, Sosman & Landis studio was credited with the scenery for the DeKoven Opera Company’s production of “Robin Hood.” Ironically, the scenic art was still credited to the firm’s two founders Sosman and Landis. On May 19, 1919, the “Post Crescent” reported,
“APPLETON THEATRE. ‘Robin Hood.’
Did you really ever see a first class performance of the best COMIC OPERA any American Composer has written? ROBIIN HOOD is worth seeing and hearing, for both is joy. The time you remember as the 13th century and the locale is the Medieval City of Nottingham in England where the ubiquitous ‘Sheriff’ is the ‘Pooh Bah’ of the town. Here is where Ed Andres the veteran comedian shines. Later his activities extend to Sherwood Forest, and his complicated drolleries seem never ending. The scenic artists Sosman & Landis have achieved a remarkable piece of work in both of these settings for the DeKoven Opera Company, the Central square of Nottingham being a magnificent panorama of the middle ages and the forest scene with its rustic beauties a vista of rare beauty. The choral effects, the clever dances, the kaleidoscopic lighting, and the delightful ensembles which Mr. DeKoven wove into his most successful opera form a cycle of entertainment which those who witness at the Appleton Theatre next Monday May 17 will long remember” (Appleton, Wisconsin, page 7).
To be continued…
