Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
Sosman & Landis provided scenery for the show “Polly and Her Pals” in 1920. On Nov. 22, 1920, the “The Item” reported:
“Polly and Her Pals.
“Musical comedy has improved wonderfully in the past few years, but ‘Polly and Her Pals,’ the George M. Gatts production is the biggest step forward from an artistic musical standpoint, that musical comedy has seen in many months. The book was written by John P. Mulgrew, the author of many celebrated Broadway successes. The scenery is the work of Sosman & Landis, Gowns by Madames Hickson and Orange. It was staged by Virgil Bennett. Musical comedy depends on first a good book and then a good score, and in Hampton Durand, George M. Gatts secured a composer internationally famous. In ‘Polly and Her Pals’ will be found lilting airs from the pen of Mr. Harry Hume, and include ‘Underneath a Southern Moon,’ ‘In that Quaint Old Town of Algiers,’ ‘Little Miss Chatterbox,’ ‘A Wonder What Father saw at the Seashore,’ ‘Different Eyes,’ ‘That Typical Topical Tune,’ ‘The Polar Bear Shiver,’ ‘An Old Fashioned Bride,’ and ‘What a Wonderful Girl You Are.’” (Sumter, South Carolina, 22 Nov. 1920, page 6).
Like Gatts’ “Katzenjammer Kids” production, “Polly and Her Pals” was based on an American comic strip by cartoonish Cliff Sterett. Debuting as “Positive Polly” on Dec. 4, 1912, the comic strip’s title was changed to “Polly and Her Pals” by Jan. 17, 1913. “Polly and Her Pals” was the first single feature with the same characters to run six days a week and as a Sunday page (Hamilton Evening Journal, 21 Nov. 1925, page 24). The cartoon told the adventures of Polly, Delicia, Aunt Maggie, Ashur, Ma, Pa, the valet Neewah and the family Puss. Raleigh’s “News and Observer” reported, “The plot of Polly and Her Pals is the same that has been featured in the conventional musical comedy since the invention of that form of entertainment. The first act drags, as the first act of most such comedies do, but toward the finish a lot of pep is injected into the proceedings that leaves one with the impression that ‘Polly and Her Pals’ isn’t halfway bad. While it can’t be said that Polly and Her Pals ranks with the best attractions of musical comedy of the season, there is no doubt about the fact that the motto of the cast is ‘We strive to please,’ and that is at least something in favor of the production” (9 Nov. 1920, page 7).
Jean Irwin played the title role of Polly, with Clyde T. Kerr as the love interest, Francis Lieb, the ambassador from Hitchy Koo. Johnny Philliber and Clara Coleman played Pa and Ma Perkins.
To be continued…
