Theatre Circuits – Page 2

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 844 – McVicker’s Vaudeville Theatre, 1913

In 1913, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Started a lot of work for McVicker’s Theatre – that was in June. I did all the exterior drops.”

The venue had changed hands again, and Moses created a set of scenery for the new lessees of the new “McVicker’s Vaudeville Theatre.” The well-known Chicago establishment had just become a combination house. McVicker’s Theater, located on West Madison Street, near State, was once considered the oldest playhouse in Chicago.

From the “Chicago Tribune,” 27 Aug 1913, page 8.

On May 10, 1913, “The Lancaster Intelligencer” reported,

“OLD THEATRE IN FILM RANKS

Chicago’s Fire-Baptized McVickers Sold for $500,000.

McVicker’s Theatre, Chicago’s historic playhouse, which has passed through five fires, including the great fire of 1871, and which has been rebuilt or remodeled after each fire, passed from the ‘legitimate’ on Thursday when it was sold to a moving picture firm for $500,000.”

The Jones, Linick & Schaefer circuit began leasing McVicker’s Theatre in 1913, presenting “popularly priced” vaudeville acts along with motion pictures. The ticket prices were 10,15 and 25 cents, an affordable option when compared with legitimate theater and you could stay as long as you wanted from 1p.m. to 11p.m. (Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wisconsin, 9 May 1913, page 7).

From the “Inter Ocean,” 14 Sept 1913, page 32.

The firm’s partners were Aaron J. Jones, Adolph Linick and Peter J. Schaefer, They first established their firm in 1899, leasing Keebler & Co., a store on Clark Street just south of Madison Street, and establishing a penny arcade. As their operation grew, Jones, Linick & Schaefer became primarily interested in entertainment, running amusement parks and theaters. They eventually managed the Orpheum Theatre on State Street, opposite of the Palmer House (Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 1913). By 1913, the firm operated eight Chicago theaters.

On April 29, 1913, the “Chicago Tribune” announced, “All arrangements for the acquisition [of McVicker’s and the Colonial] have been made…The Jones, Linick & Schaefer people will open a vaudeville booking agency of their own on Thursday in offices in the Orpheum Theatre building in State street, in preparation for the increased business. They have been booking from the Western Vaudeville Managers’ association” (page 3).

From the “Chicago Tribune,” 1 Aug 1913, page 12.

On May 22, 1913, the “Washington Herald” reported, “Jones, Linick & Schaefer, Chicago’s new theatrical triumvirate, who practically dominate the popular vaudeville and moving picture field in the Windy City, have just signed a contract with the Kinemacolor Company of America to install the original nature-colored features of the vaudeville bills at the Colonial and McVicker’s Theatres, their latest acquisitions…Both are located in the heart of “The Loop,” and their cosmopolitan patronage demands the best and latest novelties. Kinemacolor scored such popular success at the Willard, Wilson, and other theaters of their circuit that Jones, Linick & Schaefer decided to make it a permanent feature of their vaudeville bills. In this they were following the example of F. F. Proctor, William Fix, Oswald Stoll, and other leading showmen of America and England” (page 11).

“Moving Picture World” published an article about Jones, Linick & Schaefer, commenting that moving pictures were replacing all other vaudeville at the Willard Theatre by 1914. The article, “Picture Programs Supplant Vaudeville in the Willard” noted, “Vaudeville has been withdrawn from another of the Jones, Linick & Schaefer houses – the Willard, at Fifty-first street and Calumet avenue. The Willard was closed Sunday night, Jan. 18 to make the necessary changes for straight picture programs. A $10,000 organ will be installed. It will be reopened Monday, Jan. 26. ‘There is no significance in this change, ‘said Mr. Linick. ‘Our patrons in that neighborhood prefer moving pictures to vaudeville, and we’re trying to give then what they want. The price will be ten cents, as against the ten-twenty-thirty we charged for vaudeville. Our downtown houses, the Orpheum, La Salle, Colonial and McVickers will go along just as they have been” (Sat. January 14, 1914, page 551).

Moses would also deliver scenery to the Colonial Theatre, also managed by Jones, Linick and Schaefer. In 1913, Moses wrote, “ “A good, big contract for the Colonial, city– a very complete set.” The addition of “city” means that it was a complete city setting for the theater, a perfect setting for many vaudeville acts.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 840 – Moss and Brill’s New Theatre, 1913

In 1913, Thomas G. Moses recorded that Sosman & Landis delivered scenery for Moss and Brills’ new theatre in New York. Moss & Brill had two theaters in New York, the Eighty-sixth Street and the DeKalb. The theatrical management firm also opened two theaters during January 1913. Both were combination houses, bringing the total number of theaters owned by Moss & Brill up to five, according to newspapers.

From the “New York Times,” 23 Jan 1913 page 22.

The Hamilton Theatre opened on January 23 and the Jefferson theatre opened on January 25. On January 24, 1913, the “Brooklyn Citizen” included an article about Moss & Brill’s new Hamilton Theatre:

“THE HAMILTON OPENS.

Moss and Brill’s new Hamilton Theatre, which is located at 146^th street and Broadway, Manhattan, had its opening last night. A fine program consisting of eight vaudeville numbers was presented. At the conclusion there were calls for the management, but the demands for a speech were not answered. The new institution is a handsome building, seating about two thousand persons, and will be devoted to vaudeville at popular prices. Friends of those interested in the new enterprise expressed their feelings by sending numerous large bouquets. A handsome souvenir programme was distributed.”

The second venue opened by Moss & Brill that January was the Jefferson Theatre. The Jefferson Theatre was slightly larger than the Hamilton Theatre, with a 3,000 seating capacity. It was located on the edge of what is now known as the East Village, at 214 E. 14^th Street. The narrow entrance was between two tenement buildings was the entrance, leading to the main auditorium in the back of the building, situated near E. 13^th Street. Over the years The Jefferson Theatre became known as the RKO Jefferson Theatre. It did not survive, however, and was demolished in 2000.

“The New York Times” announced the opening of the venue on 26 Jan. 1913: “The Jefferson Theatre, the second of the new houses to be opened by Moss & Brill vaudeville producers, was opened to the public last night. It is at Fourteenth Street and Third Avenue. George Kiester, architect of the Cohan, Belasco, Astor and Hamilton Theatres, designed the Jefferson. A feature in its construction is the span of 90 feet of balcony and orchestra entirely unobstructed by posts or pillars. The Hamilton Theatre at 146^th Street and Broadway were opened by the same firm on Thursday night. It is a marble building with a frontage of 100 feet on Broadway. It has only one balcony, but is equipped with twenty-four boxes, and will seat approximately 2,500. The color scheme is gold and brown. Both houses will resent continuous performances from 1 to 11 of vaudeville and moving pictures” (page 44):

Both the Hamilton and Jefferson theaters were completed at a cost of $1,000,000 and listed as “popular price” venues. The “Evening World” reported, “With the other Moss & Brill house, the Eighty-sixth Street Theatre, and the Cunningham & Fluegelman theatres, the McKinley Square, in the Bronx, and the DeKalb, in Brooklyn, seating capacity for more than 12,000 persons will be provided and an outlay in buildings and ground of more than $3,000,000 represented” (The Evening World, New York, 18 Jan. 1913, page 6).

The history of Moss & Brill is integral in the establishment of a new theatre circuit that appeared in 1912. That year newspapers announced the establishment of the Consolidated Booking Offices of America. The new company consolidated the interests of Moss & Brill and Fluegelmen & Cunningham, both of New York, with the Sheehan and Olympia circuits of New England, taking the title Sheedy and Affiliated Vaudeville Circuit. The company controlled about thirty weeks of vaudeville bookings from New York to Portland, Maine. Two weeks later, the newly formed Sheedy and Affiliated Vaudeville Circuit united their interests with the Theatre Booking Corporation, of Chicago; the Charles H. Miles Circuit of Detroit and Cincinnati, and the Klein & Crawford Circuit that extended from St. Louis to Omaha, to form the Consolidated Booking Offices of America. On August 16, 1912, the “Brooklyn Daily Eagle” reported, “Combination of Independent ‘Small-Time’ Vaudeville Gains Ground.” This consolidation of smaller circuits resulted in vaudeville artists being able to secure contracts for fifty-six weeks of solid bookings instead of only thirty, meaning “headliners” from previously bigger circuits, were able to appear for the first time at popular prices.

The Consolidated Booking Offices of America incorporation papers were filed in Albany, New York in 1912 and the new company had a suite of twelve offices in the George M. Cohan Theatre Building in New York City, on Broadway, near Forty-third street. They featured popular-priced vaudeville, thus necessitating the use of venues with large-seating capacities of 2,000 or more to generate significant profits.

The new circuit also landed a major deal with Kinemacolor in De Kalb that year (see past posts #822-823 about Kinemacolor movies). On Feb. 1, 1913, “The Chat” announced “By the purchase of rights in Greater New York to exhibit the kinemacolor photo plays and motion pictures, Messrs. Cunningham and Fluegelman, proprietors of the DeKalb [Theatre], with their partners in the Consolidated Booking Offices, Messrs. Moss and Brill, now own the rights in this city outside of a small strip on Broadway from 34^th street to Columbus Circle” (Brooklyn, New York, page 42). Instead of the current prices for Kinemacolor that ranged from $0.50 to $1.50, the prices at the DeKalb Theatre were $0.25.

Change was in the air for popular entertainment as the moving picture industry continued to gain ground, offering theatre managers with an opportunity.

“The Evening World” answered the question “Why new theatres of this type are needed on January 18, 1913 (page 6): “It is the general opinion that the metropolis is already overstocked with theatre, and just now Broadway and its adjacent territory has more than can be filled. And yet more are being built, while the dramatic field is overstocked. The same may be said of the popular-price houses. There are hundreds of these, including the ‘motion picture’ houses, and one would naturally infer that the field is over worked. But Mr. Moss and Mr. Brill were the first to see the possibilities of building modern fireproof theatres to supply the ever-increasing demand for popular amusement at popular prices.”

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 793 – The Palace Theatre, 1912.

At the beginning of 1912, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “starting some new work for the Palace Theatre.” Moses was referring to the 1500-seat Palace Music Hall, advertised as “Chicago’s New Vaudeville Theatre” in 1912.

Detail of a Palace Music Hall program currently for sale online.

Built at N. Clark Street and W. Randolph, the Palace Music Hall opened on April 1, 1912. Designed by Holabird and Roche, the new Palace Music Hall was advertised across the country. An article in the “Daily Herald” noted that the Palace Music Hall was the newest theater “situated in the heart of Chicago’s theatre district and that “leading artists of the world” would be featured at this “high-class vaudeville” house (August 30, 1912, page 11). The article further reported, “The building department of Chicago has pronounced the Palace the most perfectly constructed and equipped theatre in the country.” Hmm. I have noticed that most new theaters during this period were advertised as the “best” that could be found in country, often including validation by some organization or well-known personality. Great marketing technique to get the public in the doors.

The Palace Music Hall, Chicago, Illinois.

Performances at the Palace were given twice daily, once at 3:15 PM and once at 8:15 PM. Individual seat prices were 15 cents, 25 cents, 50 cents and 75 cents. Like many theatres during this time, however, there was a shift in popular attractions and entertainment, often promting a change in owners. Abraham Lincoln Erlanger acquired the lease for Chicago’s Palace Theatre building during January 1926. He extensively remodeled the theater, renaming it the Erlanger Theatre. The Erlanger theatre remained open until March 10, 1962. The building was soon demolished, with the theater’s original location and remainder of the block being razed to build the Chicago Civic Center, now the Richard J. Daley Center. Neither this venue, nor the original Palace Theatre, are to be confused with Chicago’s New Palace Theatre, a venue designed by Rapp & Rapp and located on Randolph and La Salle Street in Chicago in 1926. The second “Palace Theater” opened Oct. 4, 1926 and is now known as the Cadillac Palace Theatre.

When the Palace Music Hall became the Erlanger Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

In 1912, Martin Beck announced his intention to “invade” the east and Chicago with the new Palace theatres. The Palace Theatre in Chicago and the Palace Theatre in New York were intended to fight eastern interests. Beck’s Palace theaters were also mentioned in an interesting 1912 newspaper article published across the country. “Woman Back of a Theatre Trust” was the title and the article’s headline stated, “Mrs. Katherine Kohl Carries Out Late Husband’s Ideas for Territory Division. STOPS VAUDEVILLE WAR” (Rock Island Argus, 30 April 1912, page 9). Here is the article in its entirety, as I found it quite fascinating:

“Chicago, April 20, 1912.- The efforts of a Chicago woman, Mrs. Catherine Kohl, has averted a threatened vaudeville war which would have involved millions of dollars and has brought about a combination of theatrical interests aggregating $50,000,000.

Her months of endeavor have resulted in a union of men of the east and west representing practically the same theatre interests but operating in different territories. By the new arrangement the eastern magnates will keep in their own territory, the western magnates in theirs and Mrs. Kohl will be left the mistress of the situation in her Chicago theatres, founded by her husband and left to her on his death a year ago.

By the deal, completion of which was just announced in New York, B. F. Keith has purchased interests of Percy G. Williams, controlling eight theatres in New York, and a working agreement has been entered into by the different vaudeville powers by which there will be no friction in the future. A general agreement has been made as to the placing of different vaudeville acts and the ‘time’ to be allotted performers.

This new assignment of territory and interests stops a new vaudeville war started some time ago when Martin Beck opened the Palace theatre in New York and followed it by the Palace theatre in Chicago. These two houses were to be used in conjunction with others, to fight the eastern interests. By the new terms of the Chicago theatre, which is now playing vaudeville, will change its policy. It is said the first sign of the change will be when ‘A Modern Eve,’ now playing at the Garrick theatre, is transferred to the Palace theater.

Under the new combination thousands of performers are virtually interested. Mr. Keith with E. F. Albee, A. Paul Keith and John J. Murdock will control the vaudeville situation far west as Chicago. The situation in Chicago will be under the control of Mrs. C. E. Kohl, Max Anderson and the Monroe Amusement company. Meyerfeld and Beck of the Orpheum circuit will control the remainder of the country for the Orpheum circuit.

Mr. Keith will have control of the situation in the east, Mrs. Kohl in Chicago, and Martin Beck for the Orpheum circuit west of Chicago.

The new combination was caused by the announced intention of Beck to invade the east and Chicago, his new Palaces theatres being his first step in this regard. Theatrical managers saw ahead another theatrical war which probably would duplicate the efforts of Klaw & Erlanger to break the vaudeville trust some years ago and the fight of William Morris along the same lines. But before the war was fairly advanced the alignment of interests was accomplished.

‘The late Charles E. Kohl planned more than once to bring about this arrangement which would place the Majestic and other large theatres in association with the east,’ said Lyman Glover, general manager for the Kohl-Castle theatres, last night. ‘He wanted to leave the west as an empire for the Orpheum circuit. His widow has labored effectively in promoting the agreement now reached. The result will clear up the situation, prevent ruinous competition, provide better and more uniform vaudeville bills, and simplify the business in many ways.’

From New York at night a statement was issued by Meyerfield and Beck.

‘It always has been our fondest desire,’ the statement said, ‘to bind the east and west together in a more substantial way. The consummation of the deal just put though by Mr. Keith and ourselves is a happy solution of our difficulties and is most satisfactory to us.

‘The situation, as far as territory is concerned, is no different than it was before, but by buying interests with Mr. Keith and in other ways tying our interest more closely together we have accomplished something for which we have been working for years, and the public and artists will reap the benefits as well as ourselves.

‘We are all men who have practically brought the high class vaudeville business to its present high standard, both sides owning controlling vast interests thoroughly established. And we feel that the fruits of our labor for 30 years have been consummated by the arrangement we have entered into.’”

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 746 – Great Northern Theatre, 1910

In 1910, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “We stocked the Great Northern Theatre for the Schuberts. They were a fine band of ‘regular bandits.’”

On February 12, 1910, Salt Lake City’s “Broad Ax” reported, “The Great Northern Theatre is now a Schubert House, and in the near future they will redecorate it very elaborately” (page 2).

A later map of the Great Northern Theatre’s seating chart published in the Chicago Blue Book, 1910

Sam S. Schubert, Lee Schubert and Jacob J. Schubert of Syracuse, New York founded the Schubert Organization, in the late 19^th century. Although Sam died in 1905, Lee and Jacob rose to become powerful businessmen within a decade. The Schubert brothers steadily expanded their empire, collecting theaters across the country. Moses began working with the Schuberts as their business empire commenced a dramatic expansion across the country. It is not surprising that the Schuberts sought out Sosman & Landis studio for many of their painted settings and décor, such as the Great Northern Theatre.

Postcard depicting “The Vagabond King” at the Schubert’s Great Northern Theatre, 1910

On February 19, 1910, “The Salt Lake Telegram” reported, “The Messrs. Schuberts announce that next season will have four first-class theatres in Chicago, and will make the windy city a producing center for their attractions second in importance only to New York. At the present moment the only playhouse in Chicago operated by the Messrs. Schubert is the Garrick Theatre. Recently, however, they acquired control of the Great Northern theatre, in which they have already booked a number of offerings this season, and they will inaugurate their management of that house on Sunday, February 20, with their production of the great English spectacular success, “Dick Whittington,” as the initial attraction. The other two theatres completing the list of four Schubert playhouses are both to be entirely new and the work of construction will be begun shortly. Negotiations for desirable sites for those two houses, in the center of the Chicago amusement district, are now under way and should be completed within a few days” (page 18).

By February 26, 1910, newspapers reported that the Great Northern Theatre of Chicago was re-named the Lyric, and subsequently redecorated by the Schuberts. It opened on February 20, with the spectacular production of “Dick Whittington,” featuring favorites such as, Louise Dresser, Ethel Green, Kate Elinore and Sam Williams” (The Daily Times, Davenport, Iowa, 26. Feb 1910, page 14). Decorate in a new color scheme of gray and mulberry, the theater was located on Jackson Boulevard, near State Street. Under control of the Schuberts, the Lyric primarily presented comedies and character dramas, with ushers serving water and selling bonbons.

The interior of the theater shortly after the Great Northern Theatre became known as the Lyric Theatre

Th Great Northern Theatre was renamed the Lyric. From the Chicago “Inter Ocean,” 30 May 1910, page 12

By 1912, however, the name was again changed to the Great Northern Hippodrome. This name change was only temporary, however, as by 1921, it would return to being known as the Great Northern Theatre.

The Chicago Public Library carries a lovely selection of digitized theatre programs for the Great Northern Theatre. Here is the link: http://digital.chipublib.org/digital/collection/CPB01/search/searchterm/Great%20Northern%20Theatre%20(Chicago%2C%20Ill.)/field/theate/mode/exact/conn/and

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 720 – A Trip to Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, 1909

Part 720: A Trip to Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, 1909

Thomas G. Moses visited Oconomowoc (coo-no-mo-wauk), Wisconsin, after visiting Ellenville, New York, during 1909. Moses wrote, “On my return I took a trip to Oconomowoc to see Mr. Kohl about some work. I enjoyed the trip for I had the pleasure of seeing not only his fine home but several others that were palaces. A beautiful place to live.”

Moses was referring to theatrical manager Charles E. Kohl (1855-1910). Kohl was a partner of the firm Kohl & Castle Amusement Co., with offices in the Majestic theatre buiding in Chicago. The firm was identified with the Western Vaudeville Managers’ association in the Orpheum Circuit, controlling the Haymarket Theatre, Chicago opera house, Majestic and Olympic theaters in Chicago, as well as operating a chain of vaudeville houses throughout the Midwest.

Postcard of a scene from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

Like many wealthy Chicagoans, the Kohls owned a lake home. In 1892, C. E. Kohl and his wife Caroline Lewis Kohl (1863-1950) built “Brier Cottage,” their 45-room summer home at Lac La Belle. It was situated between the Schufeldt and Dupee estates. Lac La Belle, a body of water that covers approximately 1154 acres, with a maximum depth of 45 feet. Of their residence, the “Chicago Tribune” reported, “Charles E. Kohl, who, although unassuming to a degree, is the most influential personage in American vaudeville, has one of the show places in Lac La Belle, Oconomowoc, a place which twenty years of liberal expenditure and hard work have developed from the virgin forest into an ideal summer home” (June 13, 1909, page 22).

The summer home built by he Kohl’s in 1892.

The region around Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, was originally inhabited by Potawatomi people, descendents of Woodland Indians known as the mound builders. The name Oconomowoc described “falling waters” in the area.

The falling waters by Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

European immigrants settled the area during late 1820s and 1830s, and by 1837, New York native Charles Sheldon staked a homestead claim on the eastern shore of Fowler Lake. Soon afterwards, H.W. Blanchard did the same on the other side of the lake. Oconomowoc was not incorporated as a town, until 1844. Soon, Watertown Plank Road connected Oconomowoc to the nearby towns of Milwaukee, Waukesha, Pewaukee, and Watertown.

By 1853 the town had grown to include 250 residents with ten stores, three hotels, a gristmill, a sawmill and a school house. The first passenger train arrived from Milwaukee in 1854, becoming a stop on the Milwaukee and Watertown Railroad Company’s Milwaukee & Mississippi line. The population of Oconomowoc grew so rapidly that the town incorporated as a city in 1865. By the 1870s, Oconomowoc became known as a summer resort for wealthy Midwestern families, such as the Kohls. These seasonal residents began constructing lake homes throughout the area, escaping from larger metropolitan for short respites throughout the year.

By the early twentieth century, seasonal residences were owned by P. A. Valentine, George A Seaverns, W. Vernon Booth, Garrad Wiston, P. D. De Coster, A. J. Earling, Lawrence Fitch, as well as C. E. Kohl. In addition to enjoying the summer at their lake homes, many returned to the area to celebrate the Christmas and New Year’s holidays too (Chicago Tribune, 24 Dec. 1909, page 9).

1909 was a dramatic year for the Kohl family when Moses visited Ocononomowoc. The couple had been married for twenty-four years and had raised four children – Charles, John P., Caroline and Dorothy (Inter Ocean, 28 June 1909, page 5). Although no strangers to challenges of raising a family, they were surprised by a June event. Their youngest son, John P., secretly married the vaudeville actress Vinie Daly in Philadelphia.

Daly’s birth name was Elvira Delehanty. She was the daughter of well-known actress Lizzie Daly and had been on stage since she was 20 months old. She performed in theaters throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, many venues controlled by Kohl’s father (Chicago Tribune, 11 Sept, 1909, page 5).

John P.’s adventure began on June 23, 1909, when he left his Oconomowoc residence and headed east on a train to Philadelphia. After Daly’s matinee performance at Keith’s Theatre, the couple obtained a marriage license and were married by 7:30pm that evening. According to the newspapers, it was a very brief marriage. Only three months later, the marriage was annulled, as John P. was a minor and did not have his parents’ consent at the time (Chicago Tribune, Sept 11, 1909, page 5). The younger Kohl was 20 years old, with a bride five years his senior. The court case for annulment was covered by newspapers across the country. The “Harrisburg Star-Independent” reported, “After the older Mr. Kohl had testified his son’s lack of experience and poor judgement young Kohl told the court how he happened to marry the actrress.

‘I met her in Chicago while she was filling an engagement,’ testified Kohl. ‘Vinie asked me to marry her and not to tell my parents until I was of age.’

‘Did she ask you many times to marry her’ asked Attorney Levi Manner, who represented the vaudeville man. ‘Oh, yes, on many occassions, but I always refused until the last time,’ he replied.

Young Kohl then told of running away from Oconomowoc, Wis., where he had been spending the summer, and on meeting the actress at Keith’s theatre in Philadelphia, and of the subsequent marriage.

‘After we were married,’ he said, ‘we returned at once to the theatre where she played her part. I waited for her, and after the show I told me bride I was sorry for what I had done. I left her and took that first train back to Chicago and told my mother all about it.’

I have to wonder if this was the watered-down story for the court to ensure an annulment.

Sadly, the 45-room summer home no longer exists, as it was torn down in 1935. A combination of Caroline Kohl’s deteriorating health and the Great Depression were the major contributing factors at the time. In 2016, however, a lovely photo of the original home was listed online with some history tidbits for Geocaching. Here is the link: https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC6NJY8_oaht-1624-kohl-family?guid=8dbfe302-ac55-4e60-ab10-f2402127ce77.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 590 – The Cort Theatre in Chicago

Part 590: The Cort Theatre in Chicago

In 1908, Thomas G. Moses write, “I did several shows for H. H. Frazee.” At this time, Harry H. Frazee Harry H. Frazee was involved in the construction of the Cort Theatre in Chicago. Frazee’s later success. Seattle architect Edwin Walker Houghton designed Chicago’s Cort Theatre as a counterpart to his Seattle-based version. The theater was located at 126-132 North Dearborn Street.

The opening show for the Cort Theatre, from the “Chicago Tribune,” 23 Oct. 1909, page 11

Looking at the namesake for Frazee’s Chicago theater, John Cort, provides some context to Frazee’s tale. Born in New York, Cort started his career as part of a comedy duo called “Cort and Murphy.” Cort briefly managed a theatre in Cairo, Illinois, before heading west to Seattle, Washington, where he managed the Standard Theater. Cort was considered one of the pioneers for theater circuits under Cort’s management. Cort booked the same act successively into multiple cities, making it worthwhile for an acting company or any performance troupe to tour to remote locations. By 1903, Cort’s circuit controlled 37 theaters throughout the American West. This allowed him to compete with some success against the Eastern entertainment establishment. He even signed an agreement with Marcus Klaw and Abraham Erlanger who were leading booking agents and Cort’s theatres became part of the Klaw and Erlanger Circuit.

However, Klaw and Erlanger’s power continued to spread, negatively impacting many other theatre circuit owners such as that ran by Cort. By 1910, Cort helped organize the Independent National Theatre Owner’s Association. This was a group of circuits that attempted a break with the New York-based theatre syndicates, such as Klaw and Erlanger. They allied with the independent Shubert Organization and eventually forced many theatre that were controlled by eastern syndicates to book other productions. In retaliation for Cort’s participation with this movement, Klaw and Erlanger backed the construction of Seattle’s Metropolitan Theatre. In turn, Cort headed to New York where he became a notable producer and manager. Frazee would follow Cort to New York, constructing another theater in 1913. Designed by architect Henry Beaumont Herts in 1912, Frazee’s new theatre was named for Longacre Square, the original name for Times Square. The Longacre’s first show was a production of the William Hurlbut–Frances Whitehouse comedy Are You a Crook?, which opened on May 1, 1913.

Moses also painted scenery for Cort’s Seattle Theatre, twenty years prior to the construction of Cort Theatre in Chicago. In 1888, Moses traveled to Seattle where he closed a deal with Cort (ca. 1861– November 17, 1929). The scenery was painted in Chicago and shipped to Cort in Seattle. Frazee worked closely with John Cort during the planning and construction of Chicago’s Cort Theatre. On the books in Chicago for the Cort Theater, Cort was listed as president of the firm, with H. H. Frazee as the vice president and U. J. Herrmann as both the secretary and treasurer. Cort was a key factor in Frazee’s success.

The planning began for the Cort Theatre began in 1907, with its official opening on October 25, 1909.

In 1910, the Cort Theatre in Chicago had a seating capacity of 1,344. Admission prices ranged from $1.50-$2.00 in the orchestra to 50c. and 75c. in the gallery. The proscenium measured 38 feet wide by 33 feet high. The depth from the footlights to the back wall was 24 feet and the distance from the curtain line to the footlights was 1 foot. The height to the rigging loft was 69 feet and the height to the fly gallery was 36 feet. The depth under the stage floor was 12 feet.

The Cort Theatre in Chicago with painted steel fire curtain

Sadly, like many other theaters, it was razed in the name of progress. The Cort Theatre was demolished in 1964 to make way for a new thirty-one-story building in 1966 – the Richard J. Daley Center.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 584 – Advertising Curtains

Part 584: Advertising Curtains

Design for an advertising curtain in the Twin City Scenic Co. collection. Here is the link to the University of Minnesota Performing Arts Archives scenic collection search: https://umedia.lib.umn.edu/scenicsearch

Here is one last installment on advertising curtains. It gives information pertaining to the revenue collected for advertising curtains in 1909 and the decision of Martin Beck to remove advertising curtains in Orpheum Theatres. President Meyerfeld and General Manager Martin Beck ran the Orpheum Company. The “Lincoln Star” summarized Beck’s position in the company. It is well worth including as it provides the scope of the Orpheum company.

General Manager Martin Beck for the Orpheum Theatre company who decreed that all advertising curtains would be removed from Orpheum Theatre in 1911. Image from the Lincoln Star, 21 May 1911, page 19

“Mr. Meyerfeld was in his San Francisco office exercising general control over all the big Orpheum company. Around him are able lieutenants, who assist him in his executive work. At the other end of the line in New York is Mr. Beck, with his big offices and a small army of men who are lieutenants. Over in London is another group of expert vaudeville booking agents, all busy as bees under the guidance of Mr. Meyefeld and Mr. Beck, and in Berlin is still another group of booking men who report to Mr. Meyerfeld and Mr. Beck. In Chicago is still another big Orpheum office in the Majestic Theatre building, with a corps of vaudeville agents who do nothing but canvas the field searching for the very cream of vaudeville and submitting it for Mr. Meyefeld and Mr. Beck’s approval” (The Lincoln Star, 21 May 1911, page 19).

In 1909, the “Los Angeles Times” quoted General Manager Martin Beck: “Never again will an advertising curtain be permitted in one of our theaters” (3 Oct. 1909, page 28). The Times noted that the loss of revenue to art for the local house would be slightly in excess of 500 dollars per month. Today’s equivalent purchasing power is just shy of $14,000 per month. This provides us with a little information; many advertising curtains had approximately ten to twelve spaces, so each space could generate approximately $1000 each month.

Beck argued that there was a “gain to the sensibilities of the patrons in many fold” with the removal of advertising curtains, but he did not elaborate. In the Los Angeles article, Beck noted that the new screen for the front of the theater was being painted in Chicago.; this replaced the advertising curtain. I found the terminology for the replacement piece interesting – “screen,” instead of front curtain or drop curtain. It is possible that he was referring to a picture sheet, with a central screen surrounded by an elaborate and painted frame. Is it possible that the progression in some theaters went from painted front curtain to advertising curtain to picture sheet?

At the same time, the advertising curtain had also gained prominence by 1909, having moved from a position behind the front curtain to replacing it. This means that the advertising curtain had moved from being dropped during intermission to taking the prominent spot behind the proscenium, being on permanent displayed in the theatre. During the 1890s, there are many articles that support the advertising curtain was lowered for a specific period of time and was not on permanent display as the front curtain for all who entered the theatre. At the time, advertising companies even hired individuals to attend various productions at theatres to make sure that their ad drops were being displayed as promised. This was similar to making sure that television commercials appear in the specific time slots.

An article titled “Curtain Fight” was published in the “Buffalo Commercial” during 1897 (18 Oct 1897, page 15). It discussed a legal battle that ensued after the proprietor refused to allow the placement of an advertising curtain as contracted with a scenic studio. In May of 1896, John Laughlin became the manager of the Lyceum theatre and he refused to allow the New York Curtain Company to place an advertising curtain in his theatre on the ground that it would be a detriment to the house. The curtain company alleged that the contract had been broken and that it had suffered damages to the amount of $500.”

There was a shift from advertising curtains being displayed at certain times, to replacing the front curtain. My research suggests that it occurred around 1900. It was during this period when the placement of an advertising curtain also began suggesting that the venue was suffering and needed extra income. An article in the “Cincinnati Enquirer” commented that the need to place an advertising curtain could indicate the proprietor’s precarious financial state. The article reported, “The stage 12 x 14, with an ‘ad’ curtain which when it went up bespoke more plainly than words the nervous condition of the manager’s hand” (The Cincinnati Enquirer, 16 Dec 1900, page 36).

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 509: The Orpheum in Salt Lake City

Part 509: The Orpheum in Salt Lake City

In 1905, Thomas G. Moses wrote that he worked for the new Orpheum theatre in Salt Lake, Utah. “The Salt Lake Telegram” reported that the new Orpheum Theater would open on Christmas day (5 Dec 1905, page 4). The theater did open on its targeted date, but it was a last minute rush. The newspaper noted, “With a few gilded trimmings and with walls and ceilings yet untouched by the hands of the decorator, the New Orpheum theater made its bid for public favor last night. Manager Bristes [sic] promised to have the home of vaudeville open Christmas night and he did, despite discouraging delays from one source and another” (26 December 1905, page 5).

Plans for the Orpheum, published in the “Salt Lake Tribune,” 16 July 1905, page 8

Entrance to the 1905 Orpheum Theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah. The drop curtain and scenery for this venue were provided by Sosman & Landis studio under the supervision of Thomas G. Moses.

Detail of the 1905 Orpheum Theatre entrance in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“The Salt Lake Telegram” explained a few of the delays, “The same mystery that surrounds the consignment of opera chairs also enveloped the two carloads of scenery that were shipped west from Chicago some days ago. Yesterday, word was received that the drop curtain and scenery had been located and would arrive from Denver not later than tomorrow morning, all of which lifts a great load from the mind of manager J. F. Bistes” (16 Dec. 1905, page 4). Misplacing two carloads of Sosman & Landis scenery must have been a nightmare scenario on the studio’s end too. The grand opening was December 25, and it still had to be installed at the venue. On Monday, December 17, two carloads of scenery and a drop curtain were unloaded and placed into position (The Salt Lake Telegram, 17 Dec. 1905, page 26).

The building, located on State and Olive Streets, was a three-story brick structure, reportedly costing $80,000 (Salt Lake Telegram, 30 Nov. 1905, page 9). The design by architect C. M. Neuhausen was advertised as “Modern in Construction” (The Salt Lake Telegram, 5 Dec. 1905, page 5). Excavation commenced during April and the building was ready for some interior work by September. The general color of the interior was green, white and gold with French plush hangings for the loges and draperies of rich red, decorated with gold arabesque designs. The seating capacity was 1300 with 705 seats on the first floor and 610 in the balcony, besides the seating in the boxes. There were hardwood opera chairs in the balcony and red leather “recliners” for the parquet levels. The seven exits were constructed so that the slightest pressure would open them, allowing the theater to be emptied in two minutes during an emergency. Amenities included “an airy nursery where white-capped maids would attend to children” on the second floor.

Arrangements were made with the Utah Light & Railway company to supply the lighting and such “motive power” for the installation of modern electrical effects. There were 1500 incandescent bulbs for the auditorium. The stage measured thirty feet in depth with eighty feet between the sidewalls. There was fifty-five feet from the stage floor to the rigging loft.

The newspaper reported, “The Orpheum Circuit company, through its general manager, Martin Beck, will direct the enterprise, the success of which seems assured by an affiliation with the most influential vaudeville interests in the West. There has been secured the booking co-operation of the Western Vaudeville Association, in whose Chicago offices contracts for all the big stars are made for the Orpheum circuit and other associate theaters. Salt Lake is thus assured equal advantages with theaters in many of the large Western cities from Chicago to San Francisco, to which this booking association sends the cream of the world’s best vaudeville talent. The importance of this booking alliance may be better appreciated when it is understood that it will give Salt Lake City the attractions that are supplied to the following important theaters: The Chicago opera-house, the Olympic, the Haymarket and the million-dollar Majestic theater (now building), all of Chicago; Columbia, St. Louis; Grand opera-house, Indianapolis; Columbia, Cincinnati; Hopkins, Louisville; Hopkins, Memphis; Orpheum, San Francisco; Orpheum, New Orleans; Orpheum, Los Angeles; Orpheum, Denver; Orpheum, Minneapolis; Orpheum, Kansas City; Orpheum, St. Paul; and the Orpheum, Omaha.”

The Orpheum Circuit was a chain of vaudeville and movie theaters. It was founded in 1886 and operated through 1927, when it merged with the Keith-Albee theater chain, ultimately becoming part of the Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO) corporation. Salt Lake was the smallest city on the Orpheum Circuit in 1905.

Of the scenery for the old 1905 Salt Lake Orpheum, the “Salt Lake Telegram” noted, “The management made an effort to have these painted in this city, but under the time limit imposed that was impossible (The Salt Lake Telegram 14 Dec 1905, page 5). By 1912, a new Orpheum was already under construction and the “Salt Lake Telegram” reported “New Scenery for Orpheum Painted Here” (14 August, 1912, page 5). The article contended, “heretofore every new theatre with the exceptions of the old Salt Lake, has imported its scenery drop curtain and sets from one of the big New York or Chicago houses which make a specialty of equipping new theatres. The new Orpheum, now under construction on West Second South Street will have all of its scenery built and painted here.” Charles Wallace, a scenic artist employed by the Orpheum Circuit, arrived from Los Angeles to paint the scenery for the new theater in 1912. The article described, “Wallace took off his coat, his diamond pin in his pocket-book and climbed into his overalls and then up the paint frame. He is now throwing color on several sets, with the result that when the vaudeville season opens Sunday, a new outfit of scenery will greet the eyes of the first nighters. Another feature is that owning to the hard knocks scenery receives in vaudeville special linen has been shipped in from Syracuse, N. Y. The average theatre considers Indian Head calico good enough for scenery, but the Orpheum proposes to have the best. While Mr. Wallace and his assistants are “throwing color” the entire Orpheum force is housecleaning and getting the theatre ready for the opening.”

The new 1912 Orpheum was managed by the Salt Lake Orpheum Realty company (The Salt Lake Tribune 4 April 1912, page 20). The company selected the site where the Salt Lake Hardware Company once stood for their new building. They then granted a twenty-year lease to the newly formed Utah Orpheum Company, incorporated in California only a few days before the Salt Lake Orpheum Realty company was organized. The Utah Orpheum Company included some incorporators who also controlled the Salt Lake Orpheum Realty company; a win-win situation. It was the Utah Orpheum Company who would furnish the attractions while the Salt Lake Orpheum Realty company provided the space. At this same time, a merger was planned for the State Street Orpheum (1905), controlled by the Orpheus Vaudeville company, and the Utah Orpheum Company. In other words, the newer Utah Orpheum Company would absorb the older Orpheus Vaudeville company.

The 1905 Orpheum later became the Lyric Theatre in Salt Lake City after the new Orpheum was built in 1912.

The architect, contracted to provide the new drawings for the proposed building was Mr. Landsberg. The older 1905 Orpheum building eventually became a movie theatre. The auditorium and main lobby were refurbished several times over the decades, each time the venue changed hands in fact. Except for the stage, little remained of the original building as a series of renovations altered the auditorium. The theater was first converted to show movies in 1918. Over the years, the theater was known by other names, including Loew’s Casino Theater (1920), Wilkes Theater, Roxey Theater, Salt Lake Theater, and Lyric Theater (1947). In 1971 the Lyric closed when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints bought the theatre. They restored the building for church plays, renaming it the Promised Valley Playhouse. By 1996, however, the theater closed due to structural problems. In 2000, the Church replaced the playhouse by building a new 911-seat theater as part of its new Conference Center. The final owners of the building, Zions Securities, eventually demolished the auditorium in 2003 to build a 400-car parking garage. The facade and lobby are the only elements that remain of the original building.

The renovated 1905 Orpheum Theatre after the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints bought the building and renamed it the Promised Valley Playhouse.

Only the facade and lobby is left of the original 1905 Orpheum Theatre in Salt Lake City. The remainder of the building was demolished to create a 400-car parking garage.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 442: -James E. Fennessy and the Empire Circuit

Part 442: James E. Fennessy and the Empire Circuit

James E. Fennessy (1856-1925) was introduced yesterday as a theatrical manager who hired Thomas G. Moses in 1902 to paint the setting for “The Charity Nurse.” Fennessy partnered with George E. Heuck, to form the theatrical management firm of Fennessy & Heuck; they were also major players in the Empire Circuit Company – the Western Wheel of the burlesque circuit, also known as the Empire Association.

Picture of Col.James E. Fennessy reading “The Book of the Law” at his winter home in St. Petersburg, Florida. Published in “The Cincinnati Enquirer,” 6 April 1924, page 127.

At the turn of the twentieth century, a successful burlesque producer had forty possible weeks of engagements during a season on the combined circuit, or “wheel” as they were called in burlesque. The agenda for individual circuits was to provide a booking system, establish territorial limits, minimize unprofitable gaps between engagements, and stand in unity against contract violators. That being said, the Eastern, or Columbia Wheel regarded itself as an association of “clean” burlesque, meaning slightly less offensive than what appeared in many western venues.

The Empire Circuit was a group of western burlesque theatrical managers and producers, formed on 18 October 1897. The Empire Circuit operated theatres in Baltimore, Birmingham, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, St. Louis, St. Paul, Toledo, and Washington, D.C. Their business offices were located in Cincinnati, Ohio, but they also had offices in New York as some of the influential leader resided there.

Since 1900, the officers of the Empire Circuit company consisted of James J. Butler, president; Hubert Heuck, vice-president; James E. Fennessy, secretary; John H. Whalen, treasurer; and board members consisting of James L. Kernan, Harry W. Williams, W. T. Campbell, and George W. Rife. Butler was also a member of Congress at the time, residing in St. Louis, Missouri.

In 1905, the Billboard included an article titled “The Burlesque Situation,” reporting, “There seems to be no concessions to be made on either side in the burlesque war which originated in that little Boston affair some time since.” The article continued, “The managers of the Eastern Circuit met in Cincinnati in the offices of Messrs. Heuck & Fennessy at the People’s Theatre. It was their regular annual business meeting at which time they met for the discussion of matters relating to the circuit; however, it was the most important gathering of that body in years. It is said that if the Empire managers are worried they did nothing that would in any manner show their anxiety either before, at, or after the meeting. One of the managers who attended the meeting gave the expression to the assertion that as far as the Empire Circuit’s houses are concerned they are prepared to take care of all shows that are entitled to bookings in their various theatres. Harmony prevailed throughout the entire meeting. Important parts of the program for the coming season were considered, also the relations of the association to the Eastern Circuit” (May 13, 1905). The article reported that at the meeting James A. Butler was elected president of the Eastern Circuit Association, with Hubert Heuck as first vice-president and James E. Fennessy as secretary. The Eastern Circuit was not to be confused with the Columbia Circuit, only the Empire Circuit expanding east.

In 1905, “The Scranton Truth” reported, “This year will witness a big change in the burlesque business as there are now two ‘wheels,’ the Empire Circuit and the Columbia Amusement Company fighting each other in the east. Previously these two organizations divided territory of the east and west, but they split and the battle royal is on. The Star Theatre still admits its allegiance to the Columbia Amusement Company. Where heretofore there have been forty burlesque companies, there will be seventy this season. The will play week instead of three day stands in this city” (27 July 1905, page 3).

The Empire Circuit was expanding its territory, planning to construct the “largest and most important circuit of theatres ever combined for this department of the theatrical business.” In 1905, their holdings were thirty-two theaters that covered the best paying burlesque fields in the country. Their acquisitions included the Trocadero of Philadelphia, Monumental of Baltimore, Lyceum of Washington, Academy of Music of Pittsburgh, People’s of Cincinnati, Buckingham of Louisville, Empire of Indianapolis, Standard of St. Louis, New Century of Kansas City, Folly of Chicago, Trocadero of Chicago, Star of Milwaukee, Dewey of Minneapolis, Star of St. Paul, Smith’s Opera House of Grand Rapids, Avenue of Detroit, Star of Cleveland, LaFayette Square of Buffalo, Majestic of Toronto, Theatre Francaise of Montreal, Columbia Music Hall of Boston, Miner’s Eighth Avenue of New York, Miner’s Bowery of New York, London of New York and the Bon Ton of New Jersey. They were negotiating the inclusion of theatres in New Orleans, Memphis and Nashville that were dependent on railroad facilities and several other theatres in the eastern fields. The Billboard summed up the situation in 1905, commenting, “To use a wall street phrase, it would appear that the fight has resulted in one faction being long on theaters and short on attractions, and the other the reverse. Developments will be watched with interest, and we hope in the near future to be able to publish an agreement between the two factions. This country may be large enough for two wheels, but one big wheel with a solid hub, long spokes and tight rim surrounded by a strong tire of superiority and quality will be greatly desired by the burlesque loving contingent” (13 May 1905, page 10). By 1911, the Empire Circuit controlled 37 theaters nationwide.

In 1912, the report of the Interstate Commerce Commission listed a court case: the United States v. Harry J. Rhein, James E. Fennessy, the Heuck Opera House Co., the Empire Circuit, and the Big Four Railroad Co. (district court, northern Illinois). The aforementioned were charged with “indictment for conspiracy to refund portion of the legal transportation charges paid by various burlesque companies for transportation over New York Central Lines, the refunds being paid under the guise of compensation for advertising earned in certain theatrical programs (5 counts).”

By 1913, the Empire Circuit was absorbed by the Columbia Amusement Company and by 1914 nearly 80 shows were touring in 81 theaters that stretched from New York to Omaha, entertaining 700,000 customers annually (Vaudeville Old & New: an Encyclopedia of Variety Performances in America, page 164)

This occurred only a few years after Fennessy retired from all theatrical business. In 1910 Fennessy suffered from a severe injury exercising at the Cincinnati Gymnasium; he fell over a ladder in the swimming area (Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 July 1925, page 3). In 1925 while undergoing a minor operation to repair damage from the 1910 accident, Fennessy died unexpectedly while recovering at home.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 418 – Thomas G. Moses’ Design for “Around the World in Eighty Days” – 1901

Part 418: Thomas G. Moses’ Design for “Around the World in Eighty Days” – 1901

In 1900, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Moses and Hamilton’s business kept increasing. Prices were good; also our collections.”

In addition to “Floradora,” Moses & Hamilton secured the contract for Henry Greenwall’s Stock Company productions. Of this work, he wrote, “We had some heavy shows, ‘Around the World in Eighty Days,’ ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ ‘Hazel Kirke,’ ‘Prodigal Daughter,’ forty shows in all. I had to make ground plans and models. I found I had my hands full.” “The Prodigal Daughter” opened the Greenwall Stock Company’s season on September 16, 1901.

Henry Greenwall (1832-1913) was a theatrical manager who fought the Theatre Syndicate at the end of the nineteenth century. A German immigrant, Greenwall grew to adulthood in New Orleans. He started out in a New Orleans brokerage firm, and soon moved to Galveston, Texas where he organized his own brokerage firm with his brother Morris. When a successful actress became financially indebted to the Greenwall brothers, they took over her management and began a new business venture in theatrical management.

Henry Greewall developed a circuit of theaters throughout Texas, in Galveston, Houston, Fort Worth, and Waco.

The Greenwall Theatre in New Orleans, from the “Picayune” (December 22, 1903, page 3).

He then expanded his holdings to include theatres in New Orleans, Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, Savannah and even New York. Greenwall established the American Theatrical Exchange in New York, in opposition to the Theatrical Syndicate; the Syndicate was attempting to monopolize theatre in America. It was during Greenwall’s time in New York that he hired Moses.

By 1900, Greenwall spent most of the summer in New York forming stock companies to perform at his independent theatres (“Daily Picayune, 29 July 1900). By mid-August, the New York Clipper reported, “The Greenwall Theatrical Circuit Company, the new managers of the American Theatre, have taken possession of the house, and artists are now at work redecorating the lobbies and offices, and when the theatre is reopened on Saturday, September 1, it will present a decidedly attractive appearance” (11 August 1900).

An advertisement for Greenwall’s Stock Company, from the “Picayune” (6 Nov 1898, Page 7).

The Greenwall Stock Company at the American Theatre in New York was under the management of J. J. Coleman. This venture was so successful that Henry Greenwall soon expanded his holdings to add the Columbia Theatre in Brooklyn for the 1901-1902 season. Greenwall hired Moses & Hamilton to produce scenery for his touring stock shows, including “Around the World in Eighty Days.”

The New York Times reported, “The Christmas attraction at the American Theatre will be the revival of “Around the World in Eighty Days.” This spectacle was last seen in new York at the Bowery Theatre – now the Thalia – some six or eight years ago, and was produced a number of years ago at Niblo’s Garden” (22 Dec. 1901, page 28). The article was referencing the 1877 spectacle by the Kiralfy Bros at Niblo’s.

The 1877 production of “Around the World in 80 Days” by the Kiralfy Bros. at Niblo’s Garden.

The article continued, “Many improvements in stage devices, and especially in electrical effects, have been made since then, and these, it is said, will be taken advantage of in adding brilliancy to the present production” (“The New York Times” 24 Dec 1901, page 7).

The show toured to the Columbia Theatre next where the it did not receive rave reviews. The Brooklyn Eagle reported, “The large audience last night was inclined to show displeasure at the unexpected departure from the recent presentation of successful plays to Jules Verne’s well known and oft repeated spectacle, but it was soon won over by the clever acting of John Daly Murpy as Passe Partout, Frank E. Camp as Phineas Fogg, Asa Willard as John Archibald, E. L. Snader as John Fix and Valerie Bergere and Lillian Kemble as Ouda and Ayesha. They saved the presentation from failure, as one of two of the lesser lights had to be prompted, and several of the realistic features worked badly. The good ship Henrietta in the sixth act refused to explode as scheduled, the passenger coach in the famous trip over the Rockies in the fifth act tried hard to get ahead of the engine and partially succeeded, and one or two other similar incidents marred the performance. The redeeming features, however, outnumbered these partial mishaps, for the scenery at times was really splendid and the indications are that the play will run more smoothly as the week progresses” (The Brooklyn Eagle, 31 Dec 1901, page 6).

Henry Greenwall’s initial success in New York, however, was not meant to last. When the 1903-1904 season opened, the New York Clipper reported that the American Theatre was under new management – “Klaw and Erlanger and Weis” (15 September 1902). Similarly, Greenwall’s Columbia Theatre in Brooklyn was said to have transferred to the management of Albert Weis and Company and Jake Weeks (New York Clipper, 5 September 1903). By this time, Greenwall was 72 years old, and his focus was narrowing down to his first holdings in the Texas Circuit.

To be continued…