Yesterday’s post was about the White City Amusement Park near Chicago in 1906. Attractions included “The Last Days of Pompeii” and the “Chicago Fire.” It is important to keep in mind that although these two disasters were not recent, two similar ones had just occurred that year. A devastating fire raged throughout San Francisco after an earthquake, and Mount Vesuvius erupted again. They both occurred during April 1906. Disasters fascinated the public and were quickly incorporated into publications and amusements.
Image from “The Chicago Tribune,” 8 Aug 1906, page 3
While researching the San Francisco Fire, I was reminded of a gift I received years ago; it was the 1906 book – “The San Francisco Earthquake and Fire Horror, the complete Story of the Greatest American Disasters, Horrors of the Vesuvius Eruption.” Written by Charles Eugene Banks and Opie Read, there was a poignant passage in the preface: “Strike one section of the world a terrible blow and all other sections have their deepest sympathies immediately centered in that spot. It is this fact that keep’s alive man’s belief in the universal brotherhood of the race.” At few paragraphs later, the authors continue, “Following close upon the eruption of Vesuvius on the other side of world the San Francisco disaster found the country busy raising funds for the homeless Neapolitans. The Golden Gate City was involved in this work when of a sudden it became the subject of the world’s bounty.”
Mount Vesuvius erupting in 1906.
There were many from the entertainment community who dipped into their personal funds or performed at benefit concerts to send funds to those recovering from a disaster. Buffalo Bill donated $5000 to the Neapolitan relief effort. After all, he had performed in front of a smoldering Vesuvius while on his 1889 European Tour. But there were many theatre manufacturers who directly benefited from staging spectacles that depicted these devastating events.
The Volcano setting at the Scottish Rite in Salina, KansasThe Volcano setting at the Scottish Rite in Salina, Kansas. This section was painted partially translucent to simulate lava spilling down the mountain side.Stage machinery for the effect. The Volcano setting at the Scottish Rite in Salina, Kansas. This section was painted partially translucent to simulate lava spilling down the mountain side.
The theme of erupting volcanoes became a popular staged spectacle at Scottish Rite theaters after 1906. Instead of Mt. Vesuvius erupting, however, it was a volcano on the isle of Patmos. Patmos (Greek: Πάτμος) is an island in the Aegean Sea, the most well-known of the smaller Dodecanese islands. Patmos was known as the location where a vision was given to the disciple John in the Book of Revelation and where the book was written. The degree production relates to the breaking of the seven seals. Cataclysmic events occur and a variety of painted visions are magically revealed in transparent sections of the composition.
Scottish Rite Vision scene for the 17th degree for Fort Scott, Kansas. The stage right temple collapses and is transparent to reveal a “vision” from the Book of Revelation.The revelation of a “vision” stage right. Scottish Rite Vision scene for the 17th degree for Fort Scott, Kansas.
This scene had the potential to be one of the most exciting degree productions on a Masonic stage. Lighting flashed, thunder rumbled, the ground trembled, and a volcano exploded. Classical buildings that were painted on a cut drop toppled as a red plume of lava spewed high in the sky. Then red rivulets streamed down the mountainside, soon spilling into a lake and turning it blood red. This scenic illusion was a new popular design option for the seventeenth degree on many Southern Jurisdiction Scottish Rite stages after 1906.
The Scottish Rite in Omaha, NebraskaThe Scottish Rite in Omaha, NebraskaBackside of painted volcano for scenic illusion. The Scottish Rite in Omaha, Nebraska
The first time I staged the action for this setting was in Winona, Minnesota. During the evaluation, volunteers assisted in successfully presenting the collapse of two-dimenional buildings for photographic documentation. The Winona scenery was produced in 1909 by Sosman & Landis. As these drops were sold at auction, it is unlikely that Humpty Dumpty will ever be put back together again. What was really interesting about the Winona Volcano scene was the hardware. Much was formed from cut metal canisters and adapted for a specific task. Very little was pre-manufactured other than the batten holders that secured the bottom of a drop to the stage floor so it would not shift.
Batten hardware to anchor bottom of cut drop to stage floor. This prevented the scene from moving when ropes were lowered painted facades on drop to simulate collapsing classical temples.Batten hardware to anchor bottom of cut drop to stage floor.
Previously, this seventeenth degree composition depicted ancient ruins were a series of visions were revealed to the audience. This remained the case with Northern Masonic Jurisdiction Scottish Rite scenery. It was only degree work in the Southern Jurisdiction that adopted volcanic explosion on Patmos. Sosman & Landis labeled their design either“17th degree Vision” or simply, “Volcano.”
Design from the Twin City Scenic Co., in the Performing Arts Archives at the University of Minnesota.Design from the Twin City Scenic Co., in the Performing Arts Archives at the University of Minnesota. Notice the translucent section for the revelation of “vision” scenes placed behind the drop.
This is a long installment, but too bizarre to leave anything out. In 1905 Thomas G. Moses wrote that he worked on a production called “Woggle-Bug.” It opened at the Garrick Theater in Chicago on June 18, 1905, and closed on July 13 of the same summer.
Article for “The Woggle-Bug” with image of Fred Mace who played the title character. From “The Inter Ocean,” 20 June 1905, page 6The title character “The Woggle-Bug” pictured in the 1905 program for the Chicago production. The Woggle-Bug was played by Fred Mace.Mabel Hite as “Prissy” and Hal Godfrey as “Jack Pumpkinhead” picture in the 1905 production of “The Woggle-Bug.”
Written by L. Frank Baum, with the musical score by Frederick Chapin, Baum hoped to duplicate the success of his earlier production – “The Wizard of Oz.” The story was also transformed into a short children’s book in 1905. Here is the link to the Woggle-Bug eBook at Project Gutenberg with illustrations by Ike Morgan: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21914/21914-h/21914-h.htm
The Woggle-Bug eBook is available at Project Gutenbergm with illustrations by Ike Morgan.The Woggle-Bug eBook is available at Project Gutenbergm with illustrations by Ike Morgan.
Noted as a “spectacular extravaganza,” The Woggle-Bug was reported to be an “artistic and dazzling panorama of light an color” (The World To-day: A Monthly Record of Human Progress, Vol. 9, page 703). The “Chicago Tribune” reported, “The scenery is abundant in quantity and good in design and coloring and the costuming is in exceptionally fine taste. The stage pictures are made of uncommon beauty by the skill with which they are lighted. Better stage lighting; nicer discrimination in the changing and employing in their handling has not been seen in Chicago in many a day. The stage pictures, thanks to the elaborate scenery, the handsome costuming, and the excellent lighting become beautiful enough to make “The Woggle Bug” an impressive spectacle and well worth the seeing” (19 June 1905, page 9).
The Woggle-Bug eBook is available at Project Gutenbergm with illustrations by Ike Morgan.The Woggle-Bug eBook is available at Project Gutenbergm with illustrations by Ike Morgan.The Woggle-Bug eBook is available at Project Gutenbergm with illustrations by Ike Morgan.
The “Inter Ocean” reported included an extensive article on “The Woggle-Bug” (20 June 1903, page 6):
“The Woggle-Bug,” a musical extravaganza in a prologue, two acts, and an epilogue, was written by L. Frank Baum, author of the book from which it is derived, “The Marvelous Land of Oz.” The story concerns the experience of Tip, the rightfully Princess Ozma, changed into a boy by the witch, Mombi. Tip steals the old lady’s can of Magic Powder, which brings to life inanimate objects, and with Jack Pumpkinhead, a combination scarecrow and jack-o’lantern, enjoys numerous experiences, including arrest by the upsurpers of his throne, before he reaches the domain of Queen Maetta, the sorceress, is turned back into a girl again and placed in charge of the Jewel City. The Woggle-Bug is an incidental character, representing a highly magnified insect.
The world has turner over and times have changed. This summer Chicago has become the London of America and her producing theaters miniature Drury Lanes in holiday time.
In the Garrick Theater last evening there was added one more to the list of prevailing spectacles for children. “The Woggle-Bug” is entertainment pap for the little ones. It is as huge an extravaganza as the stage of the Garrick will permit it to be, and it tells all about fairies and witches, goblins and jack o’ lanterns, magnified bugs, clouds of cats and dogs, fields of lady chrysanthemums and other things.
The children will like “The Woggle-Bug.” The adults will be divided – those with the hearts of children will approve; those who prefer the stronger fare that suits their years will not. For, so far in its career, it has been written and staged apparently with the intention of appealing directly to children, and only incidentally to their guardians. It is smothered in simplicity in which the child mid will revel, and before which the adult mind will not.
The Chicago child should be proud of itself to thus force so many examples of the infant spectacle in the heat of summer. And the parents of the Chicago child should be proud of themselves. Partly on the child’s account they supported “The Wizard of Oz” and “The Babes in Toyland,” and now we see what they’ve done! But that endorsement they have convinced a whole flock of managers that their patronage is just the richest possible harvest of Chicago’s summer time, and just now there is enough to amuse all the nurseries in the country at the same time. If they keep coming we’ll be talking baby talk and wearing sailor hats with ribbons, and playing ring-around-aroses before fall.
The Woggle-Bug, we repeat, will please the children. It is full of startling incidents for the Chicago youngster. There is a pretty little princess who is turned into a prettier little boy by a wicked witch; there is a funny woggle-bug, picked up by a school teacher and magnified so highly that it comes to life and sings a very tuneful song; there is a scarecrow with a pumpkin for a head which is sprinkled with magic powder and becomes a man; there is a sawhorse which also responds to the sprinkling and jumps about in lively fashion, and there is an outlandish young person who will make papa and mamma laugh because she is a regular cut-up.
There is, too, much scenery which is attractive, and electric lights of all colors and in all sorts of places, and a whole stage full of girls who sing right out as though they enjoyed it. Sometimes they have decorated stepladders to help them sing, and sometimes vine covered and illuminated summer houses. They always have something, and it generally lights up.
During one scene, when they are dressed as soldiers, they attack the walls of the Jewel city-think of that, children!-and very pretty walls, too, studded with rubies and diamonds and emeralds, and a few chorus men who are on the other side of the fight. And when they charge someone in the Jewel city shoots toy balloons at them through great big cannon. Yes, sire, they do. But the girls don’t care; they just throw the balloons back and finally capture the Jewel city.
Afterward there is a cyclone, as there was in “The Wizard of Oz,” and on the screen are shown what appear to the corpses of numerous white cats and dogs – an uncanny effect that the managers likely did not count on. Following this there is a field of nodding chrysanthemums shown, as were the poppies in “The Wizard;” then the Woggle-Bug Tip, and Jack Pumpkinhead comes wandering in as the Woodman, the Scarecrow, and Dorothy did in the other play. In fact, “The Wizard” is palpably the inspiration for newer extravaganza. The chief difference is this: Someone took the book of “The Wizard” after Mr. Baum got through with it and did so many things to it that the original author could hardly recognize it, while with “The Woggle-Bug” the impression is strong that the original manuscript has been altered but little. The children’s show was incidental in “The Wizard;” it dominates “The Bug.”
The costuming is pleasing in design and coloring, if not rich in material, and the scenic setting is at all times effective. “The Woggle-Bug,” taken in all, represents an earnest effort to provide an extravaganza free from objectionable feature. The music is an attractive virtue, and reawakens the hope that some day Composer Chapin will have a real good book to work with.”
The show did not do well at all. By July 13, 1905, the “Chicago Tribune” published, “’Woggle Bug’ is Hungry – Salaries unpaid; electrical apparatus taken for debt. Creditors of the Company Playing at the Garrick Theater Clamor for the Money Owed Them and Probably Will Force Close of the Engagement- Show is Given Under Difficulties Without Lighting Effects-Owner Makes Efforts to Continue” (page 3). The company was obliged to turn over its electrical apparatus to the Garden City Calcium Light company. Then the fifteen electricians struck and would not do their work until guaranteed wages by the house management.
When a show about lights loses the lights, it makes for a difficult time.
Part 496: George Samuel and “The Convict’s Daughter”
In 1905, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “My old friend George Samuels of ‘Convict’s Daughter’ fame, came out and gave us a good order. In 1905, the production was in its fourth season of a “powerful melodramatic success” and revamped the show with new scenery (Independence Daily Reporter, 18 Dec. 1905, page 8). The Independence Daily Reporter commented, “a wealth of beautiful scenery” and “startling mechanical effects” had been provided for the show. “The Daily Oklahoman” mentioned the new scenery, costumes and performers for the 1905 tour: “‘The Convict’s Daughter’ the attraction that will appear at the opera house, matinee and night, January 1 will be given this season with an entirely new scenic equipment, new costumes, etc., and a stronger cast that has ever been seen in the play before. The play still retains that strength and intensity that has in the past won its way to the hearts of the public” (31 Dec. 1905, page 14).
Advertisement for “The Convict’s Daughter,” from “The Stockton Review and Rooks County Record,” 17 Nov 1905, page 6
The article continued, “The play is in five acts and has a wealth of beautiful scenery, the dialogue is bright, witty and full of comedy, and every actor has been especially engaged for his or her respective part…The first scene in Act 1 is indeed charming-an ideal southern home where sunshine and happiness dwell hand in hand” (31 Dec. 1905, page 14).
The central figure of the play is William Woodruff, an escaped convict who is innocent, unjustly sentenced for another man’s crime, that of murder. He finally escapes from prison and becomes known as the tramp “Weary Willie.” “The Independence Daily Reporter” reported, “The great sensational scene is the jail yard, where convicts are at work rebuilding a wall beside a railroad. In this scene a locomotive and twenty freight cars cross the stage. As the train passes the wall, one of the convicts, standing on the top stones, leaps for liberty to the roof of the car” (Independence, Kansas, 19 Dec. 1905” Page 2). Of the train scene, newspapers boasted that this scene was the “most astounding and realistic scene ever presented on stage” (Willmar Tribune, Wilmar, Minnesota, 4 Oct. 1905, page 1).
A scene from the fifth act of “The Convict’s Daughter.” This illustration was published in the “Salt Lake Herald,” 11 Nov 1906, page 22
The melodrama takes place in the bluegrass region of Kentucky. A local banker, Col. Mathew Gould, has in his house a young woman whom he adopted when she was a baby. A young clerk in Gould’s bank becomes enamored of Miss Gould. All arrangements for the coming marriage of the pair are made, but Mathew Gould is unwilling to give his consent to the match.
James Blackadder, the supposed cousin of the girl, is also in love with her. He tries several schemes to break up the engagement between her and her lover. While Col. Gould is telling the girl’s lover the secret of her birth and that she is not his daughter, Blackadder overhears the story.
Woodruff approaches the Gould house to get food. He is employed by Blackadder to present himself as the girl’s father. Later, when all is ready for the wedding ceremony, Woodruff appears at the Gould home as the girl’s father. He shows bogus proofs of his identity and brings his “daughter” to an old shanty in the woods, arranged by Blackadder. While living in the woods with the two men, the girl finds a letter one in an old Bible, left to her by her mother about her father and his career. While reading the letter to her supposed father, “Weary Willie,” Woodruff realizes that the girl is actually his daughter.
When Blackadder arrives at the shanty, the two men quarrel and Blackadder has Woodruff arrested as the escaped convict from Sing Sing. Woodruff is taken to prison to serve out the remainder of the sentence. In prison, he is a good prisoner and soon wins the confidence of the warden. However, one of the prison guards is working for Blackadder and hired to kill Woodruff for the least offense. A new stonewall is being erected around the prison yard and Woodruff has been chosen to do some work on it. Immediately outside the wall is a railroad. It is the suspicion of the guard that Woodruff will attempt an escape on a passing train. His suspicion is verified by Woodruff taking advantage of the guard’s back being turned, leaving the line of prisoners and scaling the wall and leaping on the passing freight train. Pistol shots follow, but Woodruff escapes unharmed. Woodruff’s innocence is proven by the confession of the dying murderer, who leaves all his property to him. He returns to the Gould home in time to witness the marriage of his daughter to her choice. Gould’s daughter marries the man whom she has loved and waited for many years, the melodrama ending happily.
Part 494: Thomas G. Moses and “An American Woman,” 1905
In 1905, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “My first production for the year was ‘An American Woman.’ For the First Act I had an illuminated drop supposed to be up north in the pine forests. The sky was one of the grandest sunsets I ever saw, purely accidental as far as I was concerned. It was the lights, but of course I took the credit, as long as they insisted that they lights were my suggestion.” “An American Woman” was a poetic drama in four acts written by Charles Eugene Banks for Miss Amber Lawlord. Lawlord starred in the leading role as Helen Chadbourne.
Amber Lawlord played the leading role in “An American Woman,” with scenery designed and painted by Thomas G. Moses. Portrait from the “Chicago Tribune,” 21 Sept 1907, page 5
The “Sioux City Journal” commented on Moses’ scenic contributions: “The unusual stage settings were important adjuncts in many of the stage pictures, for it must be confessed it was the beauty of these pictures and also the music of some of the lines , rather than the dramatic merit of the play, which made the evening a pleasure to the altogether too small audience present” (17 Jan. 1905, page 6).
The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa, 12 Jan. 1905, page 6) described the play in its entirety:
“The opening scene, laid at the residence of Senator Whittleson in the pine woods of the upper peninsula of Michigan, introduces the gigantic business deal in which the senator hopes to make millions from the forest lands. The Indian, ‘Eagle Wing,” delivers a powerful plea for the life of the trees, in which he is seconded by Helen Chadbourne, the niece of the senator, who wins over her lover, John Thorne, to the cause. The secret attachment between the Baron von Auerbach and her aunt, discovered by Helen, causes he to sacrifice herself in the climax to save the honor of her family name. The second act, laid in the Chadburne home in Chicago develops the plot of the baron to ruin the newly formed syndicate, and his attempts to gain possession of valuable papers, from Mrs. Whittleson are frustrated by the heroine. Helen Chabourne’s actions, misunderstood by her lover, have caused a separation between them and in her sacrifice to save her aunt is the theme of the romance. In the studio of Baron von Auerbach, shown in Act III, the strongest and best action in the play is developed. Mrs. Whittleson’s attempt to elope with the baron, taking her husband’s entire fortune in stocks with her, is checkmated by Helen who makes her see the error of her ways. The baron is caught in a cleverly laid net and the fourth act is only a rounding out of the happiness that the close of the third assures.”
In many areas, the play was panned; the actors criticized the playwright, as well as each another for the terrible reviews. The tipping point for the production, however, was at the Willis Wood theatre in Kansas City when people in the audience audibly made fun of the play and of the star during the performance. Lawford struck back, blaming the author and her manager, The “Leavenworth Times” quoted Lawford in their article, “Miss Amber Lawford Finds She Can’t Act” (Leavenworth, Kansas, 2 Feb 1905, page 8). She was quoted as saying, “I know my play, ‘An American Woman’ is rotten. It was written by an amateur, Mr. Banks, a delightful old character, who howls if a line is changed without his consent. I designed the scenery and settings. My faith in Banks has ruined me. My company does not know how nearly I am to collapse and the public thinks I am an amateur and do not understand. The time will come when they will know me differently.” In Miss Lawlord’s interview with the paper, she said, “I don’t try to hide my identity. I am the widow of William Fairchild Morgan, who was accidentally killed while hunting in the Adirondack mountains four years ago, and have two children. My husband’s father was one of the richest men Kentucky has ever known and he bequeathed to my husband an immense fortune. I was married when I was 16 year old and I had an income of $100,000 a year until the death of my husband. I have traveled all over the world. I have had an ambition to go on the stage ever since I was a girl in the Roman Catholic convent at Notre Dame. That is where I was educated. I studied for the stage in Paris and devoted seven years to the hardest sort of work under the direction of masters of stagecraft. I joined Wilton Lackaye’s company to get experience. I took a minor part during the New York production, and was playing second leads before the end of the engagement. I played twelve weeks in Chicago with Mr. Lackaye…I still have money and property. Why I have a home at 7 East Thirty-third street in New York that has $100,000 worth of furniture. Do you know where 7 East Thirty-third street is? It is right on Fifth avenue and within a stone’s throw of the Waldorf-Astoria. Do you wonder that a woman of my experience, of my social standing, wealth, education and refinement whould resent these insults?…They say I am beautiful. But is it a crime to be beautiful? Cannot a woman be beautiful and still be something else? Is a woman cursed and hissed and ridiculed because she is beautiful?…The dresses I wear are the same that I wore a year ago at the horse show in New York, and they were favorably commented on in the society columns of the papers. But I will win yet, I am closing here and will have a play in a few weeks called “My Wife’s Husband.” It is a comedy. I will win of it tales the last drop of my life blood. I will be a star.”
Article about Amber Lawlord from the “Philadelphia Inquirer,” 29 Sept 1907, page 6
In 1908, Lawford married Samuel Willets, “son of a millionaire, master of hounds for the Meadow Brook Club, owner of the great jumper Heatherbloom, and member of six leading New York clubs” (The Pittsburgh Press, 21 June 1908, page 5). He was considered “one of the most desirable catches in the matrimonial market” at the time, coming from “one of the old aristocratic Long Island families.” The same article described that the new Mrs. Samuel Willets was “born in Frankfort, Ky., in 1880, the daughter of J. Henry Lorillard, a planter, alleged to be distantly related to the Lorillards of New York. A strain of Spanish blood flows in her veins. Her mother died when she was two years old and her father sent her to Notre Dame convent, where she was educated, remaining until she was 13, at which time her father died. A year and a half later she became the child-bride of William Fairchild Morgan, a wealthy resident of New Orleans. Their married life was happy. Morgan died in 1900, leaving his fortune in trust for their two children. She shortly afterward went on the stage.”
Amber Lawlord was later married to Mr. Samuel Willets. An article commenting on their marriage was published in the “Pittsburgh Press,” 21 July 1908, page 5
Part 478: Thomas G. Moses and “The Red Café” and “Mazeppa”
In 1903 Moses & Hamilton produced the scenery for “The Red Café” and “Mazeppa.” Little is known of the specific shows with which they were associated, but they are worth mention as they are just two examples of over two-dozen projects that they worked on during that season The plots of each featured the trials and tribulations of foreign characters; one set in Russia and one set in Poland.
Advertisement for “The Red Café” from “The Philadelphia Inquirer,” 16 Oct. 1904, page 34.
“The Red Café” was advertised as a melodramatic spectacle in five acts. The play was an adaptation of Matthew Brennan’s novel “Zetka,” telling the story of a soldier to the Czar and his efforts to marry the woman he loves. “The Boston Globe” reported, “The play, telling the story of Russian life, has many thrilling scenes which keep the audience at a high pitch. The scene in the czar’s palace at St. Petersburg, where the sentence of exile to Siberia is read, is excellently staged and very interesting. The uprising of the serfs and the quelling mob with the arrival of the czar in the second act is another highly picturesque scene” (The Boston Globe 29 Sept 1903, page 8). Little else is known of this production other than that it traveled with two carloads of special scenery and effects produced by Moses & Hamilton.
The same year, Moses & Hamilton produced scenery for another foreign story – “Mazeppa.” The well-known tale had been performed for decades by 1903 and is often cited the first equestrian dramatic spectacle. “Mazeppa; or, the Wild Horse of Tartary,” was a play adapted from Byron’s 1819 poem. It is based on a popular legend about the early life of Ivan Mazepa (1639–1709), who later became Hetman (military leader) of Ukraine. In the poem Mazeppa has an affair with a young Polish Countess while serving as a page at the Court of King John II Casimir Vasa. The count punishes Mazeppa by tying him naked to a horse and letting the horse run wild. Much of the poem described the traumatic ride of the young man strapped to the horse.
“Mazeppa” was first adapted for the stage by H. H. Milner and performed at Astley’s during 1831. It remained a popular show for the next thirty years, but in 1863 Adah Isaacs Mencken (1835-1868) became the first woman to portray the Tartar Prince. Menken caused a sensation when she wore a nude-colored outfit on stage; it created the illusion of nudity as she rode the horse. In previous productions performers used a “dummy steed,” but Menken allowed herself to be bound to a real horse for the thrilling ride.
Photograph of Adah Isaacs Mencken (1835-1868) in her nude suit for “Mazeppa.”Photograph of Adah Isaacs Mencken (1835-1868) in her nude suit for “Mazeppa.”
The production that Moses & Hamilton likely created settings for was the 1903 tableaux version. “The Philadelphia Inquirer” reported, “the Mazeppa Tableaux is being exhibited at one of the popular theaters,” after a local reader inquired about the history of Ivan Mazeppa (7 Oct. 1903, page 8). I have not been able to locate any information pertained to the painted settings for the tableaux.
When I think to the process to design and paint scenes for dozens of productions over the course of one year, my mind whirls a bot. Many of the settings that I have located depict elaborate compositions, such as a Russian Czar’s palace or the palatial home of a Polish Count. Moses & Hamilton were creating complex painted compositions that also needed to travel; it was a daunting task to be sure.
After a brief exploration of Masonic activities during the first decade of the twentieth century, I return to the life and times of Thomas G. Moses in 1903. As Scottish Rite scenery production was on the rise in the Midwest, Moses continued designing and painting scenery in the East. In addition to providing the 1903 stage setting for “Old Sleuth,” “The Ramblers,” Lost in the Desert,” “Reaping the Whirlwind,” “As you like it,” “Lost in the Desert,” “That’s All,” Scout’s Revenge,” “Mazeppa,” “The Night Before Christmas,” “The Red Café,” and “Peg Woffington,” Moses & Hamilton designed and painted the scenery for “Wayward Son.”
Advertisement for “The Wayward Son,” from “The Scranton Republican,” 2 Nov 1903, page 2
The “Buffalo Evening Enquirer reported that there was a “wealth of scenic splendor” in “Wayward Son.” The article continued, “The play is presented with scenic accessories, rarely equaled in variety and magnificence. The great locomotive scene, is an especially fine example of stagecraft” (22 Dec. 1903, page 9). Another article commented, “while many organizations are provided with a full scenic equipment, few companies, even in these days of managerial extravagance, carry such an elaborate scenic outfit” (17 Dec. 1903, page 20).
Newspapers published that the show gained the indisputable right to use the subtitle “A Whirlwind Success” for its mechanical and electrical effects. The technical feature that made “Wayward Son” the “talk of the town” was the scenic illusion in the third act. There was a great locomotive rescue scene that took place in the midst of a driving snowstorm. “The Buffalo Courier” reported, “In this thrilling stage picture the highest art of the scenic artist, the stage mechanician and the electrical expert is represented, the cast of this one scene alone reaching a larger figure than that expended for the entire scenic equipment of many pretentious productions” (13 Dec 1903, page 46). Another article also commented, “Besides its dramatic value, this scene is acknowledged to be one of the most beautiful and lifelike ever presented on the stage” (17 Dec. 1903, page 20).
This comedy drama written by Neil Twomey told the “fascinating story of home life, in which the hero, Tom Hanford, suffers almost every hardship possible to conceive” Star-Gazette (Elmira, New York, 31 Dec. 1903, page 6). The locomotive scene was described in the Star-Gazette article as “the sensational rescue of the hero, Tom Hanford, who is imprisoned in a baggage car by his brother and a confederate, who is no less a person than the chief of police himself. At the moment when the conspirators feel that they have their victim at their mercy the heroine of the play, Martha Barnard, a young secret service detective, dashes onto the stage in a locomotive, which her faithful colored ally, ‘Sleepy Bill,’ quickly couples to the hero’s temporary prison, and, with throttle thrown wide open, the engine dashes forward, to the great discomfiture of the conspirators, bearing the helpless hero to a place of safety” (26 Dec. 1903, page 6).
The “happy-go-lucky” Tom Hanford was played by the author Neil Twomey and the show opened at the Grand Opera House on October 12, 1903. The production enjoyed a long run at the Grand Opera House before touring across the country during 1904 to 1905.
Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Ample Opportunities, July 17
One of our Austin adventures included another trip to the Scottish Rite. We wanted to further explore the effects of electric lighting on the backdrops and brought a few people along. It is delightful to watch people see the magical transformation of light on painted scenery for the first time.
The appearance of light on dry pigment backdrops (also known as distemper painting) is partially created with the specific combination of colors selected by the scenic artist. A blue seascape was not created with pure blue paint from a can, or it would appear flat. A purple shadow was not created with purple paint from a can, or it will appear unnatural. Each backdrop color was a combination of both warm and cool pigments. In college, I was taught to “knock down” the brilliancy of a pure color from the can, adding a complimentary color. Part of this reasoning is to make the painting appear more natural, and not too vibrant as when it comes straight out of the can. Another reason is that both the warm and cool colors uniquely reflect light – it is all about optics.
When making a lovely purple shadow that defines a nineteenth-century forest composition, or some architectural detail, the historical combination of complimentary colors may be ultramarine blue and French mineral orange. This is just one example. There is both a warmth and coolness represented in this color combination throughout the composition.
During two conversations with historic theater owners, I was able to watch their complete comprehension of a historical aesthetic; the facial expressions said everything as they processed the information. That being said, not all people understand color. Not all people understand the variables in painting techniques throughout the 19th and 20th century. I encountered two people today who understood both – this is remarkable
Both understood exactly what I was talking about in terms of color palette as we watched the drop’s magical transition under different lighting effects. It was some of the most exciting exchange of information that I have ever had with a potential client. I recorded the scenic illusions in both still photography and videography, capturing the effects of various lighting effects on historical drops. These images were shared with many colleagues at the conference, as well as theatre owners. All were astounded at how the stage composition shifted in appearance and overall composition. At one point, he exclaimed, “I can’t believe how it looks like an entirely different setting now. It’s the lights!” It IS a big deal to present the possibilities to a historic theater owner. This is one of the reasons that early 20th century scenic studios used electrified models to display the scenery; you have to see it to believe it. There are so many possibilities for the stage, with minimal investment.
The Long Center in Austin, TexasThe Long CenterThe Long CenterThe Long CenterThe Long Center
After our Scottish Rite adventure, we accompanied our friend Frank Cortez to the Long Center. Cortez runs the backstage area at the Long center as well as taking care of the aging counterweight system at the Austin Scottish Rite. He is an amazing and very talented professional. It is wonderful to see a space through the eyes of someone who has worked in a performance venue for years; there is both the presentation of the flaws and advantages of the venue. What a lovely space. I absorbed much information about the current counterweight system like a sponge; I love the mechanics of the entire system and wish that I had studied the intricacies of theatrical rigging just a tad more while in college. After a long day, we returned to our lodging and later met with a dear friend, Karen Maness. We exchanged stories about scenic art, the Press, and the future of our industry.
In 1903 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “We started the New Year with more work than last year.” The “we” was Moses and his partner Will Hamilton, having founded the New York studio of Moses & Hamilton. They used the paint frames at both the American Theatre and the 125th Street Theatre. In addition to the seasonal work at the two theaters, they also accepted a variety of other projects, such as touring shows that traveled across the country.
Moses recorded that they took the show “Old Sleuth” to Elizabeth, N.J. for its final rehearsals. This was common for most of the shows that Moses worked on during this time. The majority of shows both rehearsed and opened in a smaller venues, where they could tweak any scenic or mechanical issues. After these trial runs, the productions went eiter on tour, or headed to Broadway.
The opening of “Old Sleuth” was rehearsed for three days whole days in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Moses wrote, “Everything worked fine – not a hitch.” However, on opening night the panorama in the tunnel scene fouled and stopped. Moses continued, “the driving rod fell off the locomotive and the Falls of Niagara refused to fall. Which caused a big laugh from the audience, and some profanity from the producers. After the show, I wanted to go back to New York, but the producers insisted on my remaining there. I had nothing to do with the actual working of the mechanical effects, but had to see that they were put in good working order, which I did in two days.” What a nightmare for Moses. It also speaks of the complicated aspect of many scenic elements for melodramas.
James “Hal” Reid, the playwright, actor and director.
“Old Sleuth” was a five-act melodrama written by James Halleck Reid. After rehearsing the show in New Jersey, the show opened on October 27, 1902 at the Star Theatre in New York City, and toured across the country. “Old Sleuth” was both the creation and pseudonym of Harlan Page Halsey (1837-1898), a “dime novel detective” that appeared in the 1860s. The use of “Old Sleuth” was the equivalent to the 20th century use of “Dick Tracy.” During thr late-nineteenth century, it became quite common place to see multiple references in newspaper articles reporting various crimes being solved “Old Sleuth” equivalents.
A collection of “Old Sleuth Weekly,” recently sold at auction.
In 1874, the story “Old Sleuth, the Detective” was adapted for the stage in Manhattan at the Bowery Theatre. The Lebanon Daily News described the great detective play, reporting, “Old Sleuth is a character so well known to all lovers of sensational fiction further comment is unnecessary. The ‘Old Sleuth’ series of sensational detective stories from the pen of Chas. Garvice have been carefully dramatized into five thrilling acts and ten big scenes abundant with startling climaxes and intensely dramatic situations. Mr. Hal Stephens will portray the title roles and introduce his many lighting changes. He will be ably supported by a carefully selected cast of players, together with special mammoth scenery and marvelous mechanic effects” (Lebanon, PA, 1 Oct. 1902, page 2). A vehicle for lighting innovation and scenic effects, the play was packed with action adventure, including the rescue of the heroine from a burning bridge and another rescue in front of a speeding train.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reviewed the play when it was scheduled for the National Theatre, advertising, “A dramatic production which in its actions mirrors the caprice of temperament, sunshine, cloud, showers, raging storm and scented zephyr and has the atmosphere mingled and tangled over and over with thrilling and intensely powerful situations comes to the National this week. The play is labeled ‘Old Sleuth,’ a name familiar to those living in glittering palaces as well as to those that call a little hut in the desert their homestead, and where is one on the long plain that stretches from the Empire State to the Golden Gate, that has not read or heard of the cleverest of all detectives, ‘Old Sleuth?’ But non ever enjoyed the treat of seeing his doings realistically portrayed on the stage until Hal Stephens, surrounded by a cast of unusual excellence, went on a starring tour to move the many admirers of ‘Old Sleuth’ closer to him. The theme is so cleverly worked that sobs are followed by hearty laughs. The acting is startling, the scenery sensational and the mechanical effects of an order that will excite and thrill” (16 Nov. 1902, page 33).
“Moving Picture World” article on “Hal” Reid. Page posted on Pinterest.Hal Reid credited as “Father of the Sport Shirt.” First page of article posted on Pinterest.
The playwright “Hal” Reid was born in 1863 in Cedarville, Ohio. Interestingly, I found a few newspaper articles that placed his birth in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Although he remained an actor throughout the duration of his career, he is primarily remembered as a writer of melodramas. Reid was responsible for writing at least thirty melodramas between 1895 and 1908 that opened on Broadway. He later went to Hollywood were he worked as a screenwriter, actor and director. Reid was eventually associated with the Reliance Company, directing all of their productions. “Moving Picture World” reported that he was only director at the time to have filmed the President of the United States and royalty of the British reigning family (page 414). His son Wallace was also an actor, but tragically died of a drug overdose in 1923, only three years after the death of his father.
Detail fo foil strips in New Jerusalem scene at Scottish Rite in Quincy, Illinois.
There is something magical about metallic colors on painted scenery. Metallic gold shifts from a deep bronze in the shadows to a brilliant gold under light. Catching a glimpse of Dutch metal or foil strips from different angles makes a backdrop come to life. It can add life to the painted stage picture. However, the application of metallic accents must be sparse and effectively lit for it to work. Seldom have I encountered a metallic paint or a glitter glaze on Scottish Rite scenery; on my travels I have primarily encountered the use of foils. Early twentieth century Masonic scenery incorporated foil strips that suggested fiery blazes of the underworld or brilliant rays emanating from heaven above.
Hell scene detail from Sosman & Landis backdrop created for the Winona Scottish Rite.Detail on hell cut drop produced for the Winona Scottish Rite.Detail of paperbacked foils for the Fort Scott Scottish Rite hell scene.
It was not until the 1920s that metallic paint began to replace the foil strips and Dutch metals, a popular effect throughout the nineteenth century for fairy scenes and sparkling underwater caverns. Many degree settings for Scottish Rite productions used foil strips to outline demonic figures and rocky outcrops. It was a scenic illusion suggesting the fiery pits of the underworld. As the drop moved, the foil strips reflected stage lights, creating a sparkle that suggested firelight. It was an extremely labor intensive process; especially when considering the amount of time already spent attaching netting if it was a cut drop. Hell scenes were incredibly expensive to create in a scenic studio.
Paper-backed foils are very visible from the audience, much more so than metallic paint or glitter. The crinkles on each foil strip allow reflective highlights to appear natural. Both Scottish Rite scenery collections in Joplin, Missouri, and Moline, Illinois, have areas accentuated with metallic paint and glitter, not foils. Both collections date from the 1920s. During this decade, many studio techniques became less labor-intensive and streamlined. The new techniques were not always an improvement, but cost effective as the new processes saved the studio time and money. Unfortunately, decades would reveal that many of the new studio techniques would prove problematic. One example is the replacement of individually gluing knotted intersections on netted cut drop with large swaths of glue along the perimeter. It was a faster process, but over time, these large areas of glue became brittle and puckered the painted surface. Those with dots of glue on knotted intersections remained flexible and undetectable from the audience.
Moline Scottish Rite. This technique replace the gluing of each knotted intersection, saving time to attach. This is also a refurbished drop that was reinstalled at a second Scottish Rite venue, so you can see the previous netting and dots.Milwaukee Scottish Rite. A netted section with individual glue dots on knotted intersections.
In addition to the introduction of timesaving techniques, there were other factors to consider. The increased use of electric lights occasionally caused painted compositions to appear flat, necessitation the additional of metallic paint to palatial interiors, garden scenes, and treasure chambers to give it a little life and movement. The increased intensity of electric light diminished the depth of painted scenery. Furthermore, a new generation of scenic artists lacked some the fine art experience acquired by their predecessors, thus incorporating new painting techniques that departed from a more traditional stage aesthetic. The increased use of draperies and dimensional scenery further shifted scenic art techniques and use of alternative materials.
Detail of glitter used for demonic eye in the hell cut drop at the Joplin Scottish Rite.Another example of glitter being used on a cut drop at the Joplln Scottish RiteGlitter used to accentuate serpents in the hell scene at the Moline Scottish Rite.Metallic gold detail on columns at the Moline Scottish RiteMetallic ornament on columns for palace leg drops and backdrop at the Moline Scottish Rite
I was delighted to encounter the metallic paint and glaze with glitter on some of the Scottish Rite scenery in Joplin, Missouri, on the final day of our trip. The fiery scene from the underworld was a lovely composition where demonic eyes were accentuated with a glitter glaze. Metallic paint was also applied to the gold bases of palatial columns for ornamental detail and highlight. This was an attempt to accentuate the metallic quality of the columns base, yet remained barely visible from the first row. I wonder if this was more for the Masonic client as they inspected it up close instead of for the actual Scottish Rite audience during a degree production. The painted metallic accents in Joplin and Moline are far less spectacular than those foil strips applied to Scottish Rite scenes for Cheyenne, WY; St. Paul, MN; Grand Forks, ND, Wichita, KS; Winona, MN; Fort Scott, KS; Tucson, AZ; an many other Southern Jurisdiction Scottish Rite Valleys. The quick dabs of metallic paint may have taken far less time for scenic artists to apply than foils, but they failed to deliver the same visual punch.
Thomas G. Moses recorded creating scenery for Edward McWade’s play “Winchester.” McWade was the author of this early Civil War drama. The five-act play premiered in 1897 and was an immediate success. The Buffalo Courier advertised “Winchester “ as the “best of all war plays” with “beautiful and realistic scenes” (22 Dec. 1901, page 22).
Edward McWade
The play was about a romance, set in Winchester, Virginia during 1863. Virginia Randolph nurses a wounded Northern officer, Major Frank Kearney, back to health in her home. While there, Frank teaches Virginia telegraphy, unintentionally teaching her to intercept Union messages and send them to her brother, a Confederate captain. Although discovered, Franks’ romantic rival, Col. Dayton, and a Northern spy, Phillip Allen, accuse Kearney of treachery. Frank is court-martialed and scheduled to be executed at dawn. Virginia confesses her guilt to the commanding general, and then mounts her horse and rides down the moonlit roads with Frank’s reprieve in hand. This scene was popularized as “the race for life.” Advertisements for the show included a quote from the New York Morning Telegraph, “The second scene of the fifth act of “Winchester” would carry it; the heroine is shown in a wild ride with a reprieve for her lover, who is to be shot.” Virginia is pursued by the villainous Allen, whom she is forced to shoot from his horse during her dangerous ride. She reaches the firing squad just in the nick of time!
Advertisement of “Winchester,” from the Buffalo Courier, 22 Dec. 1901, page 21.
The show toured with treadmills for the horses and a moving panorama for this exciting scene. “Winchester” is also a significant production when examining the earliest uses of the moving pictures for stage-and-screen hybrid presentations. For a few productions, instead of using a moving panorama, a moving projection appeared in the upstage area to simulate the moving panorama. The consistent use of this scenic effect remains unclear, nor its overall success. There must have been the novelty of a new media incorporated into the stage, but could it really meet audience expectations for a moving panorama and onstage horse race? There would be a simple lack of color and atmosphere; a stage aesthetic that an early black and white film could never convey.
In 1901 McWade organized a new and ambitious production in New York at the American Theatre, hiring Margaret May Fish, a western actress and his future wife, to appear with her jumping horse Mazeppa. The show was to again use the racing machines popularized in earlier productions, such as “The County Fair.” This was the production that Moses worked on while living in New York. The new “Winchester” was to include 100 men and 25 horses for a full run of the show (The Saint Paul Globe, 28 Jan. 1902, page 6). Advertisements of the new touring production promised, “The same powerful cast, the same complete scenic equipment, the same thoroughbred racehorses, the same calcium lights exactly as used during the New York run. Guaranteed to be the best war play ever seen” (The Public Ledger, 16 February 1903, page 3).
The Public Ledger reported, “A carload of special scenery, properties and electrical effects are utilized scenically and mechanically, and two thoroughbred race horses are carried to vividly portray the thrilling ride” (17 February 1903, page 1).
Edward McWade (1865-1945) was an actor and writer who transitioned from the stage to film. He appeared in more than 132 films. His father and brother were also notable stage personalities, Robert McWade, Sr. (1835-1913) and Robert McWade, Jr. (1872-1938). Both McWade brothers went from Broadway to Hollywood, continuing successful acting careers. Edward McWade and his wife Margaret May performed in a number of stage and film productions together.
Margaret McWade and Louis Calhern in “The Blot” from 1921.
