There are thousands of productions with scenery delivered
by Sosman & Landis that were not recorded by Thomas G. Moses in his memoirs.
In 1919, new scenery for the “Let’s Go Peggy” was designed and delivered by
Sosman & Landis and Kansas City Scenic Co. The two firms had partnered
together on many projects, including the scenery for the Elks’ Opera House in
Leadville, Colorado in 1901.
The “Topeka Daily Capital” reported, “a carload of
scenery is being built in Chicago for the production and will be received here
in time for the stage rehearsal scheduled for next Monday night” (20 Oct. 1919,
page 6).The setting for the first act was in Madrid and the setting for the
second act was in Palm Springs.
The “Topeka Daily Capital” reported, “’Let’s Go Peggy Will Be A Home Grown Production By James A. Darnaby” on October 13, 1919 (page 6). Here is the article in its entirety: “’Let’s Go Peggy’ arrived in Topeka yesterday with James A. Darnaby and his corp of assistants who will direct the production of the fall show for the Elks. Mr. Darnaby has written the show expressly for the Topeka Elks to include several features not unusually written into a play of this character. In it are incorporated part of the original draft of ‘Janitor James’ and ‘Who Do You Love.’ He will open the same show with a professional company in Chicago January 1.
’Let’s Go Peggy’ starts in Spain where Major Hamilton,
member of a socially prominent family is about to leave for America. A stunning
and very rich widow desire to marry him. His son, however objects to the match,
likewise, her daughter. To overcome their objections the elderly couple agree
with the youngsters that if the son and daughter don’t marry they must not
stand in the way of papa and mamma marrying.
The second act includes a minstrel oleo sketched in as the performance of a blackface glee club at a charity ball in Spain and the cast requires about thirty blackface comedians. Mrs. Anne Saunders Darnaby has written all of the music.
Madame Chenault will arrive Tuesday to direct the ballets
and Miss Helen Runyan, musical director, will direct the choruses.
The first rehearsal will be held Tuesday and Mr. Darnaby
will confer with the entertainment committee of the Elks’ club this morning
with regard to a selection of the cast. The performance will be given at the
Grand, October 28, 29 and 30.
Miss Runyan is staying with her aunt, Mrs. James Cannon,
who is in Topeka with her husband, James Cannon, who is superintending the
contract for building the East Sixth Street concrete road.
Everything which goes with the show will be new. The
Kansas City Scene Co. is building a complete set of scenery for the entire show
and Lester o Chicago, is making new costumes for the parts.”
Later advertisement would note that scenery for the show
was provided by “Sosman & Landis, Chicago, and Kansas City Scenic Co.,
Kansas City” (Washburn Review, 22 Oct. 1919, page 3).
From the “Washburn Review,” 22 Oct. 1919, page 3.
On October 25, 1919, the “Topeka State Journal” reported,
“Delegations of Elks from all over the state will see the opening performance
of ‘Let’s Go Peggy’” (page 6).
“Lets Go Peggy” continued to be a success at Elks’ venues
over the years. The show went on tour to other Elks theaters over the years. On
March 24, 1922, the “Ottawa Herald” reported the show was “declared by many to
have been the best home talent production ever presented “in Ottawa, Kansas (page
4). J. A. Darnaby and Anne Saunders Darnaby were still traveling with the
production that involved thirty locals.
In 1917, Thomas G. Moses wrote,
“Closed with Joe Bren for $900.00, first part, and some front drops.” Joe Bren was a minstrel show performer and producer.
His company, the Joe Bren Production Company, was a Chicago-based theatrical
company that partnered with fraternities and civic groups to stage fundraising
shows. Company representatives traveled from town to town, working with local
talent to organize minstrel reviews and other types of follies. They functioned
as the producers, directors and performers for each project, providing
instruction and all of the technical trappings. In 1917, Sosman & Landis
provided scenery for a Joe Bren show that premiered in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The Joe Bren Production Company staff
traveled across the country, helping stage shows that featured local talent. In
1917, the “Marion Star” announced that the Joe Bren Producing company was
presenting an Elks’ Charity minstrel show that November (Marion, Ohio, 12 Oct.
1917, page 12). The article reported, “The scenery is also new and used for the
first time in Kenosha.” The Kenosha Lodge of Elks in Wisconsin presented the
“Jollies of 1917” at the Rhode Opera House in October, advertising that is was
“no mere minstrel show” (“Kenosha News,” 6 Oct. 1917, page 3). It was to be a
“clever mélange of vaudeville, musical comedy and minstrelsy.” The Marion Elk representatives
traveled to see the show as guests of Joe Bren. What a smart move on Bren’s
part.
In Kenosha, a hundred members of
the Elks Lodge were “drafted” to take part in the program led by Joe Bren and
Ralph Hamilton, another company representative (“Kenosha News,” 14 Sept. 1917,
page 3). Fifteen young women were included in the second part of the show as
guests in the resort hotel scene (Kenosha News, 2 Oct. 1917, page 8). In the
big patriotic finale, the United States and the Allies were represented by
“gorgeously costumed young men and women.”
It was the introduction of this patriotic element to Bren productions
that likely prompted the need for new scenery by Sosman & Landis. Of the
painted settings, the “Kenosha News,” reported, “Scenery and costumes will be
the finest possible to be turned out by expert scenic artists and costumers in
the windy city of Chicago, and they do say that among its three millions there
are those who can do ‘some’ turning out of the aforementioned articles” (6 Oct.
1917, page 3).
Sosman & Landis provided scenery for the Joe Bren production Co. in 1917. The new scenery premiered in Kenosha, Wisconsin. From the “Kenosha News,” (Kenosha, Wisconsin) 6 Oct. 1917, page 3.Sosman & Landis provided scenery for the Joe Bren production Co. in 1917. The new scenery premiered in Kenosha, Wisconsin. From the “Kenosha News,” (Kenosha, Wisconsin) 6 Oct. 1917, page 3.
Horace Tabor’s financial fall in the 1890s resulted in the
sale of his two prized possessions, opera houses in Leadville and Denver. The Tabor Opera House in Leadville briefly
became known as the Weston Opera House before J. H. Herron purchased it. Herron
immediately sold the property to the Benevolent and Protected Order of Elks who
renovated it. The fraternal organization
began a massive building renovation in 1901. The $25,000 renovation by the Elks
included a new stage with fly loft and enlargement of the auditorium. There
were also many cosmetic changes made to the interior décor that included an
elk’s head mounted on the proscenium wall. Gone was the original painted décor and
characteristic of the 1870s theater.
The 1902 scenery collection delivered to the Tabor Opera House included at least six interior sets: two center door fancies, two plain interiors, a prison, and a Baronial Hall. Over the years, I have encountered dozens of examples of interior settings, especially in social halls and smaller venues. However, I have never encountered any on such an elaborate setting as at the Tabor Opera House. Not all interior sets at the Tabor Opera House are of the same quality, being produced by two different studios. The green gothic interior and yellow center door fancy are some of the best scenic art examples that I have encountered to date. They are products of Sosman & Landis, a firm subcontracted by Kansas City Scenic Co. in 1902.
1902 setting at the Tabor Opera House painted at the Sosman & Landis studio in Chicago, subcontractor of the Kansas City Scenic Co.1902 setting at the Tabor Opera House painted at the Sosman & Landis studio in Chicago, subcontractor of the Kansas City Scenic Co.
Both firms shared work and artists over the years, but in was F. R. Megan, the Kansas City Scenic Co. salesman, who secured the Leadville contract.
Kansas City Scenic postcard.
I am going to start F. R. Megan. Frederick Rishel
[sometimes noted as Richell]
Megan was born in Galesburg, Illinois on May 5, 1873. His father was Dr. John W. Megan, an Irish immigrant, and his mother was Cornelia Wookey, a native of New York; they were married in 1871 in Knox, Illinois. [I have to admit, reading “Cornelia Wookey” makes it difficult not to think about “Star Wars”].
The first mention of Frederick R. Megan is in an 1896
Kansas City Directory; his listing notes “trvlg” [traveling] and rmg [rooming]
at 1021 McGee. In 1897 Megan was performing and touring with the Barrett
& Barrett Company (“Leonardville Monitor,” Leonardville, Kansas, 2 Dec.
1897, page 8). By 1900 the US Census lists Megan’s wife as Thenia Jones, born
in Carroll, Arkansas around 1877. The couple was married in Jackson, Missouri,
on April 14, 1898, likely while Megan was touring. The transition from
performance to technical theater is not a great leap, as many 19th
century touring companies required their performers to complete backstage
tasks, including scene painting. Jesse Cox is only one example of a performer
who ended up enjoying a successful career as a scenic artist.
On July 19, 1900, Fred and Thenia
Megan celebrated the birth of their daughter, Anabel L. Megan; all were living
in Kansas City, Missouri.
Megan continued to appear in the Kansas City Directory
until 1918, with his first listing as Kansas City scenic Co. salesman in 1903.
However, we know that he was already with the company in 1901, as newspapers
published his association with the firm.
From “The Kansas City Catholic,” 6 July 1892, page 2.
In 1903, however, Megan established his residence at 507
Monroe, where he would continue to reside from for over a decade before moving
to 4136 Warwick Boulevard. Although he continued to be listed as a traveling
salesman for the Kansas City Scenic Studio Co. by 1920, Megan was listed as
Government Supervisor. Many scenic artists worked for the government on
painting projects during WWI, especially in regard to the development of
camouflage painting. The 1920 US Census listed Megan and his wife Thenia as
living a 16th Street in Washington, D.C., although Kansas City
Directories still included their entry.
Megan’s 1918 WWI draft registration card describes him as
tall and medium build, with blue eyes and grey hair. He was 45 years old at the
time. On his draft card Megan listed his occupation as traveling salesman for
the Kansas City Scenic Co,, located at 24th and Harrison Streets in
Kansas City, Missouri.
And then there is Megan’s connection to Thomas G. Moses.
After the death of Joseph S. Sosman in 1915, Sosman & Landis stockholders elected
Moses company president. He was a gifted artist and charming salesman, but was
not intricately connected to the same theatre and Masonic networks as his
predecessor. The company started to slip, losing projects to smaller companies
with the necessary connections. In the post-WWI years, Moses began to realize that
Sosman & Landis would not survive. By 1923, Moses wrote, “On our
return to Chicago we had a little chat with Fred Megan about buying into the
company and getting Hoyland and Lemle out. D.S. Hunt is also bobbing about for
the lease of the studio.” It is this
connection with Megan that has always peaked my interest. Megan was the consummate salesman, having
entered the studio scene early in his career. The opera house in Leadville was
one of his first big projects for Kansas City Scenic Co. that brought in Sosman
*& Landis as a subcontractor.
In 1923, Megan and Moses teamed up and leased the old Fabric
Studio in Chicago while they waited to purchased the Sosman & Landis name.
By 1924, Megan was on the road most of the time, with Moses making models in
his studio and painting scenery. This is how Sosman & Landis had most
successfully operated since the beginning- with Landis on the road and Sosman
in the studio. Now Megan was on the road and Moses was in the studio.
Moses and Megan would close the contract
for the Salt Lake Consistory scenery [Scottish Rite] during 1926. They would
also deliver scenery to the Oakland Scottish Rite in 1927 under the name of “Sosman
& Landis.” Moses and Megan continued working together until 1931. In 1933,
Megan was listed as the Sosman & Landis manager in Chicago, residing at 819
Dobson in the Evanston, Illinois, Directory.
At the time of Megan’s passing on April 16, 1946, his “usual
occupation” was listed as that of a “paint contractor.” At the time of his
death, he was married to Edith Wilkson and was living in La Joya, Texas. The
cause of his death was a heart attack.
For additional installments, go to www.drypigment.net
The opening of the Tabor Opera House
in Leadville, Colorado, made news across the country. Even in Camden, New
Jersey, the “Morning Post” reported, “Two years ago [Leadville] contained a
half dozen log cabins, and to-day it is the second city in the State, with a
population of 30,000, and doing an immense mercantile business, having finely
laid out streets, and some very large buildings, the finest of which, just
completes, is the Tabor Opera House, costing $30,000, besides four other
theatres, all doing a good business. There are five first class hotels.” (24
Nov. 1879, page 1). With five theaters in town, even if there was only one “legitimate”
one, each stage still needed some type of scenery or backing.
The Tabor Opera House in Leadville became part of the Silver Circuit. This advertisement was published in the premiere issue of Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide, 1896.
The earliest mention of the Tabor
Opera House in any American theatrical guide appears in 1882, “Jno. B. Jeffery’s
Guide and Directory.” Less than five years old, the Tabor Opera House was
listed in the guide as one of three theaters in Leadville, alongside the
Academy of Music and the Grand Central Theatre.
The Academy of Music opened on March 28, 1881 and listed a seating
capacity of 859 and “full stock of scenery.” There were no specifics given
about the Tabor Opera House other than a seating capacity of 1,000 (page 12). By
1889, the entry was altered to note that the Tabor Grand Opera House “seats
750. A. H. Andrews’ opera chairs.” Jeffery’s Guide only provided limited
information, so I checked out the other theatrical guides.
Harry Miner’s American Dramatic
Directory for the Season of 1884-1885 gave a little more information about the
Tabor Opera House. This listing was published only five years after the venue was
built, noting that the size of the stage was 34’ x 60 feet and the proscenium
opening was 17’-0” high by 23’-0” wide. The height from the stage to grooves
was 16’-0” and the height from stage to rigging loft was 19’-0.” There were
twelve sets of scenery credited the scenic artist “Burkey, of the Tabor Grand,
Denver.” It was actually Henry E. Burcky, the scenic artist who created scenery
for Tabor’s second theater – the Tabor Grand Opera in Denver, Colorado. Burcky
did not live in Colorado, he was simply an itinerant artist with permanent
residence was in Chicago.
By 1896 the Tabor Opera House had
changed hands and was known as the Weston Opera House. It was listed in Julius
Cahn’s Theatrical Guide for the 1896 season, noting a seating capacity of 900,
but no mention of a scenic artist. The width of the proscenium was listed as
20’-0 wide, with 57’-0” between side walls and 47’-0” between girders. The
grooves were still listed as a height of 16’-0”, with stage to rigging loft at
19’-6”; not much had changed beyond cramming more people into the auditorium. The
listing noted five grooves for the stage. These measurements would remain
constant until the opera house was renovated in 1901.
When the Leadville Elks purchased
and renovated the building in 1901, the stage house was dramatically
enlarged. Now known as the Elks Opera
House, the proscenium width greatly increased from 20’-0” wide to 30’-0” wide.
The height increased from 16’-0” to 24’-0”. The original height of 19’-0” to
the rigging loft increased to 50’-0” and a fly gallery was added at 22’-0.”
This necessitated the replacement of original scenery, consisting of wings,
shutters, and roll drops, with fly scenery. Theatrical directories after 1902 specified
“no grooves.”
Over the years, there were at least three
scenery collections delivered to the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado: 1879,
1888, and 1902. I am going to try and examine
the various scenery installations and theatrical manufacturers over the next
few posts.
When the Tabor Opera House opened in
1879, the “Chicago Tribune” included an article about Leadville, Colorado (24
Dec, 1879, page). In the section titled “ Legitimate Drama,” the article
reported, “It has often been asserted that in Leadville only the low variety
shows could flourish, and that a first-class theatre could not be supported.
Lieut. Gov. Tabor, W. H. Bush, and others of our leading citizens, having a
better faith, accepted the challenge, erected a substantial and ornate
building, supplied it with all the required fixtures and appliances, seated it
with the latest improved opera chairs from the shops of you’re a. H. Andrews
& Co., and finally engaged a first-class company, marshaled by Colorado’s
favorite actor, J. S. Langrishe, and, with the genial Lou C. Leonard as
treasurer, they opened it several weeks ago. Full houses have ever since
greeted the players, and endorsed the enterprise. The auditorium, without
having the florid gildings of many Eastern cities, is neat, graceful, and
complete, – the only defacement being a picture of Gov. Tabor over the drop
curtain, which is rather a caricature than a portrait.”
Evelyn E. Livingston Furman
describes the 1879 scenery and drop curtain in her book, “The Tabor Opera House.”
Furman moved to Leadville in 1932 and took a great interest in the history of
the theater and Tabor family. However, she was not a scenic artist nor theatre
professional. She may not have
accurately dated all of the scenery while documenting it. Furman describes the composition
of the 1879 front curtain as a “glorious” mountain scene with castle on a hill,
stream at the mountain base and a road winding away to a distant canyon. This
was a common composition for the time. The only missing elements not described
my be an ornate frame around the central composition, painted draperies and
center medallion of some sort to identify the location, or a cameo. She further
described that at the top the scene was a life-sized portrait of Horace Tabor,
which correlates to the “Chicago Tribune” article’s mention of his portrait.
Now this is where I begin to disagree with the published history. Furman credits J. B. Lamphere, as the creator of the piece and comments that he was a prominent New York and Philadelphia artist, and “one of the most prominent artists in the west.” I have not been able to uncover any mention of a well-known scenic artist named Lamphere to validate any of her statements. In fact, Lamphere is the first scenic artist that I have been unable to track down at all. I have not located him in theatrical guides or newspaper articles, which is extremely odd. In the 1870s and 1880s, scenic artists made top billing in newspapers and programmes. If Lamphere enjoyed any notoriety, especially in the major East Coast cities, there would be some mention of him. Who I did find connected with the manufacture of scenery for the Tabor was Henry E. Burcky. More on him tomorrow.
Detroit’s Temple Theatre between the Opera House and the Elk’s Building.Detroit’s Temple Theatre.
Sosman & Landis delivered scenery to Detroit’s Temple
Theatre in 1908 and 1915. The Temple Theatre was not a Masonic structure, but a
performance space constructed by the Benevolent and Protected Order of Elks for
both public and private performances (BPOE).
The Elks Temple and Temple
Theatre opened on Dec. 23, 1901. The entertainment complex originally hosted
the Wonderland Theatre Company and curiosity museum of oddities. John Scott designed
he building, with Col. J. M. Wood designing the 1500-seat theater. It was
located next door to the Detroit Opera House, on the north side of Monroe
Street in the Campus Martius area.
The Detroit Opera House and the Temple Theatre to the right.Interior of Detroit’s Temple Theatre.
In 1908, the Temple Theatre
closed for three weeks during July to complete the renovation of the theater
space. The “Detroit Free Press” described the imminent renovation plans in an
article in July 2 (page 7):
“The Temple theater will close
at the end of the week to permit decorators to transform the interior. The work
will take three weeks, artists working in two shifts, night and day. When the
theater is thrown open to the public, Monday afternoon, July 27, the many
patrons will marvel at the transformation.
It is said that the decorations, with carpets, tapestries, drop curtain
and incidentals will cost in the neighborhood of $20,000. The entire decorations will
be in the Italian Renaissance period, and William Wright company has guaranteed
Manager J. H. Moore the richest vaudeville theater interior in this country.
The ceilings and cornice work will be in light Italian blue and ivory, this
scheme being carried throughout. The proscenium boxes will be draped with rich
brocatelle hangings of light blue, with heavy cords and tassels, and fine old
Roman gold chairs will replace the mahogany ones now in use. Artists and designers have
been at work on the preliminary plans for the last three months, and all that
is left now is to complete the actual work. The carpets have been made from a
special design by the decorators, and Sosman & Landis, the scene painters
of Chicago, are in consultation with the William Wright artists carry out in
the new drop curtain, to cost $1,000, the color scheme of the auditorium. The double baize doors,
leading from the foyer to the right proscenium boxes will be replaced with
Roman gilt and gold plate glass doors, with gold columns. New and beautiful
electrical effects will be seen in the ceiling of the foyer. On account of the reopening
of the Temple falling the revival of the famous Blue Ribbon meeting in Detroit,
the bill of vaudeville for that week will be designated the “Blue Ribbon” bill.
It will contain the names of artists, not the least of whom will be Loie
Fuller, the celebrated fire dancer. The Temple Theater has not been closed, summer or winter, since
it was thrown open to the pubic eight years ago. The many hundreds of patrons who have
reserved their seats throughout the seasons will call for them during the week
preceding the opening when the regular sale will go into effect.”
The “Detroit Free Press” described the 1908 drop curtain by
Sosman & Landis in detail: “Beyond all this the proscenium arch a mass of
burnished gold and set within like a picture in its frame is the new drop
curtain – a splendid thing the product of Sosman & Landis scenic studios in
Chicago. It pictures an old Italian
garden, the spirit of the joy-seeking Renaissance caught here in every other
part of the theater. Here too the
predominating note is blue with only the suggestion of green in the foliage and
a hint of old rose in the costumes of the grand dames, which lend the desired
touch of life to the stately old garden.
It’s all brightly beautiful and happy thought and ideal as a playhouse
should be, and proves with subtle insistence that those responsible for it are
artists in a very substantial and satisfying sense” (July 26, 1908, page 7).
I recently discovered another article pertaining Sosman
& Landis scenery delivered to Detroit’s Temple Theatre in 1915. The new
scenery was for the reopening of the redecorated theater on July 19. My fourth-grade German classes and Google
translate helped me understand the gist of the German article in “Detroiter
Abend-Post.” However, I still needed help and turned to my friend Art de Hoyos.
Below is the translation of what was published in “Detroiter Abend-Post” on July
11, 1915 (page 12):
“English stage. Temple
Theatre. This popular Vaudeville house will remain closed this week, but next
week it will be reopened with new outfitting, and a few years will pass before
the theater has to be temporarily closed again. Certain repairs and
improvements were urgently needed in the theater room, but they will be
completed later this week, so that nothing will stand in the way of reopening
on July 19. The American Seating Co. was entrusted with the contract for the
delivery and laying of new carpets in the parquet and the so-called ‘mezzanine
floor.’ New scenery for the stage will be supplied by the well-known theater
company Sosman & Landis Co. Chicago. The Temple Theater will reopen with an
exceptionally rich, good program.”
Temple Theatre article in the “Detroiter Abend-Post” (Detroit, Michigan), 11 July 1915, page 12.
I also found a newspaper advertisement pertaining to the old
chairs being removed from the Temple Theater in 1915. The opera chairs were listed for sale in the
“Detroit Free Press” on June 6, 1915 (page 30). The listing announced,
“Attention, Theatre Managers. THEATRE CHAIRS FOR SALE CHEAP. All parquet and
balcony seats now in use in Temple Theatre must be sold to make room for new
seats to be installed soon. CHANCE OF A LIFETIME. Inquire Temple Theatre
Offices.”
Miller & Draper’s Minstrels advertisement published in the “Olney Democract,” 12 Nov 1914 page 5.
“Lives there a man with soul so dead
Who never to
himself hath said:
Both for my own and family’s sake
A bit of
min-strel-sy I’ll take?”
(Published in the “Billings Gazette,” April 12, 1914, page
1).
Miller & Draper’s Minstrels advertisement published in the “Billings Gazette,” 12 April 1914, page 17.Draper & Miller advertisement in the “Billings Gazette” 5 April 1914 page 14.
In 1914, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Closed
a contract September 29th with Chas. Kohl for Academy of Music work,
$2,234.00. A big minstrel first part for
Miller and Draper. Came out very good –
something entirely new.” I believe that Moses was referring to the first part
of Draper and Miller’s show as part of the Elks Minstrel Show (Billings
Gazette, April 12, 1914, page 1).
On April 12, 1914, the “Billings
Gazette” announced, “This year’s Elks Minstrel To Be Best Performance Ever
Staged in the City” (page 1). The production was advertised as “Fast and snappy
show replete with up-to-date features is assured theatre-goers next Wednesday ,
Thursday and Friday evenings. The article reported, “Miller & Draper of New
York city, under whose direction this show is presented and who so ably served
the local lodge two years ago, are the best known producers in the business. For
twelve years they have been staging the annual Elk’s Minstrels over the United
States, During that tome they made for Elks lodges approximately a half million
dollars (Should they fail to make a half-million for Billings No. 394 there
will be things doing not on the program). The leading Elks grand lodge offices
and the lodges where Miller and Draper have played are enthusiastic in their
endorsements. Harry Miller is an experienced show man of real value under whose
system Elks lodges have started home building funds and furnished lodge rooms.
Mr. Miller has a connection with the biggest publishers to supply him with the
Cohan music he carries with his productions. Clint Draper comes to Billings
well known as a performer of experience, having been with leading minstrel
productions of the country. He is one of the very best black-face comedians and
dancers in the country and under his tutelage dancing acts of exceptional merit
are staged at Elks Minstrels. …Miller and Draper have invested thousands of
dollars in scenery and costumes, all of which making a full carload, has been
brought to Billings for the coming Minstrel [show].”
The article continued, “Program
– First Part. The curtain will arise upon a scene entitled ‘Carnival Night at
the Panama-Pacific Exposition, 1915. The scenery for this was built and painted
from drawings furnished by the architectural commission of the exposition of
the exposition. The scene represents the East Court of the Grand Court of Honor
at the San Francisco Exposition, and is as authentic as canvas and paint can
make it. The electrical effects introduced render the scene one of unparalleled
beauty and elegance, achieving a distinct triumph from an artistic standpoint
of what the great exposition will be.
Following the opening chorus the ‘end men’ and the balladists will early being
to get in their work. Joke will follow joke in quick succession, all of them
localized to suit all sorts and condition of men in this city and vicinity –
and all who know anything at all about the ability of these comedians – and
everybody should, because they have an international as well as home reputation
– may figure out in advance the side-splitting laughs that are in store. The
real test of a minstrel show, nonwithstanding all the fun cropping out of the
first part, is the Olio, or second part. Almost anybody can put on a pretty
good first part. The Booster could do it itself, if it had a mind to. But most
minstrels fall down woefully on the second part of the entertainment. This
isn’t going to be the case with Billings No. 394, however, as the second part
bids fair to eclipse in many ways the first part.”
As the Night approaches, the
article noted, “men and things are getting busy at the Babcock [theatre] in
preparation for this big event, Paper hangers, painter, ratcatchers, old
clothes men, vacuum cleaners and the local fire department are now at work
making extra preparations to accommodate the big crowds. The said walls of the
theater are being pushed back, the roof raised, the floor dropped, and peep
holes let in all around so as to let out the noise. The seating capacity will
be increased to 2,371. Some seats have been greatly widened in order that
visiting brethren of unusual avoirdupois may not be choked. These will be
reserved for the heavy weights who come. Strong disinfecting germicides have
been attached to the places where opera glasses ought to be and you are advices
to use these freely after such jokes as may appear to require application.”
Sosman & Landis delivered scenery for a production of “The Elk’s Tooth” in 1913. An elk’s tooth was known for good luck, and was incorporated into watch fobs, tie clips, necklaces, earrings and other personal artifacts at the time. It was also the theme for a play written and staged by H. L. Brown. The play became associated with the Benevolent and Protected Order of Elks.
A vintage BPOE elks tooth watch fob.Postcard for the BPOE, 1913.
On October 1, 1913, Oregon’s “La
Grande Observer” included the article about the production of
“The Elks Tooth” with scenery by Sosman & Landis:
“Seat Rush is on Saturday. The Elk’s Tooth is a great big extravaganza of bright, wholesome comedy, catchy music, clever dancing all superbly mounted with special scenery and gorgeous costumes especially made and designed for this especial piece. The scenery was built and painted by the big Chicago firm of Sosman & Landis and is without doubt the finest ever brought to this city. Act 1 represents a big modern ocean liner at sea, and is considered to be the most complete setting of a ship on the stage today. Act II is the shore of a south sea island with a wealth of tropical foliage. Act III shows a south sea island village of thatched roof huts over looking the ocean in the distance. A special crew of ten stage hands will be required to handle the scenery alone at the performances next Monday and Tuesday nights, Oct. 6th and 7th.”
“The Elk’s Tooth” was described in
the “La Grand Observer” on Oct. 6, 1913: “The play opens on board an ocean
liner, which is lying in a bay of a south seas island repairing machinery.
Among the many passengers who are on board are two American tourists traveling
around the world under a wager, disguised as a Dutchman and a tramp. The plot
hinges on these two characters. At the close of the first act, a genuine
southern storm comes up and the ship narrowly averts being wrecked on he rocks.
During the storm, the Dutchman and the tramp are blown overboard, while the
ship catches fire and is blown out to sea with all on board. Fortunately a
chicken coop is blown overboard, to which the two men cling until morning, when
they are washed ashore. As they land on the island and are contemplating a
search for food, a tribe of cannibals overpowers them and ties them to trees.
The cannibals build a big fire and prepare for a feast when they discover the
Elk’s tooth worn by the Dutchman, Hostilities cease, and, very much to the
surprise of the American’s they crown the Dutchman king. The mystery
surrounding the elk’s tooth provides the theme for a subsequent developments
and final conclusion of an interesting and thrilling story. The ludicrous
situations in which the two comedians find themselves furnish an abundance of
humor that is ever clean and wholesome, and the beauties of a southern tropical
island form an appropriate setting for the choruses and dances” (page 4).
From the “Arizona Republic,” 7 March 1916 page 12 From the “Billings Gazette,” 6 Oct 1908 page 8From the “Salt Lake Herald,” 25 Feb 1909 page 11
The cast of characters is quite
humorous in itself. The Dutchman is named Weinie Wurst. The Tramp is named Easy
Tyme. The S. S. Sea Queen crew includes
Captain Blowhard, mate Bowling Knott, and Griddle, the cook. The cannibals living on the south sea island
of Kokomo are led by Cookem Quick, the chief. The titles of the songs are not
as creative, but range the gamut from “Oh, Merry Maiden” to “By Right and
Discovery.”
Of the production, the “Statesman
Journal” reported that H. L. Brown’s operatic comedy was “recognized as the
greatest production for Elks’ theatricals in the country…a carload of scenery
and equipment is carried by Mr. Brown, the director” (5 Jan. 1913, page 4). So
popular was “The Elk’s Tooth,” that it later became a movie in 1924.
I transfer planes in Detroit today on my way to teach at
Cobalt Studios in White Lake, New York. It seems an appropriate time to include
this particular post about Thomas G. Moses before taking a week off from
writing. I will return to the life and times of Thomas G. Moses on Monday,
November 10, 2019.
In 1913, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Detroit again. New contract
with Temple Theatre Company.” Sosman & Landis first delivered scenery to Detroit’s
Temple theatre in 1908. The Elks Temple and Temple Theatre originally opened on
Dec. 23, 190, and was next door to the Detroit opera house. Located on the
north side of Monroe Street in the Campus Martius area, the building boasted a 1500-seat
theater designed by Col. J.M. Wood. The Temple Theatre originally hosted the
Wonderland Theatre Company and curiosity museum of oddities before the 1908
renovation. Sosman & Landis painted a drop curtain as part of an extensive
renovation.
Temple Theatre in Detroit, Michigan.
In 1908, the Temple Theatre closed for three weeks during
July to complete the renovation of the theater space. On July 2, 1908, the “Detroit Free Press”
reported, “Sosman & Landis, the scene painters of Chicago, are in
consultation with the William Wright artists carry out in the new drop curtain,
to cost $1,000.” The same newspaper further described the new drop curtain on
July 26, 1908: “Beyond all this the proscenium arch a mass of burnished gold
and set within like a picture in its frame is the new drop curtain – a splendid
thing the product of Sosman & Landis scenic studios in Chicago. It pictures an old Italian garden, the spirit
of the joy-seeking Renaissance caught here in every other part of the
theater. Here too the predominating note
is blue with only the suggestion of green in the foliage and a hint of old rose
in the costumes of the grand dames, which lend the desired touch of life to the
stately old garden. It’s all brightly
beautiful and happy thought and ideal as a playhouse should be, and proves with
subtle insistence that those responsible for it are artists in a very
substantial and satisfying sense” (page 7).
In 1909 and 1910, Sosman & Landis again completed a
large scenery projects for Detroit’s Temple Theatre, as the venue hosted
touring productions. Much of the firm’s success was based on repeat customers, the
return of satisfied customers who ordered additional scenery over the
years. Sosman & Landis Scene Painting
Studio was a well-known entity by the first decade of the twentieth century.
The fact that the Temple Theatre ordered more scenery in 1913 is not a
surprise, especially with Sosman & Landis’ continued work in the city at
various venues.
From the very beginning of
Moses’ scenic art career, he had completed many projects in Detroit. Later in
1913, Moses reminisced, “I made a business trip to Detroit and Cleveland in
July. I left Detroit for Cleveland by
the night boat. As I sat on the upper
forward deck enjoying a good cigar, my thoughts ran back to 1875, when I was in
Detroit broke with no place to go, nothing to do. I sat down on the dock, just below where I
was now sitting and wondered if I would be missed and forgiven for falling off
the dock. I was either too much of a
coward or had a sudden change of heart, for I went on the road very soon
afterwards as a ‘butcher’ another name for candy or newsboy on the
railroad. A young man was sitting near
me and to open the conversation for the evening, I told him the above. He was very much interested, and I found that
he knew some of my Oak Park friends, so we put in a very pleasant evening as we
sailed or steamed towards Cleveland.”
Our minds often wander back to trying
times, whether past events, places or friends. Past obstacles that seemed
unbearable became our defining moments. Challenges can provide an opportunity
for growth. In 1875, Moses made a
choice; he refused to give up and end it all on the docks of Detroit. Thirty-eight
years later, he recognized that moment as a defining one in his life.
When I read this passage as a
young college student, it shaped my perspective for many future trials. I was
nineteen years old and constantly working in between classes. Reading of Moses’ continued struggles made
any of my own problems pale in comparison.
Although there was that brief period where I lived out of my car and
solely ate ramen noodles, I could always return home if I really needed help.
Moses could not, yet persevered anyway. I also recognize that some people
cannot overcome some obstacles, regardless of a support network.
I made a conscious choice to succeed, regardless of what life threw at me. For me success was never defined by acquiring a large fortune or living in a fancy house, but how I could make myself better and how I could clear the path for those who came after me. That is one of the reasons that I post so many pictures of historic scenes every day, for my fellow scenic artists who may have never been exposed to this history. I hope that this small and consistent gesture will help my colleagues.
This ties in with the continued storyline of Bestor G. Brown.
I am in nearing the end of writing an article about Bestor G. Brown, traveling salesman for E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Company (1894-1903) and later western sales manager for M. C. Lilley & Co. (1903-1917). Brown is fascinating on many fronts, one being his connection to the development and sale of Brown’s special system – the standard counterweight rigging system delivered by Sosman & Landis consistently to Scottish Rite theaters during the early twentieth century. He was THE mover and shaker for everything required for degree productions at Scottish Rite theaters in the Southern Jurisdiction beginning in 1896.
Brown belonged to MANY fraternal orders from 1884 until his passing in 1917. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Benevolent and Protected Order of Elks, Freemasonry and Knights of Pythias.
As a Knights of Pythias member, he performed in the title role of Pythias for the Knights of Pythias public production, “Damon & Pythias” during 1891. The fundraiser was held at an opera house in Topeka, Kansas, during 1891 where Brown resided with his young daughter. So popular was the amateur production of “Damon & Pythias,” that it repeated for the benefit of the fireman of Topeka. It opened at the Grand on November 20, 1891.
There was pre-show play before “Damon and Pythias,” titled “The Fireman’s Child.” The first in a series of short scenes depicted a house fire and a small child being rescued by a fireman from a window. The scenes used live flame.
Headline of an article regarding the repeat performance of “Damon and Pythias.” It was performed as a fundraising benefit by the Knights of Pythias for the local fire department in 1891.
Fire broke out during the fundraising event featuring “Damon and Pythias” at the Grand in Topeka, Kansas, during 1891. The pre-show was “The Fireman’s Child.”
On November 22, 1891, the “Topeka State Journal” reported a small fire that broke out during the “The Fireman’s Child.” Here is the article in it’s entirety:
“IT WAS TOO FIERY. The Red Fire at the Grand Goes off All at Once.
An exciting accident occurred at the Grand opera house last night during the realistic fire scene which came dangerously nearing making the scene too realistic, by far. On the interior of the set representing the burning house were six men who were manipulating the flames, the crashing glass, the crackling of the flames,” and other features of the fire. They had only about eight feet square to work in. Mr. T. D. Humphrey was in charge of the red fire and got it well started. The flames were rolling out of the windows famously, when all at once two pounds of the treacherous powder, standing near in boxes, from which the covers had been carelessly removed, caught tire. With a puff and a roar, the flames soared up into the flies, and the scene on the interior of the house instantly became an exciting one. The glass smasher dropped his box, and the “flame crackler” fled. The fire leaped up against a parlor set standing near and it instantly burst into flumes. Manager Alton, who was on the stage, rushed to the hose lying near, ready for just such an emergency, turned on the water and in a minute had a , stream on the blazing scenery, which Speedily extinguished the fire. In the excitement the hose was accidentally turned on Mr. Bestor G. Brown, who was drenched, and all the grease paint was washed off of Mr. Humphrey, who had made up preparatory to going on in the play. Several Grecian soldiers loafing around were also soused. For a few moments there were a frightened lot of people on the stage, but when it was all over, they had a good laugh. Mr. Humphrey’s hands and arms were severely scorched. The audience, fortunately was not aware of the accident.”
Part 610: Theatre Architects Col. J. W. Wood and Sidney Lovell
For the past five days, I have focused on the “Detroit Free Press” article about the Temple Theatre roof collapse and the that testimony of theater architect Col. J. M. Wood (1841-c. 1907).
Theatre architect J. M. Wood
Wood was a theatre architect, born in New York City during 1841. Early in his career, he moved to Chicago and soon started working as an architect. Some records indicate that Wood started his own firm in 1870, but I question that particular date. In 1892, Wood was noted as “an enthusiast in this branch of his profession, and has devoted a great deal of time and study to the comfort, convenience, acoustic qualities and effect in the design and arrangements of opera houses, theaters and concert halls” (“The Bay of San Francisco,” Volume 1, 1892). By 1905, the “Indianapolis News” reported that Col. J. M. Wood, had “built ninety-eight theaters, some of them the finest in the country” (24 Oct., 1905, page 2).
I have briefly mentioned Wood in past installments, including # 214 (Wood’s Theatre in Bay City, Michigan) and #532 (Jefferson Theatre in Goshen, Indiana). When Wood was the architect for the Opera House in Goshen, Indiana during 1905, Thomas G. Moses provided the drop curtain and scenery. While researching Wood, I discovered an interesting post about his work with Sidney Lovell. It was posted at Under Every Stone blog spot. This blog primarily focuses on gravestones and cemeteries. Wood’s one-time assistant and later business partner, Sidney Lovell designed several mausoleums for Chicago’s Rosehill Cemetery.
Theatre architect Sidney Lovell
Sidney Lovell was raised in Racine, Wisconsin, one of nine children born to English immigrants, Phillip Lovell and Louisa Maria Knill Lovell. At the age of fifteen, Sidney met James M. Wood. The year was 1882 and Wood was in town to attend the grand opening of the Blake Opera House, for which he had worked as the architect. The “Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950”mentioned that Sidney Lovell became Wood’s architectural assistant in 1883, confirming what was posted in the blog. The publication also notes, “During the period from 1883 until 1892 Wood was described as ‘..having designed and erected more large theatres, opera houses and hotels in the leading cities west of the Ohio River than any other architect’ (biog. of Sidney Lovell in The Bay of San Francisco: The Metropolis of the Pacific Coast and its Suburban Cities, 1892, Vol. ii, 462-3).
When Wood headed to his next theater project in Wausau, Wisconsin, Lovell went with him. After the Wausau project was completed, Wood returned to Chicago with Lovell in tow. The two found worked with a Chicago scenic studio. In Chicago, Lovell transitioned from architectural assistant to architect. An article in the “Racine Daily Journal” announced that Lovell became a “full-fledged architect in Chicago” by 1885 (10 April 1885). That same year, Wood returned to Racine and designed the new opera house. He submitted an article to the “Journal Times” describing the plans for a Moorish style building based on the Alhambra. The stage was to be ten feet deeper than the Blake Opera House, and separated from the auditorium by a brick fire wall and iron drop curtain, “thus effectively shutting off the extra hazardous department from that portion where the major portion of money is invested” (11 Nov. 1885, page 3).
From 1885 to 1888, Wood and Lovell traversed the country, both designing new and remodeling existing opera houses. The well-known architect John Galen Howard also worked as a draftsman for Wood in Chicago during this period, in 1887. Some sources note that Wood worked in close connection with a Chicago scenic studio; the studio was never named. In looking at the theaters and comparing them to Thomas G. Moses’ records, I suspect that the studio could have been Sosman & Landis. Thomas G. Moses worked with Wood during 1885-1886 on Wood’s Theatre in Bay City, Michigan, and in 1889-1890 on the Riverside Opera House. In regard to the Riverside Opera House, “The Daily Courier” mentioned the contributions of “J. M. Wood, the architect of Chicago, considered the finest theatrical architect in the country” as well as “the scenery has been painted by Thomas G. Moses of Chicago, one of the best scenic artists in the United States” (San Bernardino, California, 27 Dec 1889, page 3).
In 1891, Lovell was later added a partner by Wood, forming the architectural firm of Wood & Lovell. Their partnership’s first office was established in San Francisco, turning out a remarkable amount of work between 1888 and 1893. In 1890, the “Journal Times” reported Lovell “has a reputation of being one of the finest draughtsman in the western country” (Racine, Wisconsin, 25 Feb 1890, Page 3). It was in San Francisco that Lovell met and married Jane Winters Bruner, the daughter of noted surgeon William Happersett Bruner. By 1893, Wood and Lovell transferred their business offices to Chicago. The firm was now located in the new Ellsworth Building, located at 537 S. Dearborn Street.
Wood is credited as the principal architect for theaters, opera houses and concert halls throughout the United States. His projects include the New California Theater (Los Angeles), the Grand Opera House (Portland), the Tacoma Theater (Tacoma, Washington), New Broadway Theater (Minneapolis), Blake Opera House (Racine, WI), the Grand Opera House (Warsaw, WI), Rockford Opera House and Grand Opera House (Danville, IL), Academy of Music (East Saginaw), Academy of Music (Kalamazoo, MI), Redmond’s Opera House (Grand Rapids, MI), Academy of Music (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), Academies of Music in Franklin, Oil City and Altoona (Pennsylvania), and the Academy of Music (Cedar Rapids, IA), just to name a fewWood was noted as “an enthusiast in this branch of his profession, and has devoted a great deal of time and study to the comfort, convenience, acoustic qualities and effect in the design and arrangements of opera houses, theaters and concert halls” (“The Bay of San Francisco,” Volume 1, 1892). In 1905, the “Indianapolis News” reported that Col. J. M. Wood, had built ninety-eight theaters, some of them the finest in the country” (24 Oct., 1905, page 2).
Little is known of Wood beyond 1907. The theaters designed and erected by Wood include the New California Theater [San Francisco, CA]; Grand Opera House, Los Angeles [CA]; Grand Opera House, Portland [OR]; the Tacoma theater [Tacoma, WA]; New Broadway, Denver [CO]; Hennepin Avenue Theater, Minneapolis [MN]; Blake Opera House, Racine [WI]; and Grand Opera House, Warsaw, Wisconsin; Rockford Opera House [Rockford, IL], and Grand Opera House, Danville, Illinois; Academy of Music, East Saginaw [MI]; Wood’s Opera House, Bay City [MI]; Academy of Music, Kalamazoo; Redmond’s Opera House, Grand Rapids [MI]; Academy of Music, Toronto, Canada; Academy of Music at Franklin, Oil City and Altoona, Pennsylvania; Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Lovell eventually established the firm of Lovell & Lovell, advertising as “architectural and consulting engineers.” Lovell was also widely known for his mausoleum designs. The first mausoleum he designed was the Community Mausoleum in Chicago’s Rosehill Cemetery. It is noted as being the prototype for the mausoleum at Forest Lawn in Glendale, California. Lovell also designed units 1 and 2 of the Old Mission Mausoleum in Wichita, Kansas.
Lovell worked as an architect for fifty years, passing away in 1938 at the age of 71 years old, decades after Wood.
