Sosman & Landis – Page 17

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1053 – Returning to Sosman & Landis, April 1920

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sosman & Landis also manufactured stage hardware until the 1920s.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1045 – Katzenjammer Kids, 1920

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

From the “Ridgewood Herald News,” Aug 13, 1920, page 6.

Katzenjammer Kids scenery by Thomas G. Moses. From “The Courier,” 22 Aug, 1920 , page 6.

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

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

From the “News and Observer,” March 30, 1920, page 17.

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

From the “Evening News,” 26 Aug 1920, page 10.

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

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

From the “Fort Worth Star Telegram,” 12 Sept 1920 page 58.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1031 – “Let’s Go Peggy,” the Elks Big Show of 1919

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.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1030 – The Empress Theater and the Chicago Studio of Sosman & Landis, 1919

Chicago’s Empress Theater opened in 1913. The venue was located in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. Six years later the building was renovated and purchased new scenery. The Chicago Studio of Sosman & Landis was contracted to supply the new sets. This is not to be confused with Chicago Studios, the company that Thomas G. Moses worked for in 1919 after leaving New York Studios.

In 1919, Moses wrote, “A new contract was entered into between the Chicago Studios and myself for one year. I hope it will prove to be a paying one in which I participate in the profits and a raise in salary, which means my old salary of $100.00 and a bonus.” Chicago Studios was a competitor of Sosman & Landis. It was also the same name as midwestern branch of Sosman & Landis Scene painting Studios, making the history a bit complicated. On Nov. 1, 1919, Chicago Studios placed a want ad in the “Chicago Tribune”:

“MEN-YOUNG, BETWEEN THE AGES OF 16 and 21 to learn to paint theatrical scenery; must start in as paint boy and work up; salary to start $15 per week; an excellent opportunity for one who wishes to learn the trade. Apply Chicago Studios 15 W. 20^th-st” (page 25).

This is from the same time when Moses was working at Chicago Studios; he needed to expand the staff.

Of the Sosman & Landis’ Chicago Studio, the “Herald and Review” credited the firm with the new Empress Theater sets in 1919 (Decatur, Illinois, 10 Aug 1919, page 18). The article reported, “Empress Theater Opens Next Week. Interior has been redecorated and new stage lighting system installed. After being closed for a period of six weeks for redecorating, the Empress will open for its fall and winter seasons next Sunday afternoon. Extensive improvements have been made during the closed period, the interior being entirely newly decorated, new seat covers for the orchestra chairs and the scenery department supplied with new sets from the Chicago studio of Sosman & Landis. A new lighting system has been installed, exactly like the one being used on the stage of the Great State-Lake theater, Chicago. Twelve sets of lights, each containing a 500-watt nitrogen lamp, set in a specially constructed reflector, will throw 6,000 watts of light on the performers, making it one of the brightest stages in this art of the country.”

From the “Englewood Economist,” Chicago, 10 June 1920 page 4.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1029 – DeKoven Opera Co., Robin Hood, 1919

Thomas G. Moses resigned at Sosman & Landis on September 1, 1918 and began working for New York Studios that fall. In 1919, he left the employ of David H. Hunt at New York Studios and signed a new contract with the Chicago Studios. Even though Moses was no longer affiliated with Sosman & Landis the company trudged on under the management of Perry “Lester” Landis, son of the co-founder Perry Landis. Much of the scenery credited to the studio in 1919, however, had been completed under the direct supervision of Moses before his departure.

Advertisement for the DeKoven Opera Company’s production of “Robin Hood,” from the “Alton Evening Telegraph,” 15 April 1919, page 7.

In 1919, Sosman & Landis studio was credited with the scenery for the DeKoven Opera Company’s production of “Robin Hood.” Ironically, the scenic art was still credited to the firm’s two founders Sosman and Landis. On May 19, 1919, the “Post Crescent” reported,

“APPLETON THEATRE. ‘Robin Hood.’

Did you really ever see a first class performance of the best COMIC OPERA any American Composer has written? ROBIIN HOOD is worth seeing and hearing, for both is joy. The time you remember as the 13^th century and the locale is the Medieval City of Nottingham in England where the ubiquitous ‘Sheriff’ is the ‘Pooh Bah’ of the town. Here is where Ed Andres the veteran comedian shines. Later his activities extend to Sherwood Forest, and his complicated drolleries seem never ending. The scenic artists Sosman & Landis have achieved a remarkable piece of work in both of these settings for the DeKoven Opera Company, the Central square of Nottingham being a magnificent panorama of the middle ages and the forest scene with its rustic beauties a vista of rare beauty. The choral effects, the clever dances, the kaleidoscopic lighting, and the delightful ensembles which Mr. DeKoven wove into his most successful opera form a cycle of entertainment which those who witness at the Appleton Theatre next Monday May 17 will long remember” (Appleton, Wisconsin, page 7).

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1023 – Pittsburgh’s Alvin Theatre, 1919

In 1919, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “A large curtain for the Alvin Theatre, Pittsburg, gave me a good opportunity to display my knowledge of deep woods again.” Moses delivered the original stock scenery collection for the same venue in 1891.

The Alvin Theatre after Benjamin Keith purchased the building in 1900 and rented to Harry Davis.

An interior view of the Alvin Theatre in 1905.

In early September of 1891, Moses and Ed Loitz left Sosman & Landis’s main studio in Chicago, bound for Pittsburg. Their goal was to furnish all of the new scenery Alvin Theatre in the next two months. They completed the project on November 10, 1891.

The Alvin Theatre was owned by the actor named Charles L. Davis. Davis had made his fortune as a character actor, playing a New England rural farmer named “Alvin Joslin.” He originated in the 1860s and became quite popular.

Charles Lindsay Davis was born in 1848. At the time, his parents were touring with a theatre production. Davis entered the theatrical profession by the age of five and continued performing until 1889, when he retired to build the Alvin Theatre. After spending $225,000 on the endeavor, the Alvin Theatre was considered one of the finest theatrical house in America at the time. Moses described Davis in his memoirs: “He carried a band furnished with the best and most expensive instruments. He wore some fine diamonds. His vest buttons had diamonds in them. A $7000.00 watch was a novelty. He had a body-guard who was close to seven feet tall, while he was only five feet there. On day in Cincinnati while dining, his body guard approached him, begged his pardon for being late, and counted out to Davis thirty $1000.00 bills, and apologized for not being able to get the balance. The table was filled with traveling men and as they opened their eyes at $30,000.00, Davis coolly put it in his vest pocket. As soon as the meal was over, he slipped the money back to his bodyguard who got it back to the bank where he had borrowed it for an hour. Of course, on good security. Just a little advertising. Everyone talked about it. He had many little stunts like that.”

Davis passed away in 1900 at the relatively young age of 52 from complications that arose after a suffering from a severe attack of pneumonia. The “Pittsburgh Post-Gazette” announced “Charles L. Davis will be sadly missed and not alone at his home, for he was known all over the country and had hosts of warn friends. Pittsburghers have every reason to remember him with gratitude. He was instrumental in adding to the city’s attraction a place of amusement, and which remains an appropriate monument to his memory” (2 March 1900, page 4). The Alvin Theater was purchased in 1900 by Benjamin Keith. Keith rented the space to who began renting to Harry Davis. By 1905, the two expanded their partnership to include Pittsburgh’s Grand Opera House.

Little is known of the scenery delivered to the Alvin Theatre either in1891 or 1919. The technical information for the stage, however, was included in numerous Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guides, beginning in 1896. The theater was located on the first floor and the proscenium measured 36 feet wide by 45 feet high, a sizable opening. It was 48 feet from the footlights to the back wall and 78 feet between the side walls. The distance between the fly girders was 50 feet, with 63 feet from the stage to the rigging loft. There were grooves for painted wings that could be taken up flush with the fly gallery and six traps in the stage floor. By 1901, the stage area appears to have been enlarged from 78 feet to 90 feet between sidewalls. All other technical specifications remain constant.

When Moses delivered the woods scene to the Alvin Theatre in 1919, he must have been flooded with memories from his first trip to the space. In 1891, his career was in the midst of shooting upwards. Business was booming and there was a long line of projects on the horizon. By 1919, it was almost thirty years after Moses first visited the Alvin Theatre. The world of theater was changing and there was no longer an endless demand of painted scenery. Although Moses noted the project offered an opportunity to display his knowledge of the deep woods again, it was a bittersweet moment.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1014 – From New York Studios to The Chicago Studios, 1919

In 1904 Moses left a successful New York partnership in 1904; this was the business endeavor with William F. Hamilton, Moses & Hamilton. Sosman placed a series of incentives to draw Moses back to Chicago that included $5,000 in stock and a position as vice-president. Additionally, he also assumed all control over design, construction, painting, and installation at the firm. When Sosman passed away in 1915, Moses was elected president. Unfortunately, that was right in the midst of a challenging period, WWI, a measles outbreak, the Spanish Flu and a recession. It seemed that everything was falling apart and the demand for painted scenes was beginning to diminish nationwide.

By the summer of 1918, working at Sosman & Landis became untenable. On September 1, 1918, Thomas G Moses resigned as the president of Sosman & Landis, and started working for New York Studios, the eastern affiliate of Sosman & Landis. New York Studios was run by David H. Hunt. By the end of 1918, Moses wrote, “I am afraid that I will not be satisfied with my new deal.” Part of the problem was securing a studio space. Add in the fact that Moses never liked Hunt to begin with and his new employment was doomed from the start. Hunt consistently promised big and delivered small; Moses really should have known better by this point in his career.

During the fall of 1918 Moses hoped to line up a few projects along the west coast. Of possible California living, he wrote, “Mama and I would like to go out there. The hardest part of that will be the giving up of the old home and moving away from all the friends and children, but I don’t think it would take all that much coaxing to have the children move after us, which would all be fine. If I could only get a financial settlement with Sosman and Landis Company, we would go to California this winter.”

Needless to say, he remained in Chicago for the winter. His New York Studios projects ended up being built and painted in the Peltz & Carson shops. Of the experience, Moses wrote, “…rather hard to do in the Peltz and Carson Studio on account of the low ceilings, being obliged to paint one part on the upper floor and the balance on the lower floor. The studio was always warm and dry; in fact, too warm at times, which was almost as bad as not being warm enough.”

Of the search for a better studio space during the spring of 1919, Moses commented, “We looked at several buildings for a studio, but none seemed right to fill the bill. The only way to get one and have it right is to build one.” Early on, Sosman & Landis built a deluxe studio that was often toted as the largest one in the United States. When their main studio could not accommodate all projects, Sosman & Landis rented a series of spaces that they referred to as “annex studios.” Although New York Studios had long been marketed as the eastern affiliate of Sosman & Landis, there were never the funds to build a permanent structure for scenic work. In the end Moses severed his relationship with New York Studios in 1919.

By summertime, Moses wrote, “A new contract was entered into between the Chicago Studios and myself for one year. I hope it will prove to be a paying one in which I participate in the profits and a raise in salary, which means my old salary of $100.00 and a bonus.” This means that when he left Sosman & Landis to work with New York Studios, he took a pay cut. His base salary returned to normal when he began working for Chicago Studios.

About this time, The Chicago Studios placed a want ad in the “Chicago Tribune” on Sept. 13, 1919: “MEN – YOUNG. TO LEARN THEATRICAL scene painting; excellent opportunity for those inclined. The Chicago Studios, 15 W. 20th-st” (page 21).

From the “Chicago Tribune,” 13 Sept. 1919, page 21.

By Nov. 1, 1919, the want ad in the “Chicago Tribune” was a little more descriptive:

“MEN-YOUN, BETWEEN THE AGES OF 16 and 21 to learn to paint theatrical scenery; must start in as paint boy and work up; salary to start $15 per week; an excellent opportunity for one who wishes to learn the trade. Apply Chicago Studios 15 W. 20^th-st” (page 25).

From the “Chicago Tribune,” 1 Nov . 1919, page 25.

It is difficult to track down information for The Chicago Studios; much has to do with the name. Similar to New York Studios, the firm’s name is also used to denote location of other businesses. For example, in 1919, newspapers credited scenery to the Chicago Studio of Sosman & Landis. Essanay Motion Picture company also referred to their Chicago Studio. And on top of everything else, there was also another Chicago company named “Chicago Studio,” one that specialized in music.

Letterhead for The Chicago Studios after they moved to a new location in the 1920s – the old shop of Sosman & Landis.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 990 – New York Studios and Fred Marshall, 1918

In 1918, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “September 1^st, I resigned as President of the Sosman and Landis Company which severs my connection with the firm after thirty-eight years of service. I joined the New York Studios and expect to get a studio and an office to do business.”

1927 New York Studios advertisement from “Scenic Artist,” Vol 1 No 1, May 1927.

Quick recap about New York Studios: Former Sosman & Landis secretary and treasurer, David H. Hunt, established New York Studios in 1910. The firm was intended to be an eastern affiliate of Sosman & Landis. Remember that Sosman & Landis established Kansas City Scenic Co. as a regional branch in the nineteenth century. However, the relationship between the two studios became strained after Moses became president of Sosman & Landis. Moss and Hunt had never really got along well, so I was quite surprised that Moses left Sosman & Landis to work at New York Studios in 1918. It must have been quite bad for Moses at Sosman & Landis for him to pull the plug after thirty-eight years. One has to wonder what was going on between the studio and the stockholders, as well as the company’s finances.

Of his new job, Moses wrote, “Marshall of the New York Studios and I had to hustle out for a studio. Got an office in the Consumers Building. I did two borders for the Chateau Theatre at the old place. We tried very hard to buy out the old place, but they want too much money. I was willing to make a big reduction on my claim, but it was no use. We have to find a studio.”

Moses was referring to Fred Marshall, a scenic artist who would later represent the United Scenic Artists’ Association of New York City. Born on March 24, 1895, in Woodridge, New Jersey. He was the son of Louisiana native, Frederick Marshal, Sr. (b. 1851), an artist who specialized in mural paintings and contemporary of Moses. WWII draft records describe the younger Marshall’s appearance as 6’-2” and 190 lbs., gray hair, blue eyes and a ruddy complexion.

While looking for information about Marshall, I came across three interesting finds that are worth sharing to give some context to his role in American theatre history. The first was a 1936 Columbia University doctoral thesis by Charles Lionel Franklin, A.M., entitled, “The Negro Labor Unionist of New York, Problems and Conditions among Negro in the Labor Unions in Manhattan with Special Reference to the N.R.A. and post- N.R.A. Situations.” The dissertation included interviews with Max Graft (Secretary of the U.S.A.A.) and Marshall (business representative of the U.S.A.A.). Graft was quoted as stating that the United Scenic Artists’ Association was “Organized in 1918. First it was explained that this local has jurisdiction over all workers in the Eastern United States. In its membership there were at one time two Negroes. One, a New York man who joined in 1918, dropped out in 1925. He was one of the first members. The other Negro member now in the union is a resident of Pittsburgh. In the local there are 339 members. The initiation fee is $500.00, $250.00 with application and $250. With initiation and yearly dues of $48.00.” On August 29, 1936, Marshall explained that the union’s “Membership was open to “any person who follows any branch of work within the jurisdiction of the scenic artists crafts for a livelihood.” Here is a link to the entire dissertation as it is certainly worth the read: https://dspace.gipe.ac.in/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10973/22326/GIPE-014119-Contents.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y

Marshall was also interviewed in 1937 for the Emergency Relief Appropriation Hearings before the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate Seventy-Fifth Congress, First Session on H. J. Res.361 The following is included from June 1937:

“Statement of Fred Marshall, United Scenic Artists’ Association of New York City.

Mr. Marshall: Gentlemen, I have nothing further to add to what has been said. I represent just the local in New York. We have three locals throughout the United States but I speak for New York. We had a membership of 490 in 1928, and we have some 320. We did try to discourage people from coming into the business. We closed our books and tried to discourage the schools teaching scenic designs, and so forth, as we did not see any advantage in bringing a lot of people into a business that had no future. But we did notice a pick-up since the Federal Theater started and we do dope it will be made a national institution, that the Government will make it a national theater. It is purely seasonal theater now with work for 5 months a years and the other 7 months of intermittently here and there; nut we do get about five months regular employment for all our people, and the other 7 months they do nothing; but we would like to see it become a national institution.” He spoke alongside Dorothy Bryant, Chorus Equity Association, Alfred Harding, Actors Equity Association, Fred J. Dempsey, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and David Freed, American Federation of Musicians for Emergency Relief Appropriation (page 236). They were concerned with the Woodrum amendment. Dempsey explained that of their 30,000 members, only 15,000 have work.”

Finally, in 1939 Marshall was listed as part of the Amusement Committee for the NY Worlds Fair, as the business representative for the United Scenic Artists of America, Local No. 829, 251 West Forty-second Street, NY. He was mentioned in the New York World’s Fair Hearings before the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives Seventy-fifth Congress, First Session on H. J. Res. 234 and H. J. Res 304 Authorizing Federal Participation in the New York World’s Fair, 1939).

The point that I am trying to make is that Marshall was a mover and shaker in the scenic art world, but as a young man of 23 in 1918 he was walking around New York in search of a studio for Moses.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 984 – Reflections on Scenic Art

This is a long and contemplative post, so my apologies in advance. Quarantine is providing me with a little too much time to think, hence why I am painting so much; it silences the internal dialogue.

In 1918, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Pitt and Stella dropped in on us from Trenton on my 62^nd birthday on the 21^st, and we all enjoyed their surprise and their visit.” Pitt was Moses’ eldest son who lived in New Jersey. Today, Moses may be considered three years away from retirement. In 1918, he was mid-career with no retirement in sight. What were the physical barriers of a scenic artist working in the early-twentieth century versus now?

There are a few things to consider about the careers of scenic artists during the early twentieth century. The first is that they were not working on the floor, most painted on a vertical frame, one that moved up and down. Aged scenic artists didn’t have to crawl around on the floor to tack down a drop, or bend over to paint some little detail. They did not spend a lifetime having to suddenly drop to the floor or kneel for extended periods of time.

Thomas G. Moses working at Less Lash Studios in New York, ca. 1910.

How long could scenic artists work during the late-nineteenth and early twentieth century? Until death. If you don’t have to kneel down, and the painting was at a comfortable height, why stop working? With no social security net, stopping work at any point might not be an option. Take away the physical obstacles and you could paint as long as your mind stayed sharp.

It’s pretty simple if you deconstruct the early-twentieth century painting process. What are the greatest obstacles that an older artist may encounter in a shop if they are above the age of 60? Kneeling, crouching and climbing. I am almost fifty-one years old and consider myself in pretty good shape. I am overweight, but I have remained active my whole life and spent hours working on the floor. Starting out as a dancer, the flexibility remains with me – so far. That being said, I can no longer crawl around on my hands and knees for extended periods of time anymore, without suffering the next day. I had a big epiphany a few months ago when I was painting an ad drop on a motorized paint frame at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. I was putting in an ungodly amount of hours, all by myself, yet did not feel the strain. Although I enjoyed what I was doing, the key for me was painting on a vertical paint frame. At every step of the process, my painting was at the perfect height. No over-reaching, no crouching and no straining. Why would I need to ever retire if I could physically do the work I love?

There is another thing to keep in mind about the early-twentieth century American scenic studio that is really important– journeyman artists had assistants. That is not the case with every journeyman artist now, especially if you freelance and do not enjoy a permanent position. These young assistants, “pot-boys” (for filling pots of paint), would tack up the drop on a vertical frame, prime it and possibly base-coat many of the basic colors. If you were at the top of your profession, you may only need to show up to paint the complex part of scene, adding in flourishes to add dimension and sparkle. There are pros and cons to our industry at every step it seems.

The industry really began to change in the 1920s – and then completely shifted in the 1930s during the Great Depression. Scenic artists noted the shift in their memoirs and in newspaper articles. Those who recalled the changing times at the end of their life detailed the cause of change in scenic art. A few years back, I read a series of letters between John Hanny and Dr. John Rothgeb from 1979. They are now part of the Rothgeb collection at the University of Texas, Austin. Hanny was hired at Sosman & Landis by Thomas G. Moses in 1906; he was 16 years old at the time and earning $6 a week. Although his salary increased five-fold in six years, by 1920, he and four other artists left to form Chicago Service Studios. That business only lasted six years. In 1926 Art Oberbeck of ACME studios of Chicago bought the studio. Hanny’s scenic art career was tumultuous at best beginning in the mid-1920s.

When asked by Dr. Rothgeb in 1979 to describe the era from 1900 to 1929, Hanny wrote the following:

“The depression of 1929 just about stopped the production of stage scenery – at least in Chicago. Road shows, musicals, etc. if any were being produced in New York and Hollywood. At this point all the studios disappeared but the scene painter just couldn’t disappear and had to become freelancers. There was no such thing as a steady job and the boys were hard put to find a day’s pay. Most of the following 10 years were really tough and 1929 proved to be a big change in our business, in purpose, in design, paint and other materials.” Hanny goes onto describe the emergence of a new theatrical supplier: “These were not Scenic Studios but rather combinations of carpenter and machine shops equipped to turn out booths, revolving turn tables, electrical effects and so on. The art was done in any available loft or vacant store space.”

This is when scenic art shifts from an art, to a craft; no longer does painted illusion drive the industry, it almost becomes an after thought of the production process. Yes, there are exceptions.

Hanny continues, “The biggest change to us painters was our paints. Luminal Casein was pretty well established as a very practical and useful medium so, it, and show card color was the norm. So – no more ‘dry’ colors – no more soup bowls or hot size, and of course no more paint frames. Drops, if any were painted on the floor.” THIS is a turning point in American scenic art. We abandon something that worked incredibly well for over a century. Not everyone transitions to floor painting, and pockets remain with scenic artists continuing to paint on vertical frames – just look at Hollywood. Scene painting continues to thrive there more so than anywhere else in the United States.

With the shift from painting on a vertical frame to the floor for live theatre and industrial shows, standard techniques and tools also changed. Hanny recalled, “The house painter’s sash brush came into use and many of the former ‘tools’ such as snappers and center-poles and others were no longer needed. The folding 2 ft. brass bound rule gave way to the yard stick.”

When this industry wide change occurred, Hanny was in his forties and Moses was at the end of his career. I cannot imagine watching my entire life’s work be condemned as “old fashioned” as much pictorial realism went out of vogue. Think of the theatre world that Moses entered in 1873. He was from the generation of scenic artists who chummed together on sketching trips to gather resources. The generation who took art classes together at fine art academies and garnered some of the top salaries in the theatre profession. This was all ending, faster than any of them realized.

We talk about evolution in the theater industry; technological innovations that herald change and produce ever-better products. Sometimes the only way to forge ahead is to forget the past. If we don’t look back, we can’t lament what is lost. Such was the case when the golden age of American scenic art came to an end. 1880 to 1914 is what I consider the golden age of scenic art. Yes, I am sure there are many who disagree with those dates. Much scenic art training simultaneously shifted to academic institutions around this same time. This created a very different atmosphere, a departure from scenic studios that began training sixteen-year-old boys.

As with everything, a massive shift in any industry affects the accepted standards. What we consider “beautiful” or even “acceptable” is sometimes based on the lowest common denominator. As with many things, “quality” work is relative to accepted industry standards and the times.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 980 – Lester Landis and Jessie Royce Landis, 1918

In 1918, Thomas G. Moses went on an auto trip to South Bend, Indiana. He was accompanied by Lester and Jessie Landis. Of the experience, he wrote, “July 2^nd, Lester, his wife and myself started for Battle Creek by the way of South Bend in his auto. We had a delightful trip, spending the 4^th of July in South Bend and coming away with a $1,200.00 contract.” Earlier that spring, Moses recorded that the studio “Did considerable work for South Bend in April.”

When Joseph S. Sosman passed away in 1915, stockholders elected Moses as president of the Sosman and Landis Company, Sosman’s stepson Arthur as vice-president and Landis’s son P. Lester Landis as secretary and treasurer. This occurred only two months after Lester married Jessie Medbury. By the end of the 1915, Moses wrote, “I hope within a year that Lester will get into the office work so I will not have much of that to do.”

It should have read Mrs. Jessie Royce Landis, from the “Chicago Tribune,” 21 April 1920, page 17.

Lester was slow to take on the company reigns for a couple of factors. The first being his recent marriage to actress Jessie Medbury in summer. At the same time, Arthur Sosman did not success in the role of vice president. By 1916, his mother replaced him in the role. On October 10,1916, Moses was re-elected president of the company, with Mrs. Sosman as vice president and Lester Landis as the secretary and treasurer. This was the same year that Lester and Jessie’s son was born with downs syndrome. The company is still in turmoil from Sosman’s passing, each family is struggling with their individual problems and America enters the was. Now throw in clients not paying their bills, or delaying payments; it was a rough period, but Lester remains in the position of secretary and treasurer.

Jessie Royce Landis was the daughter-in-law of Perry Landis, of Sosman & Landis. She married P. Lester Landis. From the “Indianapolis Star,” 26 March 1922, page 80.

By 1918, Lester is more active in his role, and Moses even mentions his success in collecting overdue payments for some projects, but the company is still faltering. By that fall, Moses decided to leave, writing, “September 1^st, I resigned as President of the Sosman and Landis Company which severs my connection with the firm after thirty-eight years of service. I joined the New York Studios and expect to get a studio and an office to do business. The Sosman and Landis Company have only done $85,000.00 worth of work for the past year. We should have done about $116,000.00 worth to make money.” Lester stays and soon becomes company president. He was never a painter, never had the same connections as his father, or really understood how the business was run. This had to have been an extremely difficult time for Lester, especially as he and Jessie disagreed on how to raise a child with special needs.

Although Moses resigned as President of Sosman & Landis in 1918, he would sporadically work with Lester, mentioning him again 1922. That year they pitched a new design for the Scottish Rite Valley of Little Rock, Arkansas. However, Sosman & Landis was preparing to fold and the vultures were waiting in the wings to grab what was left.

In 1923, Moses and Fred Megan purchased the name of Sosman & Landis. Megan was previously associated with the Kansas City scenic Co., but had subcontracted work to Sosman & Landis over the years. The pair would try to convince Lester to work with them again in 1925 after successfully purchasing the name and reorganizing Sosman & Landis. In short, Moses seems to have genuinely liked Lester to have made the offer. This may have been the turning point for Lester when he declined the position, as he didn’t remain with the theatre industry long after that. Although he was listed in the Evanston Directory as a salesman for theatrical supplies in Chicago in 1931, by 1935 he was a salesman for North Shore Buick Co. He would remain an automobile salesman until his passing twenty years later.

Lester and his wife add an interesting twist to the overall story of Sosman & Landis, as well as the life and times of Thomas G. Moses. I am going to take a moment to focus on the Landis family.

Perry “Lester” Landis was born on October 25, 1892. He was the son of Perry and Nora Landis. His father, Perry, co-founded Sosman & Landis with Joseph S. Sosman in 1877. The Landis family was theatrical one, with two of Perry’s brothers being well-known minstrel performers during the late nineteenth century.

Perry and Nora were married in 1881 and the couple celebrated the birth of only two children: Viola E. Landis (1885) and P. Lester (1893). By 1899, the family moved from Chicago to Evanston, Illinois, when Perry was listed as a co-founder and “scenic artist” at Sosman & Landis. Despite the success of the studio, the Landis family experienced quite a bit of sorrow over the years, as father Perry and daughter Viola dies within six months of each other; Perry died in 1905. Lester’s son also died in 1928 from the flu. Perry had been extremely sick for three years before his passing.

During the 1920s, however, everything also goes wrong for his son Lester. The loss of his son to influenza in 1928 immediately led to the loss of his wife. They had struggled for years concerning the care of their son and her desire to have a career. Jessie Royce Landis would eventually find success as an actress and film star and publish her autobiography, “You Won’t Be So Pretty (But You’ll Know More)” in 1954. I have been trying to get my hands on a copy for quite some time now, as I only have a few Xeroxed pages that were tucked away in the John H. Rothgeb papers at the University of Texas, Austin.

In her book, Jessie describes the early years of her marriage and the birth of her son. She married Lester on June 7, 1915, and the couple celebrate the birth of a son in 1916. Medbury Perry Landis was named after his two grandfathers – Medbury for her father and Perry for Lester’s.

Medbury was born with down’s syndrome. Of her son’s early years, Jessie wrote, “Meddie was a beautiful baby and almost too good to believe. He seldom cried. During the first two years of his life everything went wrong in the Landis home. The business from which they derived their incomes began to fail and it was disclosed for many years the dividends had been paid out of capital. Lester tried to nurse it back, but he knew nothing about the business and it was all pretty hopeless. The family had never had to economize and couldn’t believe that it was necessary to do so now. ‘It will turn out right somehow,’ Mother Landis would say and they continued to live as they had always lived. I, who had known the ups and downs of fortune, seemed to be the only one to worry.”

It was during this time of extreme financial difficulties that Jessie returns to acting for additional income. After a series of charitable performances, she begins working as an actor and director for the North Shore Players. By 1926 she was performing on Broadway, with her last Broadway show, “Roar Like a Dove,” in 1964. As with many performer, love theatre was her first love, even after appearing on the big screen. In the 1920s, Jessie was touring on the road, her son was enrolled in a special school, and her husband was struggling with his own career. By 1928, their son had passed away from influenza, Sosman & Landis had closed and then reopened under the management of Moses, and Jessie’s career took off. Too many factors for their marriage to survive.

Jessie Royce Landis picture in 1938. She was cast the “The Millionairess.”

Although Jessie was married two more times, she retained Landis as her stage name. From 1937-1944 she was married to Rex Smith, and in 1956 she married US Army Major General John F. R. “Jeff” Seitz. In hindsight, keeping the Landis name it may have been a strategic move, as the Landis family was well-known for their theatrical connections also across the country.

Jessie Royce Landis is worthy of mention in her own right. She was born Jessie Medbury on Nov. 25, 1896. “Royce” was not her original middle name, only “T” or “J” are listed as middle initials in census reports. Later in life, Jessie described her childhood as the daughter of a symphonic musician, explaining “a hankering for the stage since childhood” (Stars and Stripes Newsletter, August 6, 1961). She continued, “When other children were playing with their dolls, I would be playing theater. I do remember I used to put on little shows in the backyard.” As a 14 year old, Jessie had received a scholarship to attend the Hinshaw Dramatic School. She also recalled additional studies as a pianist at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. She met her husband while performing with the Evanston Stock Comedy. The Landis’ were a big name in Evanston and the theatre industry. Their marriage must have seemed like a perfect fit, and it was for a very brief while.

Lester’s WWI draft record described him as medium height and medium build with brown hair and brown eyes. At the time, his present occupation was listed as a manufacturer of stage scenery at Sosman & Landis. The couple celebrated the birth of their son Medbury in 1921, Sosman & Landis is liquidated in 1923, and Jessie returned to the stage in 1924. That year, newspapers noted that she was both acting and directing with the North Shore Players, going on tour with a production of “The Highwayman.” This is when her career begins to take off – immediately after the collapse of Sosman & Landis. By the 1950s she begins appearing in movies, including “To Catch a Thief” (1955), “The Swan” (1956) and “North by Northwest” (1959). In “North By Northwest,” she plays Cary Grant’s mother.

Jessie Royce Landis (right) in the movie “To Catch a Thief.”

Jessie Royce Landis (left) in the film “North by Northwest.”

The same year that Jessie married Rex Smith, Lester also remarried. On October 2, 1937, Lester married Mrs. Elsie C. Karger; the couple stayed together until his passing. Lester passed away at the age of 62 in 1955. At the end of his life he was still an automobile salesman, living in Belleville with his second wife. He had been in the town for four years, having moved from O’Fallon. Both his wife and stepdaughter Jacqueline (Mrs. Charles Schultz) of Columbia, Illinois were listed in his obituary.

To be continued…