Month: July 2020

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1920 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “The Madam and I have concluded to go to California this summer, so we started to make our plans, going in August.” 

“We left for the West August 19^th.  As I have written the trip up very fully in my travelogues, I will not repeat it here.  Arrived home on September 28^th, having been gone forty days, it was certainly some trip.” This was Moses’ “summer vacation” before really settling in at the Sosman & Landis main studio. Although Moses’ desired to move west, his strong ties to Chicago kept him tethered in the Midwest. Later in life, Moses would spend an increasing amount of time in California, joining the Pasadena Scottish Rite and frequently landing scenery contracts along the Pacific Coast.

Moses was one of many scenic artists across the country who migrated west as employment opportunities continued to skyrocket; they followed the work.  The scenic art business was rapidly changing as the demand for painted scenery continued to decline in many areas. However, California continued to offer new opportunities that ranged from parade floats and circus shows to legitimate theater and film sets. In addition to an abundance of work, the temperate climate was ideal. Many Chicago scenic artists moved to the west coast, after apprenticing in Chicago. One California contemporary of Moses was O. L. Fest. Only four years older than Moses, he began working as a scenic artist in Chicago and then moved to San Francisco by the late 1870s. Fest became a mainstay at the Tivoli Theater, a venue where Moses’ mentioned stopping to visit friends.

In 1920, the “San Francisco Examiner” announced Fest’s passing:

“Scenic artist at Tivoli Dies. Oscar L. Fest Widely known among theatrical people passes away at 67” (6 March 1920, page 4). The article continued, “Oscar L. fest, for more than twenty years the chief scenic artist at the old Tivoli Opera House, died yesterday at his home, 1616 Turk st., after a lingering illness. Fest arrived in this country from Germany when 9 months old. His work as a scenic artist was a feature of the Tivoli operas, and his yearly transformation scenes at Christmas were much admired by early-day theatre-goers.

“He was a life member of Cleveland Lodge, No 211, F. & A. A., and of Golden Gate Camp No. 64, Woodmen of the World. A widow [Minnie] and two daughters, Helen A. and Mattie Lois Fest, survive. Funeral services will be held this afternoon from the undertaking parlors of Theodore Dierke & Co., 901 Divisadero st., Interment will be private.”

“The San Francisco Chronicle” added, “Fest is well remembered by those who attended the performances at the old Tivoli Opera house a generation ago and up to the time of the 1906 fire, where he was a scenic artist, and his Christmas season transformations were considered wonderful” (7 March 1920, page 12.)

Oscar Louis Fest was born 10 August 1852 in Breslau, Germany. His parents, John and Helena “Ellen” Fest, emigrated to the United States, sailing aboard the Mathilde, from Bremen, in 1853. In Syracuse, Fest’s father became a naturalized citizen on 29 Sept. 1858. The family was still residing in Syracuse, according to the 1860 US census. By 1870, the Fests were living in Chicago. At the age of 18, Oscar L. Fest was listed as a painter in the 1870 US Federal Census. His father was employed as a cooper. On May 6, 1874, Fest married Minnie Burkhart in Cook County, Illinois.

By 1877, Fest was listed in the San Francisco Directory as a scenic artist, residing at 548 ½ Tehama. At the time, he was listed with the Grand Opera House.

By 1879, the directory listed Fest was working for the Adelphi Theatre. The earliest mention of Fest at the Tivoli was in 1883. That year, “The San Francisco Examiner” reported, “The new drop-curtain, ‘The Spanish Mail” painted by Oscar L. fest, will be used during the run of the piece, which judging from the manner of its first presentation and the applause that welcomed each successive scene, will be a long period” (27 Feb 1883, page 3). In 1889 Moses recorded visiting fellow scenic artists at the Tivoli Theatre, including Bill Porter. In 1891 the San Francisco Directory still listed Fest at the Tivoli.

Fest’s 1896 passport application noted that the artist was 56 years old with a height of 5’-9.” His physical description listed brown eyes, iron gray hair, a square and high forehead, straight nose and “ordinary” mouth and chin.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

At the end of March 1920, Moses delivered Atlantic City Boardwalk scenery to the St. Louis Coliseum for a local charity event. At the time, he was working for Chicago Scenic Studios, having left both Sosman & Landis and New York Studios in Sept. 1918 and Sept, 1919 respectively.

By the spring of 1920, Moses wrote, “On the 20^th of April, I signed an agreement to return to Sosman and Landis Company to draw $6,500.00 for the first year and my stock returned to me, which means I will have a chance to get more if I can make the business pay.”

He was returning to a dying company, one that would close within three years. He wrote. “I have painted a large autumn canvas for the Sosman and Landis Company office, as the offices are going to be very nice.”

There were also a few events leading up to his return. Just before he recorded his decision of a return to Sosman & Landis, Moses wrote, “My head aches all the time – not severe, but a dull ache that is very annoying.” The headaches were likely from his 1918 head injury. That year, he wrote, “October 10^th, I was knocked down by a boy on a bicycle in Oak Park.  It was dark and I did not see the wheel.  It was thought by the doctor that I had fractured my skull.  It was a couple of months before I recovered.”  Moses didn’t take the time to let the injury properly heal and was on the road again too soon.  The headaches continued to plague him for the next few years.

Moses was also having problems with his teeth, something that doctors also thought may be contributing to his headaches. Later in 1920 he wrote, “Had an X-ray taken of my teeth and found them awfully bad, so I had to get busy and have them all extracted, excepting six lower ones.  It was some job.  Not as much of a shock as I expected.” A few months later, Moses wrote, “My headache still continues and there seems to be no help for it.  No one seems to know the cause, now that my teeth are all out, which everyone thought would be the remedy.” 

But there was another dynamic at play before his return to Sosman & Landis.

That spring Moses wrote, “Mr. Hunt arrived from New York and remained for a few days, then left for California where he will remain several weeks.  I interceded for Parker, formerly of Sosman and Landis with Mr. Hunt, and I think he will engage him to go to New York City.” Now this statement caught me by surprise. Moses had signed a one year contract with Chicago Studios during the fall of 1919, after having left the employ of David H. Hunt at New York Studios. Did he go back, and was New York Studios still considered the eastern affiliate of Sosman & Landis?

By early spring 1920, Moses wrote, “We are having a hard time to keep a man in the office.  Nobody seems to please Mr. Hunt.” So, Moses was working with Hunt during the early spring of 1920, yet not associated with Sosman & Landis, but there was also no mention of Chicago Studios who he accepted a one-year agreement with from fall 1919 to fall 1920. After Moses’ returned to Sosman & Landis, Hunt is still in the picture. That summer, Moses wrote, ““Mr. Hunt sent Mr. Leo Staler on from New York to take my place and while he tried to be very nice about it, there was something about his attitude that didn’t ring true.” Mr. Hunt was also involved with Sosman & Landis finances, as Moses mentioned him in August 1920: “Mr. Hunt promised to send me a check for $700.00 on the 15^th of August.  I had to go without it, and received it in Colorado Springs after I had made all the arrangements for money to go with.  We left for the West August 19^th.”

The honeymoon phase of Moses’ return to Sosman & Landis had already worn off by summer. By the end of May Moses wrote, “The haggling and wrangling in the studio and office is certainly getting the best of me, and I will be glad when time comes for me to migrate to Clinton Street.” 

Moses must have migrated to the main studio on Clinton Street after returning from his summer vacation, August 19-Sept. 28. Upon his return, he wrote, “ It took me a few days before I was in the harness again, and working just the same as I did before I left two years ago.  Landis and I got out after business within a few days after my arrival and succeeded in landing a few good ones.  I started to do some painting but it did not last long, as I had too much other business to do.  I found the conditions altogether different from what I supposed them to be – too much overhead.  It will be awfully hard to keep up the output to balance it all.”

Sosman & Landis had flailed about for two years during Moses’ absence. Although he had returned, it was too late to resuscitate the dying company. He was trying to make the best out of a bad situation. But he was also returning home. His scenic career really started in the Clinton Street studio in 1880. He was there were Sosman and Landis built the space. He would be there when the firm left the space in 1923 too. Good or bad, it was everything familiar to him. At the end of 1920, Moses wrote, “I am pretty well satisfied with the result of this year’s work and I feel that changing back to Clinton Street was the best thing for me to do, as I really belong there, as my money will always be there unless the business is sold.” I have to wonder if he had any idea that the business would be sold in under three short years. He was 64 years old at the time.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1920, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “New models for an Indian decoration to be used in a Rock Island theatre.  Of course, a movie.  These were accepted by the owners and I know we can get something very effective out of it.” 

The Rock Island Theater has been one of the more difficult venues to track down, especially since there are multiple theaters named “Rock Island.” Does “Rock Island Theater” designate the name, location, or both name and location? There was an Illinois Theatre in Rock Island, Illinois.

If Moses installed the scenery at the Rock Island Theater in Venice, Illinois, it was possibly the same one noted at Cinematreasures.com, stating, “The Rock Island Theatre was operating as an African-American theatre between 1948 until at least 1955.” Here is the link: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/56291 It makes me wonder if the venue also opened as an African-American theatre.

In 1921, “The Julius Cahn-Gus Hill Theatrical Guide and Moving Picture Directory” included an “Index to Colored Theatres.” The beginning of the section notes:

“The following lists have been compiled within the past six month from information obtained in many ways. Since there has been no previous effort to list either attractions or houses the task has been rather difficult. The Guide is greatly indebted to M. C. Maxwell, former manager of the Liberty Theatre, Alexandria, La.’ The T.O.B.A.; the Comet Film Exchange of Philadelphia, the Micheaux Pictures Corporation and to Jackson of the Billboard for their kindly co-operation in collecting the necessary information. We make no pretense that the lists are complete, nor do we assure absolute freedom from inaccuracies, We do, however, present these results of painstaking effort with a view of serving the profession as much as it is possible with the information at hand, and with the object of encouraging additions and corrections that will make possible a complete and accurate tabulation of the theatrical interests of the group. Owners, managers and artists alike will be performing a distinct service to themselves by filing addresses and description of their interests with Julius Cahn-Gus Hill Theatrical Guide and Moving Picture Directory, thus enabling us to properly answer the many professional inquiries that come to us in your interest. List of theatres dependent upon colored patronage, either owned or operated for the race; with Negro population of cities where 1920 census were available, character of ownership and type of house, so far as has been ascertained:

KEY-W means white; O means ownership; C means colored; M means management; V means plays vaudeville or road shows; E means equipped for shows, but operated at present with pictures only; P means pictures only; D means drama.”

To be concluded…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1920, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “The Madam and I enjoyed Mrs. Fiske in “Nell of New Orleans” at Powers.  She was very fine.”

Mrs. Minnie Maddern Fiske starred as Aunt Nelly in “Nell O’ New Orleans.” Each act of the play was set in the garden of Miss Nell’s home in New Orleans. The second act was the same setting illuminated for the Mardi Gras at a dinner party. The final scene showed the same setting the morning after a violent storm. Some wonderful historic photos of Fiske are available at “Early History of Theatre in Seattle” – here is the link: http://seattletheatrehistory.org/collections/people/minnie-maddern-fiske

The show was quite popular in 1920 and 1921, both in North America and overseas. In England, it was Miss Irene Vanbrugh who played the part of Miss Nelly in this Creole drama.

In 1921, the “London Times” described the “Nell O’ New Orleans plot line (Feb 16, 1921, page 8): “This is a play of atmosphere and the players know it and see that you don’t forget it. They are liquidly and meticulously Creole. Their Creole idioms seem to melt in the mouth. The dishes on the table, they tell you, are carefully prepared à la Créole. They have coloured people to wait on then and coloured people to sing them ‘off.’ The scene is laid in an old garden ‘on’ St. Charles-street in New Orleans. You hear of ‘bayous.’

“So you are fully persuaded to be in Louisiana, where, it appears, anything may happen. For instance Aunt (pronounced ant) Nelly may come back from Paris with a fine stock of swear words to show that she is skittish and a stick to indicate that she is not so young as when Georges Durand broke off his engagement (in 1886), and she may tease the life out of that unhappy Georges Durand by suddenly putting on her old 1886 frock and looking maddeningly bewitching in it. Indeed, she overcomes more than her enemies. She fascinates Durand fils as well as Durand pére, and drived off at midnight with the youngster, giving out that she is going to marry him, although but a minute ago he was engaged to her niece Delphine. But she returns cramped and weary from that trip next morning (after driving into innumerable bayous) to bring the young couple together again and to bestow her own hand upon the sulky Georges Durand. There are many more details in this odd story, but need not trouble about them because in Louisiana is in the atmosphere and the liquid, lisping Creole idiom.

“At least, that would be our main interest, if it were not that Aunt Nelly is played by Miss Irene Vanbrugh, and played with an attraction that far surpasses that of any atmosphere or idiom whatever. Her vivacity, her sparkle, her roguery, her spirit of fun are quite irresistible, Whether she is hobbling with her stick as the mature aunt (and dropping inadvertent damns into her reticule) or reverting to the skittish matron of 1886, or returning from her innocent escapade with aching feet and sides pinched by her corset, or saying, as the mot de la fin ((when Georges Durand has asked is she came back from Paris to marry him), ‘I’m damned if I know him,’ she is the incomparable artist that we know. The house, delighted at the outset to see her back on her old stage, was more than delighted to find that she had come back with all her old art and her old charm. Mr. Hallard and Mr. Faber contribute conscientiously to the Creole atmosphere. Miss Helen Spencer and Mt. Jack Hobbs are pleasant enough as a young couple. But the audience clamoured for their enchantress, Miss Irene, and would not go away until she had made a little speech of thanks.”

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1920, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “A good order from Ingersoll for a lot of park work was very welcome.  I started it at once so as to be ready on him.”

That year, Ingersoll was involved with the construction of a new amusement park in Atlantic City, Rendezvous Park (Intelligencer Journal, 25 May 1920, 15). Rendezvous was built at a cost of $2,000,000 in 1921 by the Boardwalk Company. The property site was located in the heart of the big hotel district, near Ambassador, the Marlborough-Blenheim, and the Traymore. It had a frontage on the Boardwalk of 150 feet and a depth of 648 feet. The Pennsylvania Railroad unloaded passenger trains near the front entrance of the park, while the Reading and interurban lines were located only a black away.

Advertisements during the planning and construction of the park reported, “The construction will be handled by the Ingersoll Engineering & Construction Company, famous throughout the land for its work in this field. Notable examples of the craftsmanship of Ingersoll builders are to be found in all the greater American amusement parks including Riverview, Chicago; Euclid Beach, Cleveland; Kennywood, Pittsburgh; Chester, Cincinnati; White City, Chicago; Rever Beach, Boston; Hanlon’s Point, Toronto; Belle Isle Bridge Approach, Detroit; Idora, Oakland, Cal.; Venice, Los Angeles; Forest Park Highlands, St. Louis; Lakeside, Denver; Savin Rock, New Haven; and a great many other places throughout the country” (Pittsburgh Press, 24 May 1920, page 7). Here is a great article on Rendezvous Park: http://lostamusementparks.napha.org/Articles/NewJersey/RendezvousPark.html

Frederick Ingersoll (1876 – 1927) was an American inventor, designer, builder and entrepreneur. He created the world’s first chain of amusement parks. Ingersoll, was also known as “the father of the American roller coaster” (Des Moines Register, October 24, 1927, page 1). One of five brothers, Ingersoll started out as a designer, with Ingersoll Construction Company initially focusing on the “figure eight” coaster, scenic railways and Shoot-the-Chutes.

Moses first recorded working for Ingersoll in 1905. That year he wrote, “I had to go to Cleveland to put in a lot of old mill scenery at Luna Park” (see past post #493). Cleveland’s Luna Park operated from1905 to 1929. The park was located on a 35-acre site, bounded by Woodland Avenue, Woodhill, Mt. Caramel, and East 110^th Street. Ingersoll opened other Luna Parks across the country; all were independent from Frederick Thompson’s original Luna Park on Coney Island. However, Ingersoll replicated many of the famous attractions from Coney Island, such as the Old Mill ride, Fire and Flames, Coasting the Gorge, Trip to the Moon, miniature railways, the Circle Swing and Infant Incubators.

In 1906, Moses briefly partnered with Will Hamilton to produce scenery for attractions at Ingersoll’s Luna Park in Pittsburgh.  He wrote, “Did some designs for a Park in Pittsburg for my old partner Hamilton. I did them in black and white, rather effective” (see past post #554).

During Ingersoll’s lifetime, he owned and operated 44 amusement parks. However, it was not an easy ride. In 1908, Ingersoll declared bankruptcy and was forced to sell Luna Park in Cleveland. By 1911, the “Boston Globe” announced, “Frederick Ingersoll, well known throughout the country as an amusement proprietor, filed a voluntary petition in bankruptcy in the U.S. district court today.  His assets are three suits of clothes valued at $75 and liabilities are $179,668.94” (June 8, 1911, page 17). He never really bounced by from the financial instabilities associated with his amusement parks.

Tragically, Ingersoll took his own life in 1927.  Newspapers across the country reported that Ingersoll was found dead in a concession stand at Krug Park, Omaha.  Articles reported that the doors and windows were tightly closed, and an open gas jet filled the room with its fumes. The county coroner convinced that death was self-inflicted, held no inquest and Ingersoll’s suicidal act was attributed to ill health.

On April 28, 2019, the “Akron Beacon Journal” reported, “A historical marker dedicated Saturday in a ceremony by the Heinz History Center, American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) and the Pennsylvania Historical Society & Museum Commission notes the contributions of coaster builder and amusement park entrepreneur Frederick Ingersoll.” Here is a link to the rest of the article:https://www.newspapers.com/image/589458591/?terms=%22Frederick%2BIngersoll%22

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1920, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “My Sundays are all taken up with my oil work in my home studio, and I seem to have a more thorough understanding of the real nature of oils.  I have always hammered into the oil, same as I do with temper, I have so little time for this work that I get a bit discouraged.” 

Moses’ refernce to “temper” was distemper, or tempera painting. Dry pigments are made usable for painting by “tempering” them with a binding medium. As defined by Encylopedia Britannica: “The word tempera originally came from the verb temper, ‘to bring to a desired consistency.’ Therefore, tempera painting uses pigment ground in a water-miscible medium.”  However, the binding medium can vary. For example, egg can be used in tempera painting; here are directions for egg tempera: http://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/intro/tempera.html

19th and 20th century scenic artists used tempera painting for the stage, just with a different binder. They used animal glue (hoof and hide) instead of egg for stage paintings. The diluted animal glue provided a matte finish that worked well under the glare of stage lights, unlike other paints. Arriving in slabs or granules, water was added to the dried glue and then diluted prior to mixing with dry pigment paste. Like egg, once binder was added to the pigment there was a limited shelf life; the binder can quickly rot. Ideally, a scenic artist mixed fresh size every day.

Moses’ 1920 diary entry is his first commentary between oil and temper painting. Tempera was his preferred medium of choice; second nature as it was also used in the scenic studio.

His skill on the studio paint frame with the medium carried over to his fine art easel. By 1932, Moses wrote, “I should like nothing better than to be able to spend all my time on these tempera pictures which I painted from pencil sketches that are taken from all over the country.”

Keep in mind that Moses’ was a member of several fine art groups, including in Palette & Chisel Club (Chicago), Salmagundi Club (New York) and the Laguna Beach Art Association (California). He worked in various artistic media that included watercolor, oil, pen and ink, graphite and temper. Moses also had several art exhibitions over the years, with the most notable one occurring in Chicago during the fall of 1913.

In 1913, Moses wrote, “November 3^rd, I got all my framed pictures; oil, watercolor, pen and ink and lead pencil…. A great many of the members didn’t expect to see so many or as good pictures as I had the pleasure of showing there.  The amount of the sale went far ahead of what I thought it would.  It was pretty good for me, and up to this date it was the most ever sold at the one show.  I had 77 pictures on the walls, oil, water, temper, pen and ink, and pencil.  Maine to California.  That made it quite interesting.  I received some very flattering newspaper notices.  Mama and Rupert were responsible for the show, as I would have never gotten it up myself.  We opened with a reception, which was well attended.”

By 1930, Moses wrote, “Have made several trips on Saturdays to the mountains for oil sketches and have been partly successful.  Owing to the high winds, it is too hard to anchor my easel and umbrella.  I find I would rather work in distemper.  Not so mussy when I come to pack up.” Understandable as tempera painting uses water for clean-up, and does not require carrying a solvent.

Later in 1932 while working in McAlester, Oklahoma, Moses wrote, “Early in October, I was lucky in finding a wonderful place to sketch.  Kimball organ man, Coverly by name, used his car and took me to his place, nearly 30 miles from McAlester.  I found a subject from which I did a large distemper and presented it to the Temple for which they were highly pleased.”

In 1932, Moses was still working in both oil and tempera, writing, “Have an idea that I will attempt some oil pictures as well as tempera… I have done quite a number of tempera 15 x 20 pictures.  Hope to do something with them at the Blackstone Gallery here in Oak Park, where I will have an exhibit of my oils in the fall… I will get busy at once and get some of my tempera pictures in the eastern galleries.  I have written to galleries and to Pitt in Trenton; also Washington D.C., Fort Wayne, Indiana, Tacoma, Washington, and Pasadena, California, all of which are willing to give me space for a consignment of my water colors or tempera… Have received some very flattering notices of my tempera pictures that I have sent out.  I hope to sell some of them as they seem to please everyone.  But it is awfully hard for anyone to buy pictures when bread is needed.”

By the end of 1932, Moses wrote, “At seventy-six years of age, I am just as capable of painting, and have the proper amount of ‘pep’ to back up my ambition to turn out some picturesque bits, as I had fully forty years ago.  I will not live long enough to realize my fondest hopes of someday being recognized as a painter in oil, with an equal amount of ability as I have displayed in scenic painting.  I feel that my tempera pictures are appreciated by all, even the artists.  If I could get the same in my oils, I would be thankful. I will wait for tomorrow – maybe it will bring me the same plaudits that I have so often received in the theatre.  If not, I will pass on with the happy thought that I tried my best and lost.  It was a pleasure to have made the effort.”

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1920, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “A Burton Holmes’ lecture did not interest us as it should.” This piqued my interest as Moses seldom mentioned attending educational events.

Elias Burton Holmes (1870-1958) was a well-known American traveler, photographer, filmmaker, and lecturer. A Chicago-born personality, Holmes brought his distant travels home to American audiences across the country.  Some of his early twentieth century trips included South America, Europe, Russia, India, Ethiopia, and Burma.

Advertisement’s for Burton Holmes’ lectures included the caption, “To travel is to possess the world.” A 1917 Paramount Picture advertisement for Burton Holmes stated, “It isn’t any trick to fill your theatre now and then with a big star or special splurge in advertising – but You must be a shrewd and scientific manager to build up your business and keep your house filled and your expenses low. You can do this by demanding a star short reel. A star short reel is one with advertising possibilities, a nationally known name that draws a few new people to your house – not the kind that come to any picture house, but the kind who haven’t been going to pictures, the kind that have read Burton Holmes books or traveled. These pictures bring the limousines to your theatre door.” Other advertisements questioned, “Why fool along with just a scenic when you can have a personally conducted travelogue by the world-famous traveler BURTON HOLMES. You can advertise the name and attract business. A ‘star’ single reel is a priceless compared to the ordinary type. Make every picture ‘do its bit.’ Fillers cost you big money – good pictures are cheap. Satisfy and build with this great series.”

In 1920, Burton Holmes Travelogues included colored views and moving pictures of his trip to Europe in 1919.  By this time his lecture series included “Battlefields of France,” “Allies on the Rhine, and the Russian Empire’s Fall and Rise of the Bolshevists.

In 1920, “The Boston Globe” described “Allies on the Rhine,” reporting, “Last summer Mr. Holmes motored through the lovely Rhine Valley and also up the even more sweetly picturesque valley of the Moselle. Of course, the three cities which are the centers of Allied occupation receive especial notice on his screen – Mayence occupied by the French, Coblenz by “the Yanks’ and Cologne by the British. The comparison of the methods of control utilized by these three military forces is in itself a most interesting study, but besides this, the country and its people, especially the Prussians, give Mr. Holms a wealth of pictures and much serious thought” (25 Jan. 1920, page 58).

In 2004, 200 reels of Holmes’s documentary footage were discovered in an abandoned storage unit. They are now housed in the George Eastman House Film Museum.  Here is a 3.44 minute promo for Holmes educational series posted to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYW-Szvbh1c

For more information about Holmes visit Chicagology.com:https://chicagology.com/silentmovies/burtonholmes/

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In February 1920, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Went to St. Louis and closed the deal for $3,000.00 for the boardwalk show.” Upon his return to Chicago, he wrote, “I started a model for the board-walk show for a St. Louis party.  They want to put it up at the St. Louis Coliseum.” At the time Moses was working at the Chicago Studios and had painted scenery for a similarly themed event in Chicago. The St. Louis project was planned for the week of April 5 to 14.

On January 21, 1920, the “St. Louis Star and Times” announced, “For the first time since the world has been free of war and rumors of war St. Louis society women and girls are planning a great bazaar to be given at the Coliseum Easter Week…The entertainment will be in the form of an ‘Atlantic City Board Walk,’ something on the order of a recent bazaar given in Chicago. It will resemble the fashion show given at the Coliseum a year or so before America entered the war in 1917 and will be the first large affair disassociated from war charities of our own on other nations since 1915” (page 11). 

Of the Coliseum decorations, the article continued, “The interior of the great edifice will be draped to represent Atlantic City – with seas on one side, the boardwalk in the center and the booths and shops on the other side. There will be every sort of amusement afforded in the booths. Visitors may stroll in the fashionable parade up and down the bard walk or may ride in the chairs, which will be imported for the occasion from Atlantic City.”

The show was for the benefit of the teachers’ endowment funds at Washington University and Smith and Bryn Mawr Colleges.  The “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” noted, “An effort is being made through various means in all parts if the country to raise $4,000,000 for Smith College and $2,000,000 each for Bryn Mawr and Washington University. In the interest of this movement the ‘Board Walk’ entertainment has been given in a number of large cities. It is said to have netted more than $90,000 for the fund in Chicago recently” (20 April 1920, page 3).

Moses was intimately involved with the Chicago board walk, having also painted a large panorama for the event. Of his board walk design for St. Louis, the article continued, “Everything which can be accomplished with artificial scenery has been done to transform the interior of the Coliseum into a duplication of Atlantic City’s famous Board Walk. A canvas curtain of blue, representing the sky has been suspended all around the hall so as to cut off the view of tiers of seats and in front of the boxes there will be a setting representing the ocean. The board walk extending from one end of the arena to the other will be 42 feet wide, with sand on either side to simulate a beach.”

One week before the event, the “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” reported the arrival of scenic decorations for the Coliseum: “Three carloads of scenery will be required for the boardwalk spectacle to be given at the Coliseum next week for the benefit of the salary endowment fund for Washington University, Smith and Bryn Mawr College. The scenery, which represents the board walk at Atlantic City, arrived yesterday from Chicago. Fifteen carloads of sand will be used for the ‘beach.’ A number of pretty girls in bathing costumes will decorate the beach” (28 March 1920, page 56).

The event began on April 5 with a large Atlantic City board walk parade, consisting of thirty-five autos and floats that traveled through business streets. The “St. Louis Star” reported, “The walk itself is 42 feet long, and is flanked on each side with sand, to represent a beach. There will be a restaurant, amusement featured and a dance pavilion in addition to the shops” (page 3). The “St Louis Post-Dispatch” announced, “Carnival Crowd Fills Shops at Board Walk. Even most out-of-way booths at Coliseum do rushing business and record for one night’s receipts is apparently broken” (11 April, page 3). The newspaper article described, “Those who attended for the first time were surprised at the beauty of the show as a spectacle. The scores of girls in quaint and fetching costumes, the gay coloring of the shops and the artistic displays in some of them, the very largeness of the show, were impressive to many who saw it for the first time.

The largest source of revenue was from the advanced ticket sales of 28,000 tickets totaling $12,000. Program advertisement space bringing in an additional $9,200. On April 18, 1920, the “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” reported “Board Walk Receipts Count Passes $74,000.” It was the candy shop that ended up taking in the most money, $3,602.0” (page 3).

In the end it was successful, but quite a noisy affair. One reporter wrote, “But one thing that was everywhere – pervasive, baffling, unescapable- was noise. A band at each end of the place and an orchestra in the basement; the megaphone bellowing of amateur ballyhoo men; the constant querulous chorus of girls selling ice cream, flowers, face powder, toy balloons and chances on every kind of character of commodity form pearl necklace to a prize heifer, combined to make a veritable babel” (St. Louis Star, April 18, 1920).

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1920, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Binghamton, New York, work came in during February and proved to be a good contract.”  He was referring to the Strand Theatre on Chenago street in Binghamton, New York. When the theater opened that spring, the “Press and Sun-Bulletin” reported, “In the decorations some of some of the best artists in the country have been employed…The asbestos curtain is decorated to harmonize with the rest of the house. The drop curtain, of blue, is hand-painted to correspond in tone with the draperies. The scenery is all of the newest and latest design” (6 March 1920, page 12). A picture of the asbestos curtain was pictured alongside the article about the new theater.

Local headlines announced, “Theater Built in Record Time Despite Delays. Contractor Badgley Erects Strand in About Seven Months of Actual Work. Best Materials Are Used. Binghamton’s New Playhouse Is Absolutely Fireproof, Declares Builder” (“Press and Sun-Bulletin,” 6 March 1920, page 13). The article continued, “Work on the Strand Theater, Binghamton’s new playhouse, which will be opened on Monday, was begun on May 20, 1919, under the direction of A. E. Badgley, who has since had full charge of its construction.

“Inasmuch as the [work] was interrupted entirely for a month and partially for two weeks more by the contractor’s inability to get deliveries of steel, the theater was actually completed in approximately seven months’ working time. This constitutes a record of which both Mr. Badgley and the members of the company are rather proud.

“The celerity with which the work was done becomes even more surprising when it is realized that a large part of it had to be performed in the face of the most severe weather conditions in many years. Cold wave followed cold wave, but the builders early got the building enclosed and thereafter work proceeded almost as fast as it would have in Summer.

“The long wait occasioned by the none delivery of steel came in September and October and was due to conditions prevalent throughout the country. The contractor obtained his steel rather than more quickly than he had first expected, and the work thereafter went with a rush. But for the unavoidable delay the theater could have been opened by Christmas.

“Mr. Badgley said today that none but the best materials, steel, brick and concrete, were used in the building, and that it is absolutely fireproof.

An unusual feature is that no posts have been used anywhere in the auditorium. The balcony is supported by steel girders weighing18 and 20 tons, leaving a clear space everywhere in the auditorium.

“The seating capacity is given by the management as approximately 1,600.

“The ground dimensions of the theater are 134 by 60 feet and the height from the floor to the dome is 50 feet. The stage opening is 32 feet and the height to the top of the proscenium arch, 26 feet. The stage is ample in size for the most elaborate vaudeville offerings.

“In the construction of the building there was an unusual freedom from delays sometimes caused by error in the plans and the things overlooked. Aside from the delay arising from the difficulty in obtaining steel, everything went with great smoothness.

“Names of Builders. The following men and concerns furnished materials and workmanship for the theater: Contractor in charge of construction, A. E. Badgkey, Stone Opera House building; plumbing, Robert J. Malane, State Street; heating plant, Runyan & Ogden, Commericial Avenue; cement, J. W. Ballard company, Jarvis Street; draperies, Sisson Brothers-Welden company, Court Street.”

I am pausing to comment on the draperies credited to the Sisson Brother-Welden Company. The draperies mentioned were for the rest of the building and not the stage. Sisson Brother-Welden company was a local dry goods and supply store, not a theatrical manufacturing firm.

The article continued: “carpets and furniture, Sanitary Bedding and Furniture company, Chenago Street; roofing, Binghamton Slag Roofing company, State Street; signs, Georger F. Ullman company, State Street; hardware, Crocker & Ogden, Court Street; tinning, Sullivan & Brothers, State Street’ plaster work, Maltby & company, Corning; X-Ray Reflector company, 31 West 46^th street, New York City; automatic ticket sellers and cash registers. Automatic Ticket Selling and Cash Resgister company, 1737 Broadway, New York City; organ, Kimball Organ Company, Chicago; decorating, Gustave Brandt company, Chicago.”

Interesting that there is no individual note for the scenery and stage machinery, especially as the asbestos curtain my Moses was pictured alongside the article. However, the Strand primarily featured photoplays. The article concluded with, “The photoplays will be supplied by the following companies, Goldwyn Distributing Company, 200 Peral Street, Buffalo; Famous players-Laskey Corporation, 215 Franklin Street, Buffalo; Select Pictures Corporation, Franklin street, Buffalo; United Artists, 29 Seventh Avenue, New York City; First National Exhibitors, Inc., Franklin Street, Buffalo.”

Of particular interest to me was the X-Ray lighting system. On March 6, the “Binghamton Press” reported, “The lighting effect are obtained by means of the latest X-Ray system, used at present in only a few theaters in the United States. All the lights are concealed in ‘coves’ and are controlled by a dimming system so that they cannot only be dimmed or made to blaze brilliantly at will, but also to shed light of any color desired…On the ceiling are panels shaded in light fine delicate colors, and reaching entirely across the theater, above the proscenium arch, is a striking mural painting. This, like the other paintings, is lighted with battery of X-Ray lights in front of the balcony rail, making it stand out prominently. The dome, also beautifully decorated, is lighted with X-Ray lights which many be manipulated to create any color effect desired.” 

For future film features, the article continued, “The projection room is the back of the balcony and entirely out of the way. It is equipped with two of the latest Simplex projecting machines. These will be operated with direct current, which assures steady and flickerless pictures.”

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1920, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “The first of February we closed with Gatts for a $2,000.00 Katzenjammer Kids production.”

Moses had worked with Gatts on a few Katzenjammer Kids productions prior to 1920. In 1917, Moses wrote, “Closed a contract for two scenes with Gatts and Company, $825.00 for ‘Katzenjammer Kids.’  We hustled it out.” Later in 1917, Moses added, “Another order for Gatts and Company.”

This was actually Gazzolo, Gatts, and Clifford Inc., a production company that formed in the fall of 1916, filing corporation papers in Chicago, Illinois. The company copyrighted the Katzenjammer Kids by 1917 when the Katzenjammer show went on the road. By 1920 the Katzenjammer Kids, Hans and Fritz, were played by Henry and Pau Washer and noted as “miniature men of considerable ability” (Greenville News, 7 March 1920, page 6). Mrs. Ludwina Katzenjammer played the mother of “mama’s angel children” and William J. Hoyt portrayed the Captain. The scenery and costumeds were also highlighted in newspaper reviews.

The Katzenjammer Kids was a comic strip concerning two mischievous little German fellows, Hans and Fritz, first appearing in 1897. This comic strip was first turned into a stage play in 1903. In 1917, the Katzenjammer Kids was advertised as a “cartoon musical comedy” produced by Gazzolo, Gatts and Clifford. Hans, Fritz, Ma Katzenjammer, Der Professor, Der Captain and the other characters were featured in the production. Donald M. Bestor composed the music and Virgil M. Bennee choreographed the musical numbers. The play was staged in three acts, the first showing a hotel, the second a dock scene and the third the Hawaiian Islands. Of the 1917 production, “The Indianapolis Star” reported, “Particular care has been taken with the staging and costuming of the Katzenjammer Kids. The fashion plate chorus is gowned in various fetching evening gowns, all of which match harmoniously with the beautiful stage pictures and novel electrical effects” (15 March 1917, page 3).

Only the name was changed during the war years, when all things German were suspect. By 1920, the “Albany Democrat” commented, “How soon we forget. Already the name Katzenjammer Kids appears again. On account of prejudice, during the war, it was changed to the Shenanigan Kids” (6 Aug. 1920, page 4). On March 31, 1920, “The News and Observer” reported, “Hans and Fritz of cartoon fame and with whom every man, woman and child are acquainted either as ‘The Katzenjammer Kids,’ ‘The Katzies” or ‘The Shenanigan Kids,’ will present the latest edition of ‘The Katzenjammer Kids’ at the Academy  of Music this afternoon matinee and tonight. The offering is a delightful musical comedy with book and lyrics by John P, Mulgrew, and music by Donald H. Hester. Tunes of mellow deliciousness abound in this appealing comedy, and will rock with laughter at the mirth-provoking doings of ‘Hans and Fritz,’ the Captain and Mrs. Katzenjammer. Clean, healthful comedy, free from salacious and indecent, is a feature of the performance. A 99-year guarantee is handed out with every ticket that the performance will turn a sober, staid citizen into a twin cousin of St. Vitus or a Charley Chaplain” (Raleigh, North Carolina, page 7).

On August 30, 1920, the “Albany Democrat” reported, “The Katzenjammer Kids is a rapid-fire comedy of mirth and laughter. The beauty of feminine members of the company is enhanced by costumes and the latest designs. Twenty-three musical numbers are rendered during the action of the comedy High-class specialties and original novelties are agreeable features of the performance. It is the most enjoyable cartoon musical comedy of the season, and if you have a laugh left in your system, go and see ‘Hans and Fritz’ and their friends and be sure to take the kiddies for they know how to laugh” (page 4). By Nov. 15, 1920, “The Pantagraph,” announced, “Katzenjammer Kids is the most massively and magnificently mounted and costumed cartoon play ever produced. One of its features is the big fashion parade. The beauties of the chorus in the ensemble number are gowned in the latest feminine fashions that are up to the minutes, which will surely prove an interesting feature for the ladies” (Bloomington, Illinois, page 5). In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the “News-Journal,” noted, “The beautiful scenic pictures” of the Katzenjammer show (9 Dec. 1920, page 2).

To be continued…