Theatre Managers – Page 5

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 287 – Grace Wishaar and Harry W. Bishop

Grace N. Wishaar painted scenery for a variety of venues along the west coast after leaving New York 1902. In Seattle, she was photographed painting with Sheridan Jenkins, the scenic artist for the Third Street Theatre. The following year, she began working in California. Even though she married for a third time in 1906, she continued to paint under her maiden name. Her first two husbands were Whitney Irving Eisler (1897) and Oscar Graham Peeke (1902).

On August 14, 1906, Wishaar married her third husband, John Bruce Adams. However, the marriage was short lived and in 1907 the Oakland Tribune reported, “Mrs. Grace Wishaar Adams is in Matrimonial Trouble” (July 17, 1907). Adams deserted Wishaar and left a lot of debts in her name. At the time her marriage with Adams ended, she was painting all of the scenery at Ye Liberty Playhouse and Idora Park.

In California, she also worked at San Francisco’s Majestic Theatre and few other performance venues in San José. One of her greatest supporters was Harry W. Bishop (1872-1928), considered to be one of “the pioneers of California theatredom” (Oakland Tribune, 15 June 1928, page 33).

Harry W. Bishop’s obituary photo from 1928. Bishop employed Grace N. Wishaar as his scenic artist at Ye Liberty Playhouse in 1904.

Bishop was the adopted son of Walter M “Bishop” (1849-1901), otherwise known as Walter Morosco, the proprietor of Morosco’s Royal Russian Circus.

Harry W. Bishop’s obituary reported that he “began his career as a showman in San Francisco and ended it brokenhearted and poor as a sometime real estate operator.” But the story couldn’t be that simple. Oliver Morosco adopted Walter and Leslie Mitchell, orphaned sons of Sir John Mitchell and Dora Esmea Montrose of Utah. Some sources reported that Walter ran away from home at the age of 17 to join the circus as an acrobat.

After Walter left his circus career, he took over the Howard Street Theatre in San Francisco and started his new venture as a producer and manager. He later took over the Burbank Theatre in Oakland, as well as the Union Hall and the Grand Opera House in San Francisco. It was at the opera house that Harry W. Bishop began his career and Oliver Morosco was the treasurer. Fire destroyed the historic opera house in 1906, two years after he constructed another theatre – Ye Liberty Playhouse.

Harry W. Bishop’s Ye Liberty Playhouse (Oakland, California) where Grace N. Wishaar was the scenic artist (1904-1909).

Harry W. Bishop opened Ye Liberty Playhouse in 1904, boasting the first revolving stage in the western United States. By 1905, Bishop managed the San Francisco’s Majestic Theatre, Central Theatre, the American Theatre and Bell Theatre. In Oakland, he managed Ye Liberty Playhouse, where Wishaar began as his scenic artist. Bishop would later build what became known as the Fulton Theatre too. His obituary reported that “he won a reputation as a star-maker and while his productions, both dramatic and stock, concert and musical were famous, he was not in the commercial way. Throughout his career he remained a dreamer and his sole use for money was to return it to the theatre in the way of more lavish productions and finer casts until the profit was reduced to a minimum.”

Bishop was ahead of his time, not only offering Wishaar the opportunity to paint at his theaters, but also offering other women positions as ushers and ticket takers. There was another aspect to Bishop that I find fascinating as it would have greatly affected the venue where Wishaar worked. Bishop was an inventor, filing for patents relating to theatre design and stage construction.

In 1908 Bishop filed for a patent. His invention was “to provide a theater structurally arranged to permit the elevating or lowering of the main stage; to provide a vertically movable stage, horizontally ‘revoluble,’ and means for accomplishing this action; to afford a stage adapted to be bodily raised or lowered and simultaneously revolved if so desired, or lowered, and have a portion of its area revolving in one direction while another portion is rotating reversely.” Bishop stated that it was also “desirable to raise or lower certain scenes, suspended from or secured to the rigging-loft.” It goes onto describe that the principal advantages of his invention was in “the possibility of setting up all the scenes each completely, on the surface of the stage, the area of which may be divided into scenes as desired, and of suspending all the drops, hanging pieces, ceiling borders, ceiling pieces and border and other overhead lights that may be used, for all the scenes each completely, from the gridiron or rigging-loft, and of then revolving the stage and the rigging loft in a horizontal plane so that each scene is, in its proper sequence, aligned proximate to the proscenium.” He proposed that there was incentive “to devise a theatrical structure that will admit of building or setting scenes of as nearly normal and natural effect as is possible to attain, by elevating or lowering all of the visible matter within the proscenium.

Here is the link: https://www.google.com/patents/US1136860?dq=ininventor:%22Harry+W+Bishop%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi1772s46fYAhWM5YMKHXT_Du8Q6wEIMTAB

In 1914, Bishop also engineered a new and improved proscenium opening and structure. The ultimate purpose of his invention was “to produce upon the mind an impression of the picturesque, unmechanical production and to eliminate the rigidness given by architectural ornamentation common to arch work and prosceniums.” This was enhanced by “providing a curtain movable just behind the rear edge of the frame and which may be decorated with a scene harmonious and introductory to the arrangement of property on the stage so that when the curtain rises the transition is a continuation of the introductory scene on the curtain.” Lights were placed in a concavo-convex contour at such a depth that it projects somewhat in front and behind the wall.”

Here is the link: https://www.google.com/patents/US1008886?dq=ininventor:%22Harry+W+Bishop%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwievLW83afYAhWe8oMKHYRTC0gQ6wEIODAC

In 1918, Harry W. Bishop lost the majority of his fortune including his home in the exclusive Piedmont residential district. Wishaar had also lived in Piedmont with her family. A decade later Bishop passed away, leaving his widow Florence and five children: Mrs. George Stimmel, Lester K., Walter K., Dalton, and Beverly Bishop. By 1928, Wishaar was still in Europe and continuing on with her own adventure that had begun in 1914. California remained far behind her.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 252 – Thomas G. Moses at the Yo Semite Theatre in Stockton, California

Thomas G. Moses and Ed Loitz traveled to Stockton, California, on June 23, 1892. Moses wrote, “The weather was immense. Even when we were passing through the Humboldt Desert.” They went through San Francisco and visited “the boys.” They then continued onto Stockton by steamer, nearly missing it as they went to the wrong dock. Moses recalled that the boat had to “crawl through the rushes as there was no good channel.” In Stockton they met with Harrington who had been “hustling” to complete the painting framework for the drops. Sosman and Landis had contracted to paint an act for “Lost Paradise.”

Yo Semite Theatre in Stockton, California, in 1892. Thomas G. Moses painted the scenery for “Lost Paradise” at this theatre in 1892 when it opened to the public.

Moses did the drop curtain first, and the principle scenes, so he wouldn’t have to hustle at the opening. He wrote, “I got a good color scheme for the curtains. I met a number of old Sterling people who were in business here.” Within a month they completed the project and headed home on July 25, arriving in Chicago on August 1, 1892.

Theatre arrived to Stockton, California in the 1850. The first theatrical performances in Stockton were given in the assembly room of the Stockton house at El Dorado and Channel Streets. Known as the Stockton House Theatre this space was converted into a makeshift theatre for entertainment. This was a large building constructed at an expense of $100,000. The venue only lasted three years.

In 1853, Emiele Hestress, a Frenchman, also renovated a portion of his own brick building to include a 700-seat theatre. His space was on the corner of Main Street and El Dorado. He also had a stock company – the George Ryer Company. His venue opened with the productions “The Lady of Lyons” and “Pretty Sadly.” The opening engagement lasted for two month time and was followed by such famous acts as Laura Keane, Helena Modjeska, Lotta Crabtree, George Marion, James O’Neil, John McCullough, Lawrence Barrett, Clara Morris and other well-known starts. This theatre only lasted until 1890 when it was destroyed by fire on the evening of July 4. By 1883, the Avon Theatre opened with “Hazel Kirke” and the following decade the Yo Semite Theatre opened.

The Yo Semite Theatre was dedicated on July 12, 1892 with the production of “Lost Paradise,” starring Maud Adams as Little Nell. This was the show Moses was in town to paint. The Yo Semite theatre was located on 22 North San Joaquin in Stockton as a complex with theater and offices. In addition to offices, it housed the Yo Semite Club from 1892 until 1908. The building was designed by the architectural firm of Weeks and Day (William Penn Day and William Henry Weeks). The theatre was on the ground floor with a seating capacity of 1,350. The illumination of the auditorium and stage was alternated between gas and electricity. The proscenium measured 36 feet wide by 40 feet high with a distance of 40 feet from the footlights to the back wall. There was three feet between the footlights and the front curtain. The height to the fly galleries was 28 feet with the height to the rigging loft measuring 60 feet. The depth under the stage was 10 feet and accommodated three traps.

Image of an Ad drop at the Yo Semite theatre, date unknown.

The venue was closed in 1920 and was later converted into a movie house called the Fox State with a new entrance on Main Street. In 1955 it became the “new” Esquire Theatre. It survived until 1971 when it was razed for a parking lot.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 244 – Thomas G. Moses and the Old Waverly Theatre

In 1892, the Sosman and Landis Company opened another studio space on the West Side of Chicago. They rented the “old Waverly theatre” and referred to this second space as “the Annex.” According to Thomas G. Moses, the studio measured 93 feet wide by 210 feet long and 40 feet high. It had four paint frames with plenty of floor space for all kinds of work. This space was specifically secured for Moses and his crew. By August 1892, Moses found the new Studio all finished and they moved in immediately. His arrangement with Sosman & Landis was to receive all of their sub-contracted work. This statement has always intrigued me as the majority of Masonic installations were subcontracted to Sosman & Landis by M.C. Lilley. When did the subcontracting begin, and if not Masonic, who else was subcontracting work to scenic studios – architectural firms?

Furthermore, he wrote that Sosman & Landis would supply all of the paint supplies for the Annex Studio at no charge. Moses records that his studio crew included A. J. Rupert, Frank Peyrand and Harry Vincent besides a number of assistants and paint boys. He wrote, “It was awfully hard to keep the building warm. It was so big we had to use stoves.” Even with his own studio, however, Moses was still constantly sent on the road to complete on site work for the company. During these extended absences, Ed Loitz took charge of the Annex studio.

A program from the Waverly Theatre before it became the Annex Studio for Sosman & Landis in 1892.

Very little is known of the first Waverly Theatre space in Chicago. It was advertised as “Chicago’s Parlor Theatre” in Chicago Tribune during 1888. “Jno. B. Jeffery’s Guide and Directory to the Opera Houses, Theatres, Public Halls, Bill Posters, Etc.” (1889) noted that the Waverly was “formerly Grenier’s Garden & Theatre” on West Madison, Throop and Ada Streets. The 1892 “World Almanac and Bureau of Information” published that the physical address of the old Waverly theater was 454 W. Madison St. This is not to be confused with a later Waverly Theatre constructed in 1913. The stage old Waverly’s stage measured 40’ x 60’ with a seating capacity of 1400. This would have made a sizable studio and been a particular challenge to heat in the winter, especially when trying to keep the size water for painting in a liquid state.

Chicago theaters listed in the 1892 “World Almanac and Bureau of Information.” The Waverly became a second scenic studio for Sosman & Landis by August 1892.

In 1888, the Waverly’s manager was Burr Robbins with Andy Mackay as the assistant manager. By 1889, W. H. Powell was listed as the new manager. On June 30, 1889, the Chicago Tribune announced, “The Waverly Theatre has lately changed hands and is now being run as a first-class family theatre. The audiences for the last two weeks have been largely made up of the leading people of the West side and the performances were worthy of patronage. The Gaiety Opera Company under the management of A. Mackay has been playing to large houses in “Fra Diavolo.” Next week there will be a revival of “H.M.S. Pinafore,” with Messrs. Alonzo Hatch and Mack Charles and Miss Golde in the leading roles. The theatre is admirably adapted and well located for a family theatre and under the new management ought to prosper” (page 15).”

Four years later in 1892, the theatre was transformed into the second studio for Sosman & Landis. Obviouosly the management fof the Waverly theatre had not been successful. I was intrigued with the reason for the reconfiguration of the space and started digging through newspapers. I wanted to see if there was any mention about the Waverly’s close or transformation into a scenic studio space. Just about the time I had exhausted all possibilities, I came across a phenomenal article that included the line, “Chicago is universally acknowledged as the World’s Greatest scenic center.” This caught my attention. As I read the article, another paragraph stood out:

“Chicago is today the largest scenic supply center in the country. Of the eighteen theatres in this city the major portion have their own scenic artists. Three mammoth studios here send their art product as far east as Maine and all over the west to the shores of the Pacific. The oldest firm here in this line of work claims to have supplied nearly 1,300 opera houses, theatres, and halls with scenery during the last ten years, and of late business has increased enormously.”

Image of “a Chicago Scenic Studio” published in the Chicago Sunday Tribune during 1892.

“Three mammoth studios” with one being noted as “the oldest firm.” The names of the studios were not provided, so I started thinking about who was in operation at this point in Chicago. By 1891, Walter Burridge had partnered with Ernest Albert and Oliver Grover to create Albert, Grover & Burridge. That had to be one of the three studios. The oldest firm also had to be Sosman & Landis. Who owned the third “mammoth studio” in Chicago that I had never stumbled across? What it an individual’s company that used an actual theater space?

The article was fascinating and read as a “Who’s Who” in scenic art by 1892. It is certainly worth posting in it’s entirety for historical record. Therefore, I have turned it into a word document. It will be the topic of my next few posts due to its length.

Another treasure! This article is a proverbial “holy grail” for the scenic art world.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 242 – Thomas G. Moses and the Fisher Opera House

In November of 1891, Thomas G. Moses and Ed Loitz left for San Diego, California to paint scenery for the John C. Fisher Opera House. Moses wrote, ”Here was another fine job. The climate was great.” His heart would remain in California for the remainder of his career and he would seek out employment along the west coast many times.

The Fisher Opera House in San Diego where Thomas G. Moses painted the scenery in 1891. The venue opened in January of 1892.

Moses recorded that the supervising architect for the theater was Mr. Haupt, “a clever fellow” whom he became very “chummy” with throughout the duration of the project.

The opening show was performed by the William T. Calton Opera Company to a packed house in January 1892. Moses refers to this project as “the first real theatre build in San Diego.” He wrote “When I painted the curtain it was left wholly up to me to select the subject. I took a street scene in Verona, Italy. There was a life size figure on the very bottom of the curtain as there was no border or frame. The figure looked as if it was standing on the stage. One evening I was standing in the rear – the curtain was down. Two young men came up to it and one said, ‘Hurry up, the curtain is up.’ He had only glanced at the curtain and seeing the lower half thought my figure was a real one. Quite a compliment.”

Fisher opened his opera hose on January 11, 1892. The theater’s seating capacity for the space was 1400 (approximately 420 seats in the parquet and dress circle, 420 seats in the first balcony, and 70 seats in the twelve gallery boxes). The venue was promoted to be “one of the finest ever constructed in San Diego – probably the best theater on the West Coast in its time.” The building was situated on the entire block between Fourth and Fifth Streets for 200 feet. The entrance to the theater was Romanesque surmounted by a turret that rose 120 feet above the sidewalk. The first two stories were constructed of granite with the top three of pressed brick. The entrance was located on Fourth Street with the stage door on Fifth.

The Fisher Theater was also one of the first theaters in the country to use a complete electrical system. It is interesting to note, however, that space was also left for the use of gaslight on the stage. The inclusion this second system, although not practical at all, was intended as a precautionary measure. The electrical system consisted of 1,000 “sixteen-candle power” Edison incandescent lamps. This gave both the auditorium and the stage an illumination never encountered in a West Coast performance venue before this one.

John C. Fisher was described as “a rotund Kentuckian who came to town in 1887 as manager of a furniture store.” He was soon president of the Chamber of Commerce, an active in the cable-car company, and an owner of the Florence Hotel. Moses wrote that, “The Hotel Florence was on a high point overlooking the whole bay and the country was also fine. There were many ‘one lungers’ at the hotel, as the majority of guests were idlers. They had a lot of time to be very inquisitive as to my very active business and any of them called on me at the theatre. I more than enjoyed every moment that I was there. I met Miss Joy of Portland, Oregon, one evening in the hotel. I didn’t recognize her. Mr. Fisher called me to the veranda and she overheard it and spoke to me. She and her Mother were spending the winter in California. I didn’t have my overalls on and she had to remark at the difference it made in me.”

Moses continued, “I was strolling down town one December morning in my shirt sleeves – too warm for a coat. A battleship was coming into harbor, firing a salute. It was a fine sight. I afterwards went aboard the same ship. The last day of the year I finished the job and was forced to file a mechanics lien on the building to protect ourselves. I took a dip in the surf in December and enjoyed it. There was a good swimming pool at Coronado Beach Hotel, which was patronized quite often.” How very interesting. The mechanics lien was just tossed in there between leisure activities. I wonder what that was all about?

The Fisher Opera House changed hands in 1902 when it became the Isis Theatre. Later it was resold and renamed the Colonial Theatre as depicted in this photograph.

To be continued…

[Emphasis

Much of the history was from San Diego History online. Here is the http://www.sandiegohistory.org/collection/photographs/fisher/

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 238 – Thomas G. Moses in Duluth, Minnesota

I return to the life and work of Thomas G. Moses in 1891. This was more than three decades before Moses would design and paint the Scottish Rite scenery for Fort Scott, Kansas.

In 1891, Thomas G. Moses and Perry Landis went to Duluth, Minnesota. They were in town to close an $8.954.00 contract with A. M. Miller, owner of the Lyceum Theater. Moses commented that this northern Minnesota project was “a very good price and a good sized job.” Today’s equivalent of $8,954.00 is $232,060.70, a substantial contract indeed! On March 24, 1891, Moses arrived in Duluth and commenced his work for this ”very fine” building.

The Lyceum Theatre in Duluth, Minnesota. Sosman & Landis Studio received the contract to provide scenery for this venue in 1891.

The theater was located at 423-431 West Superior Street and advertised as “the finest place of amusement in the Northwest.” The architectural firm of Traphagen and Fitzpatrick designed this brick and brownstone building with its massive corner towers.

Advertisement for the architectural firm of Traphagen & Fitzpatrick. They designed the Lyceum theater in Duluth. Sosman & Landis produced the rigging and scenery for the building during 1891.

The main entrance included a triple arch with bronze doors and “Lyceum” carved above the entry.

Main entrance to the Lyceum Theater in Duluth, Minnesota.

Theatre masques, lions, and floral motifs further decorated the exterior of the building. The seating capacity was 1,664 and electric light illuminated both the stage and auditorium.

Julius Cahn’s Theatrical Guide notes that the Lyceum’s proscenium opening was 39 feet high by 39 feet wide. The depth of the stage from footlights to the back wall was 45 feet, while the distance between the front curtain and footlights was 5 feet. The backstage width between the sidewalls 75 feet. The distance from the stage to the rigging loft was 75 feet with two bridges. The theatre had one set of grooves for painted wing possibilities that accommodated a height up to 20 feet. Furthermore, the grooves could be taken up flush with the fly gallery. The depth under the Lyceum stage measured 15 feet and included 6 traps. The stage carpenter for the venue was William Longstreet and the electrician O. Hutchenson.

The owner of the Lyceum was A. M. Miller, a Duluth lumber baron with humble beginnings as a railroad section boss. Moses noted that Miller “saved and invested years ago. He is now worth over $12,000,000.00 which all came from Timber Land. He is also the President of the Duluth Bank.” Moses recalled that Miller was fine man who enjoyed his company. Miller financed the Lyceum that was initially home to operas, plays, and vaudeville. Live theater reined until 1921 when it transitioned into a movie house.

The Spalding Hotel in Duluth, Minnesota, where Thomas G. Moses stayed while painting the scenery for the Lyceum Theater.

When Moses arrived in Duluth, he checked into the Spalding Hotel and soon got started on the list of scenes. Ed Loitz and Joe Hart assisted Moses with the painting. Loitz first joined the Sosman & Landis Studio in 1883 and would continue to paint with Moses until 1900, even after Moses left the studio for a second time to form another partnership in New York City. Moses wrote, “we had every convenience that enabled us to do good work in a short time.”

Superior Street in Duluth with Lyceum Theater depicted in left foreground of composition.

Moses recalled that although the weather was “bitterly cold” in Duluth, they all enjoyed it. He wrote, “We worked nearly every night. We had a big list of scenes and everything had to be done well! Nothing pleased us better than to know that our work would be mentioned years after.” He would continue on to describe that the scenery installation was “One of the most complete outfits of any theatre” to date.

Moses, Loitz and Hart completed their work at the Lyceum on June 1.^. Moses was surprised when he received a check in full upon the immediate completion of the project. He commented that the prompt payment was “something unusual.”

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 233 – Thomas G. Moses and the Browning Brothers in Ogden, Utah

In Ogden, Utah, Thomas G. Moses came into contact with the Browning Brothers. Moses wrote, “the chief owners of the theatre were the Browning brothers, the famous gun makers and Mormons. We were treated mighty fine.”

Jonathan Browning (1805-1879), Sr. had moved from Quincy, Illinois to Nauvoo, Illinois in 1843 where he established a gunsmith business. In 1852, Browning migrated with Mormon Pioneers to Ogden, Utah, where his son John Moses Browning and his brothers founded the Browning Arms Company. Jonathan Browning is recognized is credited with being the inventor of the automatic rifle, pistol, shot gun and machine gun. He registered 128 patents for more than eighty separate and distinct firearms. Browning’s designs were the basis for many models manufactured by Winchester, Colt, and Remington. There is a John M. Browning Firearms Museum in Ogden, Utah. The site recounts the Browning got his start while working in his father’s gun shop.

J. M. Browning and Bro. shop in Ogden, Utah.

In 1878, a man brought a rifle in for repair and after studying it, the young Brown declared the he could build a better gun himself. His father had responded, “I know you could John Moses, And I wish you’d get at it. I’d like to live to see you do it!” It took him a little more than a year before he received a patent for his first design – a single shot rifle. He used this as the basis for his first gun designed for Winchester (Model 1885). Browning and his brothers soon were selling as many single shot rifles as their small shop could produce. Here is a link to the museum site: http://theunionstation.org/john-m-browning-firearms-museum/

Image from the J. M. Browning Firearms Museum. Here is a link to the museum site: http://theunionstation.org/john-m-browning-firearms-museum/

In May 1890, J.M. Browning, M.S. Browning, D. Eccles, and Jos. Clark, suggested that they were all in a position to supply Ogden with an opera house. No sooner was it conceived when operations began in June 1890.

There was a full-page review about Ogden’s new Grand Opera House in the December 30, 1890 newspaper, “The Standard” (No. 308, Vol. 3, front page). The article noted some figures pertaining to the construction of the building, including 40,000 cubic feet of sand and stone being quarried; 2,200,000 bricks to use in the main walls; 693,946 linear feet of timber used for the roof, floors, galleries, bridges, and trusses; 1,500 incandescent lights installed; and 16,500 feet of piping to supply steam heating and water supply.

Grand Opera House in Ogden, Utah, partially funded by the Browning Brothers.

The architect and superintendent of the endeavor was S. T. Whitaker. The article praised Whitaker who “through this one structure erected a monument to prosperity, which will stand as long a rock, bricks and mortar hold together.” Well, only until 1982 when it was demolished to provide parking spaces. The article continued to describe Whitaker as a comparatively a young man who had now established a reputation that would last his life; “By this one effort he has laid the foundation for a fortune.” The interior decorator for the complex was T. C. Morris. The scenic artists Sosman & Landis, Thomas G. Moses and Ed Loitz. John Wikoff, a stage machinist from Sosman & Landis, did all of the “stage work.”

There was an extensive description of the scenic artists’ contribution to the endeavor and the painting of the front curtain.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 223 – Thomas G. Moses and John Cort

Thomas G. Moses and Ed Loitz all enjoyed the town of Tacoma and their work, yet hoped to return home and work on other projects near their families. Before leaving the area, Moses made a side trip to Seattle and closed a deal with John Cort (ca. 1861– November 17, 1929). The scenery work would be later done at the studios in Chicago and shipped to Cort in Seattle.

John Cort. Image from http://www.seattletheatrehistory.org/

Born in New York, Cort started his career as part of a comedy duo called “Cort and Murphy.” He ten managed a theatre in Cairo, Illinois, before heading west to Seattle, Washington. In Seattle, he managed the Standard Theater. This venue was considered a “box house,” or a cross between a saloon and variety theater. His theatre became one of Seattle’s leading establishments and was considered on of the pioneers for theater circuits. This meant that Cort booked the same act successively into multiple cities. This made it worthwhile for an acting company or any performance troupe to tour to remote locations.

The “Cort Circuit” was one of the first national theater circuits and at one time. Cort was so successful that by 1888 he built a new 800-seat theatre on the southeast corner of Occidental and Washington streets in Seattle. It was the second theatre that Cort opened in Seattle. The first Standard Theatre was located on Second Street between South Main and South Washington Street.

The first Standard Theatre. Image from http://www.seattletheatrehistory.org/

Side porch for musician and actors at the first Standard Theatre. Image from http://www.seattletheatrehistory.org/

Unlike the old Standard Theater, his new building had electric Edison lighting, as well as steam hear and electric service bells. The structure was a wood frame building with a corner entrance.

It was Seattle’s first theater with electric lighting. Unfortunately, his theatre burned to the ground in the Great Seattle fire of 1889. This June 6 fire burned nearly all of Seatlle’s entertainment venues. Cort reopened a performance venue two weeks later in a tent to continue his business and provide a place for booked productions. By November he had erected a replacement for the Standard Theatre. This was the new theatre that Moses had contracted to paint scenery for while on the job at the Tacoma Theatre. He was in the right place at the right time.

Cort later left Seattle during the depression that followed the Panic of 1893 when much anti-vice legislation was put into place. However, he returned after the Klondike Gold Rush to build the Grand Opera House on Cherry Street.

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, founding the Cort Theatre, The Cort Theatre is still located at 138 West Broadway between Sixth and seventh avenues in the theatre district of downtown Manhattan. It still remains a fixture of Broadway and was designated a New York City landmark on November 17, 1987.

Interestingly, Cort was a founder for the Fraternal Order of Eagles (F.O.E.).

To be continued…

Here is a great link for Seattle’s Theatre History: http://www.seattletheatrehistory.org/

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 216 – Thomas G. Moses and Jacob Litt

Thomas G. Moses travelled a bit more than usual after completing the panorama with David A. Strong. One of his “short trips” was to Toronto, Canada. There he had a scenery painting project where he had to really “hustle” in order to meet the impending deadline. Moses wrote, “I enjoyed my short stay there, as I liked the city very much, so much like the U.S.”

Interior of the Academy of Music in Milwaukee. Image from John Beutner and posted online at www.urbanmilwaukee.com

Exterior of the Academy of Music in Milwaukee. Image from John Beutner and posted online at www.urbanmilwaukee.com

Moses also went to Milwaukee to paint some scenery for the Academy of Music. For this project, he was working for Jacob Litt and recalled that one piece was a wire fireproof curtain that was “hard to paint.” Moses never liked painting woven wire asbestos and would complain about them in later years too. Yet they were a permanent fixture in many collections. Occasionally they would be poorly shipped or hung, adding to his exasperation. He would reiterate that the curtains should never be folded, but always rolled, to prevent the huge dents that would ruin the painted compositions.

The scenery that Moses painted for the Academy of Music in Milwaukee was in the second-generation space. Milwaukee’s first Academy of Music performance venuewas an exact model of the Philadelphia Academy of Music. The auditorium was 100’-0” deep by 64’-0” wide, and was divided into a parquetted, dress circle and upper tier. It was furnished with patented seats arranged with “a view to comfort” (“The Chronicles of Milwaukee: Being a Narrative of the Town From Its Earliest Period to the Present, 1861” page 285). The newspaper article noted “it is impossible for the spectator to so locate himself that a full and comprehensive view of the stage cannot be obtained.” The stage was thirty-six feet and flaked by two private boxes. There were dressing rooms and an orchestra box in front. William P. Young was the builder and it was inaugurated on March 16, 1860. In 1876 a second Academy of Music was built in Milwaukee between Wisconsin and Michigan. The design was a commission of Edward Townsend Mix and had a 1,600 seat capacity. This was the stage that Moses provided scenery for in 1886.

Letterhead from the Theodore L. Hays Papers collection at the Minnesota Historical Society. Image used in Twin City Scenic Company catalogue.

My interest traveled briefly to Litt as I recalled an image of a letterhead with his name on it (Twin Cities Scenic Co. collection catalogue, Brockman, 1987). I started to scan newspaper archives for Litt in both Milwaukee and Minnesota. There is mention of Litt in 1886 when he ventured to Minnesota with his sister. On July 31 the St. Paul Daily Globe published, “Jacob Litt, the dime museum proprietor and manager of the academy of music, Milwaukee accompanied by his sister, is in the city, expecting to spend a week at Minnetonka” (page 3). It is possible that his trip was as much for business purposes as pleasure.

Jacob Litt is recorded as being “the first theatrical manager to amass a great fortune and reach the millionaire class solely as a result of his own labors” (“The Stage in the Twentieth Century” by Robert Grau, 1912, page 135). He began his theatre career in the box office of Milwaukee’s Grand Opera House. He soon became the first manager to arrange a circuit of theatres for theatrical combinations in the Northwest and became wildly successful. He leased theatres in Milwaukee, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Chicago, every endeavor becoming a lucrative success.

By 1889, Jacob Litt had taken over the People’s Theatre of Minneapolis that had opened on October 31, 1887 (20 Washington Avenue North). The venue was first owned by Lambert Hayes W. E. Sterling of Buffalo, New York as the theater’s first manager. By March of 1889,

Kohl and Middleton leased the theater. In July Jacob Litt took over, renaming it the ” Bijou

Opera House.” Unfortunately, a gas jet behind the scenes started a fire and burned the building to the ground on December 28, 1890. A second “Bijou Opera House” was built on that same site in 1891. Twin City Scenic Company began in the Bijou Opera House in Minneapolis. There were three principle employees who opened the scenic studio. Theodore Hays, manager of the Bijou, became the first president of Twin City Scenic Co. William P. Davis and William Knox Brown supervised the scenic art and stage mechanics departments. The company would later expand into St. Paul’s Grand Opera House for additional studio space.E. Sterling (the first manager of the People’s Theatre) returned to Minneapolis to open the New People’s Theater at 322 Marquette Avenue on March 24, 1894. By December 16 of that same year the theater was acquired by Jacob Litt, who renamed it the ” Metropolitan Opera House.” As a director and producer, Litt’s Broadway credits include “The Diplomat” )1902), “The Proce of Peace” (1901), “Caleb West” (1900), “The Ghetto” (1899), “Shall We Forgive Her” (1897), “The Last Stroke” (1896) and “Yon Yonson” (1894.)

It is important to recall what was also happening in the Twin Cities prior to the establishment of Twin City Scenic Company. In 1881, Charles S. King was brought in to install the stage machinery for the Grand Opera House in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At the time, he was thirty years old with seven years of practical experience in the industry. Keep in in mind that Moses had been working for Sosman & Landis since 1880. There is mention in the Minneapolis Tribune that “Mr. C. S. King, the stage carpenter at the Grand Opera House, was initiated into some of the mysteries of stage mechanism as exemplified in our new temple of amusement. Mr. King who was summoned here from Chicago, is regarded as one of the best stage-carpenters in the country, having had wide experience and possessing perfect knowledge of his progression. He says that our opera house will have the finest stage, the easiest worked, and will be the best appointed theatre west of Chicago, or of many large eastern cities” (page 5). When King was working on the stage at the Grand Opera in Minneapolis, the local stage carpenter for the venue was William Knox Brown, one of the three founders of Twin City Scenic Company.

Scenic artist John H. Young recalled in 1912, stating, “Jacob Litt always gave carte blache order for scenes, asking for the very best that could be painted, but if any breakaways were to take place in the scene such as a falling bridge carrying a man or woman with it, he always demanded that I be the first one to try it. This naturally had the tendency to make me arrange a safe fall. This method was adopted by the great Salvini at Wallack’s old theatre when he produced ‘Samson’ and the breaking away of the temple as he pushed aside the great stone columns, causing the entire building to collapse, was rather a trying test of my nerves” (Grau, page 230-231).

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 123 – Louis Malmsha and James H. McVicker

Thomas Moses was initially exposed to the world of scenic art through the painting of Charles S. Graham. However, scenic art skills were introduced to him while working as an assistant to Lou Malmsha (1847-1882). Malmsha was the head designer at Jevne & Almini, having worked for the company since 1863.

Advertisements for Jevne & Almini (Fresco Painters) at 101 Washington Street in Chicago. From 1863, the same year that Malmsha started with the decorating firm.

In Moses’ typed manuscript, he commented on his work for Malmsha at the decorating firm, writing, “He had a number of small panels to paint on paper which were afterwards pasted onto the ceiling. I was certainly very fortunate, being to green to be fresh in my work. I was soon working on portions of his work.” It was Malmsha’s after hours work at McVicker’s Theatre that provided Thomas G. Moses with his first scene painting opportunity.

Jame Hubert McVicker, Scottish Rite Freemason and theatre owner, belonging to the Oriental Consistory in Chicago.

McVicker’s Theater was built by James Hubert McVicker and opened On November 5, 1857. It was remodeled in 1864 at a cost of $90,000 and destroyed in the great 1871 fire.

McVicker’s Theatre, 1866. Lithograph plate drawn by L. Kurz and printed by Jevne & Almini.

McVicker’s rebuilt the building at a cost of $200,000 and reopened on August 15, 1872.

McVicker’s Theatre built after the 1871 fire and published in “The Landowner.”

In 1883, the building Adler & Sullivan remodeled McVicker’s Theatre at a cost of $145,000, then again destroyed by fire on August 26, 1890. What is interesting to note is some of the technical specifications and information published in “Harry Miner’s Theatrical Guide” from 1884-1885. Rick Boychuk pointed this out the other day. At that time J. H. McVicker was still the manager. The scenic artist was Malmsha’s previous partner, J. H. Rogers and the stage carpenter was John Bairstow (also listed as John Barstow).

Adler & Sullivan remodel of McVicker’s Theatre in 1883.

Photograph of McVicker’s Theatre in 1890. Note the painted foliage work.

Photograph of MicVicker’s Theatre 1890. Note the painted foliage below the proscenium arch.

Painted curtain for McVicker’s, date unknown. I believe it is from the 1890s due to the proscenium arch detail.

Partial view of another front curtain in the McVicker’s space. I believe that this was also from the 1890s due to the proscenium detail.

For a third time, McVicker’s Theatre was rebuilt and reopened on March 31, 1892. McVicker died in 1896 and his widow assumed management until she sold the theater to Jacob Litt in 1898, for a term of ten years. The building was demolished in 1922 and again rebuilt. The last McVicker’s Theatre was owned by the Balaban & Katz theater chain and was demolished in 1985.

Balaban & Katz design for new McVicker’s Theatre in 1822.

Much of Malmsha’s history was published at the time of his death in the Inter Ocean from Chicago, Illinois (Saturday, October 21, 1882). The obituary noted that C. Louis Malmsha, the noted scenic painter of McVicker’s Theater, died at his residence on Thursday evening. Mr. Malmsha was suddenly seized with hemorrhage while at work on a watercolor at his home that evening and died before his wife could reach him from an adjoining room. This an other newspapers note that Malmsha “was ranked next to Marston of the Union Square Theatre.”

Born in Goetenburg, Sweden during 1847, he was only 35 years old at the time of his death. The Inter Ocean article notes that from an early age, Malmsha demonstrated a strong talent for painting, immigrating to America at he age of sixteen in 1863. He initially found employment with Jevne & Almini fresco painters in this city, but soon became interested in painting for the stage and assisted Mr. Arragon at Crosby’s Opera House.

Crosby’s Opera House, Chicago, Illinois. 1865.

Crosby’s Opera House, Chicago, Illinois. 1868, Harper’s Weekly.

Crosby’s Opera House, Chicago, Illinois. 1860s.

In 1866 Malmsha went to New York where he executed the first scene for “The Black Crook.” In New York he also was engaged multiple times at the Union Square Theatre, as well as Dan Bryant’s Old Hall on 23^rd Street and Kelly and Leon’s Minstrels. Leaving New York, Malmsha traveled through the country with fellow artist Barney MaCauley of Cincinnati. In September 1871, he returned to Chicago and began working at McVicker’s with J. Howard Rogers, who had already been there for twelve years. A few weeks into this job, the great fire of 1871 occurred and Malmsha returned to Cincinnati.

Returning to Chicago in 1874 he began working at McVicker’s and remained there until his death. It was noted that he ignored the advice of his physicians to “seek a more salubrious climate,” and remained in Chicago to continue his art. He was widely known for his exterior scenes at McVicker’s, including those for “Little Innocents” (1877), “After Dark” (1878), and “The Parson” (1880). It was when Malmsha returned from New York to work at McVicker’s Theatre that Moses began as his assistant.

In 1878 he ventured north to St. Paul, Minnesota, and painted the scenery for the Opera House. He possibly would have met Peter Gui Clausen at Jevne & Almini in 1866 before he departed to New York. Clausen also worked at the Opera House in St. Paul. He and Clausen’s paths might have crossed in the Twin Cities, if they did actually work on the job together.

To be continued…