Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett, PhD, is an author, artist, and historian, specializing in painted settings for opera houses, vaudeville theaters, social halls, cinemas, and other entertainment venues. For over thirty years, her passion has remained the preservation of theatrical heritage, restoration of historic backdrops, and the training of scenic artists in lost painting techniques. In addition to evaluating, restoring, and replicating historic scenes, Waszut-Barrett also writes about forgotten scenic art techniques and theatre manufacturers. Recent publications include the The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture and Theatre (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2018), as well as articles for Theatre Historical Society of America’s Marquee, InitiativeTheatre Museum Berlin’s Die Vierte Wand, and various Masonic publications such as Scottish Rite Journal, Heredom and Plumbline. Dr. Waszut-Barrett is the founder and president of Historic Stage Services, LLC, a company specializing in historic stages and how to make them work for today’s needs. Although her primary focus remains on the past, she continues to work as a contemporary scene designer for theatre and opera.
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.”
The Julius Cahn-Gus Hill Theatrical Guide and Moving Picture Supplement, 1921
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
Mrs. Fiske from the Seattle Theatre History site.
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.”
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.”
Thomas G. Moses first worked for Frederick Ingersoll in 1905.
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.
Ingersoll Engineering & Constructing Co. was responsible for building Rendezvous Park.
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 110th 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.
Advertisement for Ingersoll’s Luna Park in Pittsburgh. From the “Pittsburgh Press,”18 June 1905, page 34.Shoot-the-Chutes in Luna Park
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
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
Dry pigment colors with dry hide glue in the center.Pigment powder before it is turned into a paste.Hide glue granules before water is introduced and it is heated to a liquid, then diluted for painting.
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.
My palette of dry pigment paste. The size water (diluted hide glue) is mixed with the paste on a palette when I paint.
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
3rd, 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.”
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.
Burton Holmes (1870-1958)
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.
Burton Holmes1917 Advertisement for Burton Holmes.1917 Advertisement for Burton Holmes.
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
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 St. Louis Board Walk Show parade, from the “St. Louis Star and Times,” 5 April 1920, page 3
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).
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.
Asbestos curtain at the Strand Theater by Thomas G. Moses, 1920.The Strand Theater in Binghamton, New York, 1920.
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.
Sisson Brothers Welden Company was a local store, not a theatrical manufacturing firm capable of producing painted scenes for the stage.
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 46th 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.”
X-Ray lights in front of the balcony rail at the Strand Theater in Binghamton, New York, 1920.
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.”
In 1920, Thomas G. Moses wrote,
“The first of February we closed with Gatts for a $2,000.00 Katzenjammer Kids
production.”
From the “Ridgewood Herald News,” Aug 13, 1920, page 6.Katzenjammer Kids scenery by Thomas G. Moses. From “The Courier,” 22 Aug, 1920 , page 6.
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.
From the “News and Observer,” March 30, 1920, page 17.
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).
From the “Evening News,” 26 Aug 1920, page 10.
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).
From the “Fort Worth Star Telegram,” 12 Sept 1920 page 58.
In 1920, Thomas G. Moses wrote,
“A big ball at the North Side Armory, given by Mrs. Howard Linn gave us a hard
job to put up, and we just did that and nothing else.”
Mrs. Howard Linn was in charge of the “Bal Surprise” in 1920. From the “Chicago Tribune,” 31 Jan. 1920, page 3.
This was another Chicago Studios
project supervised by Moses before his return to Sosman & Landis in April
2020.
Mrs. Howard Linn was a
well-known Chicago socialite, residing at 55 Cedar Street. Linn was involved with
many public charity endeavors, social pageants, and social organizations. In
1920 Linn was the chairman of the committee in charge of the Junior League ball
held on January 30, 1920, at the Second Field Artillery armory on Chicago
avenue and the lake. The feature of the
ball was a pageant, announced in the “Chicago tribune” on January 3, 1920 (page
15). This was the event that Moses was referring to in his memoirs.
From From the “Chicago Tribune,” 3 Jan. 1920, page 4.
On Jan. 25, 1920, the “Chicago
Tribune” reported, “The ‘Bal Surprise’ to be given on Friday evening by the
Junior League will be a sort of grand finale to the most brilliant social
season Chicago has had in many a year. Mrs. Howard Linn is in charge of the
arrangements for the ball, which gives promise of being one of the most
interesting affairs ever given here. The feature of the evening will be ‘tableau
vivants,’ in which a number of well-known matrons and maids will take part.
Herman Rosee, Randal Davey, Allan Philbrick, and Mr. Norton of the Art
Institute are assisting Mrs. Linn with the tableaux, the costumes, and the
decorations of the First Artillery armory, where the ball is to be held. Mrs.
J. Andrews King is co-chairman with Mrs. Linn, and the chairmen of the
subcommittees are as follows: Ushers, Miss Edith Cummings; tickets, Miss Caryl
Dunham; refreshments, Mrs. Frederick C. Letts; program, Mrs. Lowel Chapin;
music, Miss Emily Bisell; decorations, Mrs. Barney Goodspeed; costumes, Mr.
Thorne Donnelley, and boxes, Mrs. Frank Hibbard.”
On the day after the ball, the
“Chicago Tribune” reported, “’Bal Surprise’ Nets $12,000 for Charity” (Jan. 31,
1920, page 3). The article continued, “If it had not been for the modern dress
of the guests at the Junior League ‘Bal Surprise’ last night, one would have
imagined one’s self at a ball in a medieval castle. The first artillery armory,
the scene of last night’s revel, is of medieval architecture and the members of
the league, who acted as hostess, were gowned in the picturesque modes of those
days long ago. In long trained gowns with basques and tall pointed square headdresses,
they looked as if they had stepped out of the frames of old paintings of the
fourteenth and fifteenth century. They were divided into two groups, the
ushers, whose duty it was to see that everyone present enjoyed the party to the
utmost, and the cushion bearers, who between dances flung gaily colored
cushions on the floor so that the guests might be seated during the ‘tableaux
vivants,’ which were the ‘piece de resistance’ of the affair.
“The tableaux, seven in number,
were shown in a larger gilt frame which was hung at the end of the ballroom
behind curtains of star dotted midnight blue. Mrs. Howard Linn, chairman of the
ball, was assisted in arranging the tableaux by Abram Poole and by several
artists from the Art Institute, Randall Davey, Harman Rossé, Allan C. Philbrick
and John W. Norton. The backgrounds, which were particularly attractive were
painted by these artists and they also assisted Mrs. Thorne Donnelley in
designing the costumes. In the first tableau Mrs. John Andrews King and Mrs.
Morris L. Johnston, dressed in pastel shaded Grecian robes, posed as figures on
a Grecian vase. They were followed by Mrs. Rufus J. Zogbaum, Jr., who, with her
lovely auburn hair hanging loose, made a perfect Giorgione Madonna. Preceding
the next tableau, in which Miss Polly Carpenter, who is as dainty as a bit of
Dresden china, with a figure in an Arras tapestry. James L. Breeze, dressed as
a bird vendor with a big hoop on which his wares were perched around his hips,
danced a sort of clog dance. He was assisted by Miss Sylvia Shaw and Miss
Elizabeth Farwell, dressed as court ladies.
“Mrs. and Mrs. John R. Winterbotham
Jr., danced a gavotte as a prelude to the fourth tableaux, in which Mrs. David
Adler, attended by an Ethiopian slave, posed as a Van Dyck portrait. Preceding
the fifth tableaux, a Chinese screen, Mrs. Mitchell Hoyt sang a Chinese
lullaby, accompanied by Miss Louise Thorne on the mandolin. Miss Lucretia Green
and Miss Alice Bradely also were in this group. The figure son the screen,
which was one of the most interesting of the tableaux, were Miss Mary Rend,
Miss Mabel Linn and Mrs. Joseph T. Bowen Jr.
“Mrs. John Root as a figure in a
Persian print was next, and last was a Wedgwood plaque in which Mrs. Charles
Edward Brown, Mrs. Philip D. Armour III., Miss Gladys High, Miss Lois Kellogg, and
Miss Adelaide Pierce posed. Dressed in White robes, with their faces, necks,
and arms as white as plaster and their hair covered with white wigs, the group
made a base relief against a background of that wonderful Wedgwood blue, one of
the most effective and attractive of the pictures.
“The cardroom, or aviary,
so-called because it resembles a monstrous bird cage, was decorated with
tropical birds, vines and flowers, bright colored lights and awnings. Mrs. Charles
Barney Goodspeed was chairman of the committee in charge of decorating the
building.
“Miss Edith Cummings, Miss
Elizabeth Martin, and Miss Betty Quick were dressed as heralds and carried
horns, with which they summoned the guests to the ballroom of the tableaux…a
buffet supper was served during the evening in the lounge.
“The proceeds amounted to about $12,000,
and will be devoted to charities to which the league annually contributes,
including St. Luke’s hospital, the Visiting Nurse association, the Juvenile
Protection association, the Infant Welfare society, Practical Housekeeping
centers, the Mary Bartlme club, the Mental Hygiene society, the Legal Aid
Society, the United Charities, the Park Ridge Home for Girls, the Fort Sheridan
beach fund, and the Fort Sheridan Christmas fund.”
The monetary equivalent of
$12,000 in 1920 is $153,836.40 today.
The tableaux backings were produced
under the supervision of artists from the Art Institute, including Poole,
Davey, Rossé, Philbrick and Norton. Moses and many scenic artists were also members
of the Art Institute. My research suggests that the tableaux were produced at
Chicago scenic studios, as the scenic artists had paint frames large enough to
produce scenery for the event, unlike most fine artists.
From the “Chicago Tribune,” 7 May 1920, page 101.From the “Chicago Tribune,” 17 Feb. 1920, page 3.
I return to the life and times
of Thomas G. Moses after a two-week break. The research, writing, and painting
didn’t stop during the past fourteen days, just all of my online activities.
This was my first significant pause since my blog in September 2016; I was
overdue.
In 1920, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “The Kramer Theatre of
Detroit gave us quite a good-sized order which came in very handy.” The Kramer
Theatre was a sizeable venue, boasting 1,732 seats.
Entrance to the Kramer Theatre in Detroit, Michigan.
At the time, Moses was working
for Chicago Studios and work was only trickling into the shop. Although WWI had ended, a recession had also started
at the beginning of 1920. This slowed
many theater projects but did not stop them all; the Kramer included.
The Kramer Theatre was located
at 5741 Michigan Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, and named after a very successful
Detroit businessman – Herman Kramer, Sr.
Herman Krame. Sr. and sons.
In 1922, Herman Kramer was
included in “The City of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922.” Compiled by Clarence
Monroe Burton, Kramer was one of many individuals recognized for their contribution
to the city (City of Detroit, 1922, page 386). Of Kramer, Burton wrote, “Herman
Kramer is the president of the firm Herman Kramer & Sons, furniture dealers
of Detroit, and owners of the Kramer Theatre, which has recently been completed
and constitutes one of the most attractive and modern amusement houses of the
city.”
H. Kramer & Sons advertisement in the “Detroit Free Press,” 9 Dec 1923, page 66.
Kramer was born on February 11,
1868, to parents Edward and Frederica (Heinman) Kramer. The couple arrived in
America during the 1880s and settled in Detroit. Edward was in the lumber
business. Herman began in the wallpaper hanging trade. He continued in that
line and established his own business by 1893. Burton described, “His patronage
steadily grew, and success attended his efforts. This constituted the initial
step towards his present line, for after a time he added to his establishment a
stock of furniture and has developed his business into one of the most
successful furniture houses in the city. He has at times been most progressive
and enterprising in his methods, the attractive line of furniture which he
carried enabled him to meet every demand of the trade and he has outfitted many
of the attractive homes of Detroit. He has also completed a fine structure
known as the Kramer building, containing tea stores and offices with apartments
above. The building is one of the valuable pieces of business property in that
part of the city an occupies an entire block front on the southwest corner of
Michigan avenue and Greusel street, and contains the Kramer Theatre, the second
largest playhouse in Detroit. The theater, which is conducted as a vaudeville
house for high-class theatrical performances and the better clean motion
pictures, is thoroughly modern in all its appointments, seating over
two-thousand people.”
Kramer passed away the same year as Thomas G. Moses, in 1934.
Kramer’s obituary reported, “Herman Kramer, founder of the Kramer Furniture
Co., and widely known in business and Masonic circles here for almost half a
century, died Friday at his home, 5711 Michigan Ave. Born in Magdeburg,
Germany, 68 years ago he came to Detroit when he was 16 years old. Forty-two
years ago, he founded the furniture company bearing his name, located at the
same building with his home. Later another store at 7665 Gratoit Ave. was opened.
The Michigan Ave. store was discontinued about a year ago. He was also the
owner of the Kramer Theater, 5731 Michigan Ave., and the entire block in which
his home and theater are located. Mr. Kramer was a member of Union Lodge, No.
3, F.&A.M.; Peninsular Chapter, R.A.M.; the Michigan Sovereign Consistory,
and Moslem Temple of the Shrine. He is survived by his wife Elenore and two
sons, Walter and Herman, Jr.” Detroit Free Press, 27 April 1934, page 20).
Kramer was remembered as “one of the pioneer businessmen in
the Junction-Michigan Aves. Section and was in the furniture business there for
more than 30 years” (Detroit Free Press, 27 Nov. 1935, page 24). Herman Kramer
& Sons had a store on the east side at 1697 Gratoit Ave. and on the west
side at 1609 Michigan Ave. (“Detroit Free Press,” 21 Nov. 1920, page 15).
The Kramer Theatre in Detroit, Michigan. From www.cinematreasures.org Here is the link: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/4121From www.cinematreasures.org Here is the link: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/4121 From cinematreasures.org: “Renovations occurred in 1938 when Michigan Avenue was widened, making it necessary to alter some of the Kramer Theatre building that included a portion of the auditorium. It was at this time that the exterior was also dramatically changed to reflect a more modern and streamlined appearance. The reopening of the Kramer Theatre was on February 11, 1939.” Here is the link: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/4121
