In 1916, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “The Oak Park Theatre gave
me $825.00 contract for vaudeville scenery.”
The Oak Park Theatre opened on October 20, 1913 and was a
combination house, featuring both live vaudeville acts and silent films. Their
advertisements promised continuous high-class vaudeville and first run motion
pictures. Vaudeville acts for the venue were booked by Jones, Linick &
Schaefer, the same firm that handled entertainment for McVickers Theatre, the
Colonial Theatre, the Wilson Theatre and many others around Chicago.
Of the Oak Park Theatre, the “Historical American Building
Survey” suggested that there was architectural evidence that the building was
greatly enlarged in 1915. This coincides
with Sosman & Landis delivering new vaudeville scenery in 1916; new scenery
would have been ordered during the renovation. The original building structure
had a footprint of 67 feet by 112 feet; the enlarged size after 1915 was 67
feet by 168 feet.
The Oak Park Theatre was located on Wisconsin Street, but
the address later changed to 120 S. Marion Street. The venue was at the heart
of Oak Park’s entertainment district and near Moses’ home. Many scenic artists
and architects settled in Oak Park. The benefit to Oak Park residents was
living a short train ride away from downtown Chicago.
There were three theaters in close proximately to one
another– Oak Park’s Warrington Opera House (1902 stock theatre), the Oak Park
Playhouse (1913 combination house) and the Oak Park Theatre (1913 combination
house). The 800-seat Oak Park Theatre was adjacent to the Warrington Opera
House, and promised “perfect ventilation.” This meant that the auditorium air
was changed every ten minutes. In addition to many “fireproof” features, each
seat boasted a “perfect view of the stage.”
In 1917, the “Chicago Eagle” reported, “Lubliner & Trinz” owned and operated the following high class theaters all over the city: Artcraft Theatre at Devon and Clark Streets, Biograph Theatre at 2433 Lincoln Ave, Covent Garden Theatre at 2655 North Clark Street, Knickerbocker Theatre at 6225 Broadway, Michigan Theatre at 55th and Michigan Boulevard, Paramount Theatre at 2648 Milwaukee Ave., Vitagraph Theatre at 3133 Lincoln Ave, West End Theatre, at No. Cicero and West End Avenues, and the Oak Park Theatre in Oak, Park, Illinois (22 Dec. 1917, page 7). Lubliner & Trinz was operated by Harry M. Lubliner and Joseph Trinz, whose offices were at 510 Westminster Building.
In 1930, the Oak Park Theatre was remodeled and renamed the
Lamar Theater. The marquee was added in 1929, the lobby remodeled in 1930 and
the stairs relocated in 1936.The new name reflected its location on Lake Street
and South Marion Street. Now advertisements forcused on “truly perfect sound”
in this “new wonder talkie theatre.” Unfortunately, this Art Deco theater has
did not last and was razed in 1988.
The Oak Park Theatre was later named the Lamar Theatre.The Oak Park Theatre was later named the Lamar Theatre. Image posted at cinemareasures.org. Here is the link: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/2641
In 1916, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “May 1st was my
first in six months at painting attempt in the studio. Models and sketches take up all my time.”
He was now the president of Sosman & Landis. A partnership had made the firm a success,
and now Moses was pretty much on his own. In the beginning, Landis was on the
road securing contracts followed by Sosman painting the projects. Moses was
their first hire in 1880, assisting Sosman on many of their early projects
before the staff grew, yet Sosman maintained artistic control while Landis
headed sales. When Landis left in 1902, Sosman appointed Moses vice-president two
years later. At this time it was David H. Hunt who focused on sales. By 1916,
however, Sosman was gone and Hunt had started his own studio. Moses was left to
pick up the pieces and please the shareholders, in addition to competing with
Hunt for the same clientele.
Moses was attempting to both secure and supervise projects
in the main studio and annexes. His statement, “Models and sketches take up all
of my time,” emphasized his workload for sales that year.
He later wrote, “October 10th I was re-elected
president of the company, Mrs. Sosman vice president and Lester Landis secretary
and treasurer…Sosman and Landis Company enjoyed a good year. We have all been very busy. I have not done as much as I would like to do
in the way of pictures, but I guess I did fairly well.” Moses then added a sentence that starts to
show the wear and tear of his artistic soul, “I live on year to year, hoping,
always hoping, for a little more time to gratify my ambition to paint if only
one picture that I could really fell was worth while and all the years I have
tried to do this were not spent in vain.”
At the beginning of 1916,
everything seemed possible. The firm delivered scenery for the Strand Theatre
in Indianapolis. Sosman & Landis took out an advertisement in the
“Indianapolis Star” in support, announcing, “Designed, built and painted the elaborate
picture setting for the new Strand Theatre listing their contribution.
“Producers of Quality Scenery” listed Thos. G. Moses as “President and
Designer” with P. L. Landis as “Secretary and Treasurer.” The advertisement
also noted that the firm was established in 1877. An article also announced
“Strand Scenery Excellent,” adding “Thomas G. Moses, president of the Sosman
& Landis Company, producers of theatrical scenery, superintended the
arrangement of the elaborate setting for the Strand Theatre. Mr. Moses has done
a great deal of scenery work in the different theaters of Indianapolis dating
back to the first production of Ben-Hur at English’s Theater. Mr. Moses has
designed and painted productions in nearly every city in the country. In the
Strand stage settings the possibilities for excellent lighting are obvious, and
are taken advantage of by the Strand’s electrician, Mr. Dalton” (Indianapolis
Star, January 15, 1916, page 9).
From the “Indianapolis Star,” 15 Jan 1916, page 9.
Moses started doing something
new in 1916; Moses now took credit for his own designs work when Sosman &
Landis manufactured it. In other words, programs and newspaper article now
differentiated “designed by Thomas Moses” and “built by Sosman &
Landis.” For example, on April 15,
1916, the “Rock Island Argus” reported “[Around the Town] was built in its
entirety by the Sosman & Landis scenic company from special designs made by
Thomas Moses” (15 April 1916, page 8). Another instance was for the Boston
English Opera’s production of “Martha.” Newspaper advertisements reported,
“Scenery Designed by Thomas Moses and Built by Sosman and Landis Studios” (The
McPherson Daily Republican, 21 Oct 1916, page 5). T was too little too late, as
the names of designers were no longer a driving that attracted attention.
All of Moses’ talents and experience
wouldn’t help him in the end. The studio
would soon begin to crumble. Times were changing; there was a new game with new
rules and a war overseas. So many things
began happen simultaneously and the supply for painted scenery began to outpace
the demand. A new movement was in the
making for the stage, and it concerned the rejection of painted scenery on the
stage in lieu of fabric setting and motion picture. Moses would become the
proverbial fish out of water, with Sosman & Landis floundering. The company
would not survive the next seven years.
In 1916, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Our business relations with
the New York Studios are a bit strained, and we have notified them that
hereafter there would be no restricted district for us, and we did not care
what they did. Pennsylvania and New York
used to be our very best states, and we were going after them again.” To fully understand Moses’ sentiment, we need
to look at Moses relationship with the founder of New York Studios, David H.
Hunt. First of all, Moses never cared
for Hunt.
After establishing the unsuccessful theatrical management
firm of Sosman, Landis & Hunt in 1894, Hunt convinced Sosman to invest in
another scenic studio in 1910, New York Studios. The new company was promoted
as the eastern affiliate of Sosman & Landis, well… kind of. Since the
1880s, Sosman & Landis maintained regional offices across the country, but
these were mutually beneficial relationships. For example, in 1887 Sosman &
Landis established a branch in Kansas City, Missouri, under the direction of
Lemuel L. Graham; it was known as the Kansas City Scenic Co., but Lem also did
business under his own name too. In the late 1880s Sosman & Landis also
established a regional office in New York City.
Multiple locations were the key to success. Just like we hear “shop
local,” that sentiment held true in the late-nineteenth and early twentieth
century for theatrical projects. Visiting a studio in a nearby town was far
better than hiring the unknown firm from a distant studio.
The real issue was that Hunt’s business plans, first and
foremost, benefitted Hunt and not his investors or affiliates. In other words,
New York Studios gained a massive support network such as Sosman & Landis
staff, connections, materials and studio space. I have yet to figure out if
there was really any added benefit for Sosman & Landis, but for whatever
reason, Sosman had a soft spot for Hunt and went along with many of his
schemes. When Sosman passed away in 1915 and Moses was elected president of
Sosman & Landis, Hunt no longer had an advocate at the Chicago studio and
the gravy train abruptly halted. So, when Moses wrote, “Pennsylvania and New
York used to be our very best states, and we were going after them again,” he really
threw down the gauntlet at Hunt and a feud began, . The two studios would now wrestle
over territories. Moses previously played by an old set of rules, based on respect
and gentlemen’s agreements; he was unprepared for the next generation of studio
owners as the playing field changed. Hunt was ruled by a different set of motivators
– his own self-interest. In all
appearances, Hunt was a slick talker and salesman. So, here is the background
between Moses and Hunt…
Moses first met Hunt in 1893,
and the two soon paired off on quite a few projects by 1894. In 1897, however, Moses and Hunt began to disagree. That year
Moses recorded an event that concerned Edith Chapman’s production of “Charity
Ball.” This is the beginning of a truly unhappy relationship. Here is what
Moses wrote:
Mr. Hunt found fault with my
neutral coloring and said one day, “Why don’t you make some positive color
decoration like pink or green?”
I had the first act of “Held by
the Enemy” on the frame – a southern interior.
I said, “Alright, I will make
this a pink wall and cream colored woodwork.”
“Fine,” said he. I did so.
I did not consult Miss Chapman as usual. The scene was set. I was in front as usual during the
performance. Miss Chapman entered. I saw her look up the scene and almost fall
back. She had on a shell pink, deep
flounced and a very full hoop skirt.
I nearly fainted. I was sick.
I rushed back at the close of the act and found her in tears. As soon as she saw me, she said, “Oh, why did
you do it – didn’t you know I was going the limit on my dress?” She had forgotten that I did not consult her
as I usually did. I pointed to Mr. Hunt. “There is the one I tried to please.” Hunt then realized he was wrong, and I had
been right all season. I painted out the
wall color the next morning, for it simply killed Miss Chapman’s dress, as
there was so much of it.”
That same season Moses
continued, “The different newspapers gave our work splendid notice every week.
For one paper on which Mr. Montgomery Phister was the critic, and his son was
the artist, I made a heading for each week’s article on the play at the Pyke –
drawing in ink the principal scenes.
Hunt never knew that I did it – he flattered himself the paper was doing
it. Phister had been a scenic artist in
his young days and was in full sympathy with the artist.
One day he said to Hunt for a
joke – “I think Moses uses too much raw umber.”
Hunt repeated this to me as his
own idea. I was sure someone that knew
color had been at Hunt, so I said, “Raw Umber!
What kind of color is that? I
don’t use it at all.”
He was stumped and didn’t know
what to say. He went back to Phister,
who in turn told me. We had a hearty
laugh over it.”
I bet they did, and then the
battles increased in intensity. The war began in earnest during one of Sosman’s
absences from the studio in 1910, likely prompting the establishment of New
York Studios.
That year, Moses wrote, “Mr.
Sosman went to Europe on January 30th for an extended trip…He had a
good bookkeeper, and I depended on him a great deal. I did some hustling while he was away. Mr. Hunt was secretary and treasurer, and
expected to run the business, but I wouldn’t allow it. Mr. Hunt kept on the road most of the time… I
heard some reports as to what Hunt had reported to Sosman about my treatment
towards him. I got mad and wanted to
quit. Sosman wouldn’t listen to me…Hunt
remained away from the studio for some time, before going back home.” This is when Hunt establishes New York Studios,
partially funded by Sosman. I have to wonder if Sosman only invested in Hunt to
separate the two, attempting to keep peace. Of the company, Moses wrote, “Hunt
had started a New York studio in New York City, and he expected us to do a
great deal of work, as he had Sosman invest a small amount.” But there were
other contingencies, including the restricted districts that in 1916 Moses
chose to ignore. So when one reads Moses 1916 entry, “Our business relations
with the New York Studios are a bit strained, and we have notified them that hereafter
there would be no restricted district for us, and we did not care what they
did,” it takes on a whole new meaning.
In the end, Moses may have
picked the wrong man to do battle with that year.
This is the only photo that I have been able to locate of Nick Pausback – he is in the back row, second in from the left.
In 1916, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Pausback went to the 20th
Street studio, part of which we rented for a couple of months. We put plenty of help with Pausback to rush
the work through, and I think he will be able to pull it out, as we are too
busy at Clinton street to take much of it.”
Sosman & Landis’ main studio was on Clinton Street. Over
the years, the firm would lease additional studio spaces that were referred to
as “annex studios.” The 20th
Street Studio was an annex studio. For
years, any annex studio was under the direct supervision of Moses, unless he
was called away – which was a lot. Since 1904, Moses was in charge of all
design, construction, painting and installation of projects at Sosman &
Landis. This was not a first-time that
Moses moved staff from one building to another. Since 1908, Pausback has
bounced back and forth between the main studio and various annexes, he was a
shop manager.
Nicholas “Nick” John Pausback Jr. was a scenic artist,
described as a tall, slender man with grey eyes and dark brown hair.
Pausback was born on May 5, 1881; this makes him twenty-five
years younger than Moses. The Registry of Births for the city of St. Louis,
Missouri, lists that Nick Pausback was born at Rappahannock St. and his parents were to Nicholas and Caroline
Pausback. He was one of seven children; his siblings were Maria (b. 1879),
Joseph (b. 1883), Eva (b. 1884), August (b. 1885), Stella (b. 1888), and Clara
(b. 1889).
The 1900 US Census lists the nineteen-year-old Pausback as living
with his family at 3113 Magnolia in St. Louis, Missouri. At the time, his
occupation was noted as “artist – painting.” He was the only one in the family
that entered theatre industry. His siblings worked as milliners, salesmen in
clock stores, clerks in a mill and saloon employees. Pausabck’s mother even worked
at a grocery store. Interestingly, his little brother became an boxer, making
headlines after ca collapse in the ring during a 1906 match at the Broadway
A.C. in St. Louis (“St. Louis Globe-Democrat,” 18 April 1906, page 13). Brother
Joe was in the 125-pound class and reported to be a “youngster with a record
for having the stiffest punch of any boy of his weight in the city” (St. Louis
Globe-Democrat, 16 April 1906, page 11). I have not tried to track down the
other siblings at this time.
In 1902, there was a newspaper announcement about Nick Pausback’s
twenty-first birthday party (St. Louis Republic, 11 May 1902, page 17). Quite a
few people attended, including fellow scenic artist Armbruster. Although no
first name was given, my best guess is Otto, as he was working for Moses at the
time.
By 1905, Pausback was credited with fully equipping the new
Grand Theatre in Owensboro, Kentucky. The “Messenger-Inquirer” reported, “Mr.
Nicholas Pausback of St. Louis is the artist employed. He has painted several
of the scenes and is now at work on the others. There will be twenty hanging scenes and about
seventy-five all told. The greater part of these will be in frames…When the
work is completed the Grand will have one of the very best equipped of stages.
The two ‘tormentors’ painted by Mr. Pausback have been placed and they are
receiving favorable criticism of all who see them.” The project also included a
heavy asbestos curtain with “beautiful Venetian scene” (Messenger-Inquirer, 18
July 1905, page 6). Other pieces mentioned included two drop curtains and a
fancy parlor scene painted in a Japanese pattern.
That same year, Pausback was also engaged to paint new
scenery for the new opera house in Central City (Messenger-Inquirer, 26 July
1905, page 8). The venue would become known as the Gish Opera House. By the
way, Central City is halfway between Louisville and Nashville; I had to look.
Only four years later, the opera house went up in flames; the fire started
during commencement exercises for the Central City School’s music class. The
music teacher and children ranging from ages 5-12 were the main victims,
perishing in a tragedy locals termed the “Opera House Holocaust” (Cincinnati
Enquirer, 26 May 1909, page 1).
Pausback did marry and start a family in St. Louis too. His
bride was Ottilia (also Otilia) Groebl (b. 1883), a German immigrant who
arrived in 1898. The couple celebrated the birth of six children, three girls and
three boys: Nicholas (B. 1905), Elvira (b. 1906), Raymond (b. 1908), Mary (b.
1912), Lawrence (b. 1922) and Therese (b. 1927). Only the first two children
were born in St. Louis.
It was in 1907 that Pausback and his family moved from St.
Louis to Chicago, and I wonder employment at Sosman & Landis prompted the
move. That year, he started to work for the firm as their paint shop foreman. Moses,
wrote, “I depended a great deal on Pausback to look after the work while I was
away.”
Pausback did not consistently work at Sosman & Landis, however,
as he also worked for a variety of other firms. Like many scenic artists of the
time, Pausback picked up work wherever he could find it. During the late-nineteenth
and early twentieth century, scenic artists accepted extra work even when
working full-time positions. Demand for scenic art outweighed the supply and a
great deal of money could be made in a relatively short period of time for any
ambitious artist. The phrase “make hay
while the sun shines” certainly comes to mind.
The 1910 US census listed Pausback as an advertiser in the
“Packing Co.” industry, still working as a scenic artist though. He would
provide this same information for the 1920 census too which makes me wonder
what the Packing Co. delivered. There are too many packing companies to even
hazard a guess at this time. In 1911, Moses again records that Pausback took
charge of the 20th Street studio.
By 1916, Pausback was back at the 20th Street
studio and also installed a few shows in New York. At the time he was working
with the stage carpenter Harry Nailer. Then everything changes. My guess is World War I and a redistribution
of labor. The next year Pausback was working in the advertising department at
Swift & Co., located in Chicago’s Union Stock Yards. Keep in mind that many
scenic artists were snatched up by the military; camouflage painting was in its
infancy and would draw heavily on the expertise of stage painters, those who
were skilled at painting for a distance. A decade later, Pausback established
his own studio.
In 1927, he founded Pausback studios and ran the firm for
twenty years, retiring only six years before his passing in 1953. His scenery
company was located at 3727 Cottage Grove Ave., Chicago (Chicago Tribune 2 Dec.
1928, page 2). In 1928 Pausback also wrote a book on stage craft (Dec. 17,
1928). He was in his late forties and seems to have been hitting his stride.
Things were continuing to look up, work was plentiful, and there was a new and
insatiable client – academic theater.
Educational and academic institutions became a primary client
for Pausback Studios, as well as many theatrical supply firms of the time. Public
schools were in a constant state of demand, with an ever-growing need for rigging,
draperies, and scenic options. Publications focused on how amateur productions
could forgo the need of any theatrical expert – “do it yourself” became a
popular approach; you just needed enthusiasm and an instructional manual to
produce a show. Part of me wonders if
this was the beginning of the end for the professional scene painter, hence the
mass migration to Hollywood where an advanced skill set was still required to
produce magic.
Of Pausback’s children, only his daughter Alvera (b. 1907) was
working for the company after the market crash in 1929. She remained a clerk, possibly
the result of labor reduction. Pausback Scenery Co. also provided properties
for “Wings of a Century,” a feature at the 1933 world fair in Chicago. In the
1930s, Pausback studio made a huge splash with oversized Christmas tree
ornaments. Towards the end of his career, Pausback worked with Arthur “Art” W. Oberbeck,
another former Sosman & Landis employee (“Blue Island Sun Standard,” 15
June 1944, Page 6). Oberbeck started as a paint boy at the Sosman & Landis studio
in 1904, just a few years before Pauysback joined the staff.
Interestingly, Pausback was also an amateur magician. As a
member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and the American Society of
Magicians, he was known as “Nicodemus, the Magician” (Chicago
Tribune 14 May 1953, page 36).https://newspaperarchive.com/blue-island-sun-standard-jun-15-1944-p-6/
Overall, Pausback’s obituary listed that he was in the
theatrical scenery business for 45 years and did not retire until 1947. It
was a little longer than that, according to my calculations. Pausback passed
away at the age of 72 in 1953. He is buried in St. Mary Catholic Cemetery and
Mausoleum in Evergreen Park, Illinois (Section 1, lot 764). This is now on my
“to visit” list, as I track across country and pay homage to those who came
before me.
I end with this: His obituary remembers, “Nicholas J. Pausback,
72, of 1000 S. Rhodes av., retired theatrical scenery contractor, died
yesterday in his home. Mr. Pausback, who retired six years ago, supplied amateur
and professional theatrical scenery for 45 years, the last 20 years as owner of
Pausback Scenic studios. An amateur magician, he was a member of the
International Brotherhood of Magicians and the American Society of Magicians.
Surviving are his widow, Otilia, three daughters, Mrs. Elvira Pausback Howard,
Mrs. Mary Crescentia Welsh and Mrs. Therese Curtis, and three sons, the Very
Rev. Gabriel of the Carmelite Order, Raymond Joseph and Lawrence” (Chicago
Tribune, 14 May 1953, page 36).
Pausback’s obituary also credited him as a “scenic
artist de luxe”(Chicago Tribune 14
May 1953, page 36). Life goes by too fast, and we are too quick to summarize
another’s life in a few sentences. Kudos to the families that did more. I am
desperately trying to preserve our past and pay tribute to those unsung
theatrical geniuses.
In the end, Pausback Studios merged with Acme and Carsen in
1957 to form the Acme Carsen Pausback Studio. See past post 566 for more
information about Acme and Carsen of Chicago; it is quite a story.
In 1916, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “A new kitchen and dining
room at the camp adds a little more worry and expense to the financial
committee, but we are all very happy over the fact that the club really owns
the home in the woods.” Moses was referring to the Fox Lake Camp used by
members of the Palette & Chisel Club during the hot summer months. The
group had started out with large tent in 1906. Moses personally donated a small
structure for the land, effectively replacing the tent.
The camp tent at Fox Lake for Palette & Chisel Club members.The structure that replaced tent camping for Palette & Chisel Club artists at Fox Lake.
There is a point when “roughing it” loses a certain appeal;
much has to do with one’s comfort and ability to sleep on the ground. When my
husband and I were first married, we went on family canoeing trips to the
Boundary Waters in Minnesota. We portaged from lake to lake with our canoes and
gear, setting up camp in a designated spot and cooking the fish we caught over
a fire. During one trip, we joked that my dad had brought along a foam pad to
sleep on. As active twenty-something, we didn’t find any discomfort sleeping on
the ground, complete with all its branches and rocks. My dad was in his sixties
and I look back in amazement that he was willing to sleep on the ground at all,
even with a one-inch foam pad; heartier stock, I guess.
Moses had “roughed it” quite a bit in his youth, but in 1916
he was sixty years old, and camping in a tent was less appealing. It’s not that
he had never camped outdoors or “roughed it” in the wilderness; he had on
multiple sketching trips during his youth. In 1884, Moses and three other
scenic artists traveled to the Rocky Mountains with minimal supplies, finding
shelter wherever they could on their sketching trip. At the time he was twenty-eight
years old and had never seen the mountains; it was all a big adventure. His traveling companions were John H. Young (26
yrs.),
Edward A. Morange (19 yrs.), and Hardy C. Maratta (20 yrs.). The four artists travelled to
Breckenridge and Moses recalled, “On our return trip we looked like a bunch
of tramps, happy and ready for our old work.”
Of
the camping near Breckenridge, Moses wrote, “We had the tent pitched
very quickly, some pine boughs cut and laid for our spring bed, over which we
laid our four army blankets, two over and two under us. The delicate odor from
the pine was very refreshing. We must
have made a mistake in cutting the boughs and twigs, for they were more like
branches and trunks…
As I was the fat one in my party I had more grooves in my back and arms, from
the so-called pine twigs that composed our springs, than anyone in the party.”
Over
two decades later Moses participated in early camping adventures with the
Palette & Chisel club at Fox Lake. By 1906 “tent camping” was already
losing its appeal. Moses wrote, “June 1st, I made my first
trip to the Palette and Chisel Club camp at Fox Lake, Ill. Helped to put up the tent. A new experience for me, but I enjoyed it. I slept well on a cot. Made a few sketches. A very interesting place. I don’t like the cooking in the tent and
there should be a floor in the tent. I
saw a great many improvements that could be made in the outfit and I started
something very soon.” By 1908, Moses wrote, “I bought the portable house that
we built years ago and at that time we received $300.00 for it. I finally got it for $50.00, some
bargain. It cost $25.00 to remove it and
we will put it up at Fox Lake in the spring.
It has been used in Forest Park all summer to show “The Day in the
Alps.” The next year Moses wrote, “As we had put up the portable house in Fox
Lake, I was better contented to go up. I
gave the camp a portable kitchen and it was some class. I felt sure I would manage to get a camp
outfit worth while and the boys all fell in line with me.”
So by 1916, when Moses wrote, “A new kitchen and dining room
at the camp adds a little more worry and expense to the financial committee,
but we are all very happy over the fact that the club really owns the home in
the woods.” By this time, it was no longer camping; they were staying at a lake
home. Understandably so, as Moses was
now 60 years old, he had entered the same decade when my dad decided to use a
foam pad while camping. I know that at this point in my life I have no
intention of sleeping on the ground.
Maybe I have become a little soft, too used to the modern luxuries of
camping cots, air mattresses, and memory foam.
In 1916, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Sold Hoffman of Detroit
$725.00 of old scenery from Saginaw.” Sosman & Landis had previously provided
scenery to East Saginaw’s Academy of Music. The refurbishment and resale of old scenery to a
new venue was commonplace at this time.
From the “Detroit Times,” March 28, 1916, page 3.
On March 26, 1916, the “Detroit Free Press” announced,
“Amusement Place of Large Capacity Takes Site Where Stands Old Abandoned House
of Worship.” C. A. Hoffman and Graham Hoffman were pictured next to the
proposed Colonial Theatre. The article continued, “Amusement place with
capacity for 2,289 is to be opened October 1. To build the first large-modern
theater in the near down-town section of Woodward avenue, the Detroit-Colonial
Theater company has been organized by the Hoffman brothers, vaudeville managers
and producers, and incorporated with an authorized capital of $200,000.
“A 30-year lease has been obtained of the northwest corner
of Woodward avenue and Sibley street on which now stands the abandoned Woodward
avenue Congregational church, a landmark in that section.
“C. Howard Crane, architect, has been engaged to draw plans
for the theater and has completed the specifications embodying a number of innovations.
The theater will have no gallery; but there will be a spacious balcony.
Something new to Detroit will be a larger open well on what is to be a
mezzanine floor, giving the auditorium under the balcony the appearance of
great height. This feature is found in the Strand theater, New York. The
capacity will be 2,289 including 204 box chairs. The style of architecture will
be colonial carried out in exterior and interior details, giving opportunity
for striking beauty and simplicity.
There will be a stage adequate in size for any act on the
large vaudeville circuits. There are to be 15 dressing rooms, besides special
quarters for musicians, electricians, and carpenters, and lounging rooms and
shower baths for stage performers.
The name Colonial has been chosen for the theater because it
is the pioneer showhouse of the district in which it is to be located, because
of the style of architecture desired an because as the promoters declare, ‘It’s
a good old American. – strictly American name.”
Clare A. Hoffman will be president and general managers of
the company, and Graham Hoffman secretary and treasurer. These young men of
long experience, in various capacities, with the theatrical and amusement
business, built and have managed the Palace Theatre of this city. They are the
management in the Hoffman Brothers theater enterprises including the new Palace
theater of Saginaw. The vice-president of the Colonial Theater company is Harry
J. Dingeman. The three named with Julius L. Krimmel and Mortimer Hoffman are the
company’s directors.”
Clare A. Hoffman, pictured in the “Detroit Times,” March 28, 1916, page 3.Graham Hoffman, pictured in the “Detroit Times,” March 28, 1916, page 3.
On Feb. 26, 1916, “The Moving
Picture World” announced, “Clare A. Hoffman has succeeded A. I. Marenette as
president of the Palace Theater Cp., of Detroit. Graham Hoffman continues as
secretary. Harry J. Dingeman has been elected vice-president and Frederick H.
Mears treasurer. These, with Mr. Marentette, form the directorate.
It was announced at the director’s
meeting held recently that the company, which has been paying 1 per cent,
monthly on a $200,000 full subscribed capital, will go to 2 per cent. March 1,
with the company practically free from debt. C. A. Hoffman has also been chosen
president, Mr. Dingeman vice-president and Graham Hoffman secretary of the Hippodrome
Amusement Co., of Saginaw, Mich., which has practically completed the financing
of a theater being erected on Gennessee avenue and to be opened about March 15.
The Hoffman Brothers Theatrical Enterprises has recently opened offices at 1437
Dime Bank building. They propose to erect other theaters in Michigan” (page
1330).
Sosman & Landis had been doing
business with the Hoffmans since 1914. On Feb. 15 of that year, the firm
delivered scenery to the Palace Theatre in Detroit (see past post #879). The
Hoffman brothers were the managers for the venue. Other Palace theaters with
scenery by Sosman & Landis included those in Chicago (1912), Minneapolis
(1914) and Fort Wayne (1914).
To be continued…
In January 1916, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “I had a fool’s
errand to Dayton, Ohio. They wanted a
plush curtain and telephoned for me to come immediately. The National Cash Register Company. They didn’t even apologize.” Well, the
company may have been a bit busy that January defending themselves in an anti-trust
suit. On Feb. 2, 1916, “The Times Recorder” reported, “The anti-trust suit
against the National Cash Register Company was dismissed in U.S. court here
today, the defendants agreeing to do all except to dissolve the company. The
company is enjoined from using any trade
secrets or from intimidating a competitor or acquiring control of a company
except on permission of the court”(Zanesville, Ohio, 2 Feb 1916, page 1).
From the “Dayton Daily Herald,” 26 Aug 1916, page 4.
Of the National Cash Register project mentioned by Moses, it
may have concerned auditorium.
Article on the new N.C.R. City Club Auditorium, from the “Dayton Daily News,” 3 Dec 1916, page 48.
In 1916, the National Cash Register City Club Auditorium
opened in Dayton, Ohio, on Dec. 2, 1916. Located at First and Ludlow Street, over
two thousand employees and their families gathered to celebrate the event. Although no formal program was planned for
the opening, company president J. H. Patterson, and the officers of the company
held an open house and formed a reception line. The “Dayton Daily News”
reported, “the organization at the factory had grown to such an extent that it
was impossible for the officials to have the close contact with the employees
that is possible in the small organization, and that in order that all might
have the opportunity to meet each other, this club has been established” (3 Dec
1916, page 48). Patterson outlined the purposes of the education features that
were to be part of club activities, “saying that every man in the employ of the
company will have an opportunity to improve his efficiency if he desires.”
The open house was held for two
weeks. In the evening, the N.C.R. film “The Troubles of a Storekeeper” was
shown, depicting the troubles of a merchant who used antiquated methods in
business, and how he remedied them with a cash register. This film has been
shown in numerous cities across the country. All merchants and clerks in Dayton
were specially invited to attend a showing at the N. C. R. City Club
Auditorium.
The new auditorium, or ‘Little
Theater” as it was sometimes called, was constructed of red brick and the
interior finished in gray. The floor of the auditorium was not raked, intended
to be used for not only dramatics, but also dancing and gymnastics. The small
stage included one interior and one exterior setting for amateur theatrics. The
intent was to share the auditorium with various societies and organizations.
Newspaper articles reported that the purpose of the club was to provide “a
down-town social center for employees of the company, where they may gather for
events of importance during the winter season.” Each Saturday night, cider and
doughnuts were furnished free of charge.
Continuing education was also
offered, with classes in advertising, bookkeeping, free hand drawing, business
letter writing, public speaking, printing, salesmanship and shop mathematics.
The classes were taught by N. C. R. employees and were not meant to interfere
with other educational institutions of Dayton. The “Dayton News” commented,
“The N. C. R. City Club accomplishes a two-fold purpose: It not only provides a
place for amusement and recreation, but also gives N. C. R. employes an
opportunity to better their present positions.” All employees were eligible for
membership in the club.
In addition to the classes, talks
were given by officials of the National Cash Register Co., and others, on
various topics. Motion pictures and stereopticon entertainments periodically
scheduled.
From, “Dayton Daily News,” 20 July 1916, page 24.From the “Dayton Daily Herald,” 15 July 1916, page 4.
Design in the ACME Studios sales book of a Red Cross Benefit backdrop installation.
In 1916, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “On
February 15th, closed with the German Red Cross Kirmiss contract for
$7,500.00.” Moses was referring to the big Red Cross Society drive that took
the form of a German Street Fair in the Chicago Coliseum on April 2. In 1916,
charitable events were held throughout the United States for the German Red
Cross, with many using street fetes as a vehicle. I have uncovered very little
about the Chicago event, but it was similar to the one held in Cincinnati the
year before. “The Cincinnati Enquirer” described the event at the Music Hall on
November 18, 19 and 20 in 1915, reporting, “It will be a faithful reproduction
of the famous old German city of Nuremburg on the occasion of a typical
Kirmiss, the proceeds of the undertaking to be for the benefit of the
German-Austro-Hungarian Red Cross fund. The unusual attractiveness of the
affair will consist in placing in the north wing of Music Hall a replica of the
old city of Nuremberg, with its quaint tiled-roof houses and its famous
‘Bratwurst Gloeklein.”
Baltimore’s “Der Deutsche
Correspondent” included a history of the German Red Cross on 23 Nov. 1916 (page
4):
“The German Red Cross is an old established institution,
which has given capable services in times of peace whenever natural or
industrial calamities have compelled earnest and systematic relief action…At the
outbreak of the war, the German Red Cross, complete as it already was for
conditions then existing, was amplified and expanded into the magnificent
organization to which all classes of social life in the German Empire have been
proud to contribute, The advice and services of the greatest authorities in the
sciences of medicine and surgery at its command.
The
responsibilities of the German Red Cross are stupendous and the daily
continuation of the war in all its varied phases and territories has causes a
corresponding increase of suffering and of pitiful conditions for the relief of
which additional funds are urgently required and earnestly solicited.
Contrary to
general belief, the German Red Cross concerns itself not only with the succor
and care of the wounded and convalescent soldiers, but also with the relief of
innocent victims, reaching out a helping hand to the uttermost limits to those
who have borne the brunt of the war’s hardships. This includes not only the
soldier who has been disabled during outpost duty on the farthest front, but
also his dependent wife and children at home, who must be clothed, fed,
educated and provided with medical attention.
Thousands of volunteer workers who
had received instruction in first aid, together with a legion of highly trained
nurses have taken up the work of mercy in relieving the wounded, whether friend
of former foe, and in many homes today fervent gratitude is being voiced to the
German Red Cross for its skilled assistance in restoring loved ones to the
families’ bosoms; husbands and fathers and brothers who might have succumbed to
their wounds on the battlefield but for its timely aid.
The most advanced practices in
restoring to health the wounded and convalescent are employed. The facilities
of sanitariums and institutions for teaching the blind, the crippled and
partially helpless and the hopelessly invalided, have become available for
these unfortunates, Special training schools are maintained for those who have
had to use artificial limbs, so that they may not become totally incapacitated,
thus giving them an opportunity of again becoming useful and independent
members of society.
By Nov. 16, Chicago’s “Day Book” reported, “Berlin. – German
Red Cross and the Ass’n of Patriotic Ladies have received $50,000 from the U.S.
branch for relief to families of soldiers” (page 31). At the end of 1916, the
German Red Cross Society received $200,000. This figure was included in a December
30 article in the “Chicago Tribune.” The article included a list of gifts and
bequests during 1916 by Chicagoans:
“It is not an exaggeration that the donations and bequests
to charity, educational and religious institutions, art music and the public
welfare in general in the United States during the year 1916 will reach nearly
a billion dollars. Among the items which will help to make up this huge total
are large sums raised by Americans for relief to war sufferers and help for war
makers. It is estimated that nearly $5,000,000 have been sent through the
principle agencies in New York and Boston, but to this sum should be added
those sent through other agencies in various parts of the country and the
numerous contributions, which have been made direct, and not through any
special fund. Supplies worth millions of dollars have also been collected and
sent in addition to cash donations. Of these war gifts Belgium has received
about $11,000,000, France nearly $4,000,000, Germany about $9,000,00, Poland
$2,300,000, England 1,125,000, Jewish sufferers $6,500,000, Serbia $320,000,
Russia $160,000, Armenians and Syrians $2,565,000, Lithuanians $138,000, Balkan
fund $500,000, Japan $11,000, Christmas gifts $400,000, Roumania $3,200,
Australia $30,000, Italy $62,000, and several smaller amounts have been sent
for ambulances, artists, surgical dressings, education, hospitals, etc. These
sums represent those sent by the Red Cross and larger relief organizations. The
increase of wages and bonuses paid by corporations to their employees amount at
least $400,000,000. Christmas charitable organizations and God Fellows have
added about $80,000,000 more to the grand total. The American board of
commissioners for foreign missions has broken all records with receipts of
$1,207,000 and $550,000 have been expended upon work among troops on the
Mexican border. As to personal contributions it is impossible to form any
estimate, except in a few prominent cases. John D. Rockefeller has donated to
different objects about $9,500,000; Andrew Carnegie, $3,000,000; Julius
Rosenwald $1,600,000, and Mrs. Russell Sage $525,000. The donations and
bequests for various purposes in this country have amounted to $764,077.99,
these including only large sums, which have been publicly announced. Of this
total donations have been $623,262,002; bequests, $140,815,797. The objects of
this beneficence are as follows: Charities, $657,042,700; educational
institutions $72,612,619; religious institutions, $20,243,735; museums, art
galleries and municipal benefits, $11,479,295; libraries, $2,717,450.”
I am reposting this installment,
as it has been a month since I switched over to “Travels of a Scenic Artist and
Scholar” on my way to Colorado.
In 1916, Moses wrote,
“Thanksgiving Day at Pitt’s, with brother Frank, which was a surprise to me,
and we had a fine time. Next day I had
to go to Princeton to see about installing the scenery for the Triangle
Club. The boys were highly pleased with
it, as it was very odd.”
The Triangle Club was a theatre troupe at Princeton
University. By 1916, the organization
had presented annual musical shows for about twenty years. That December, the club
presented “Safety First,” a comic opera burlesque by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The
show was also advertised as a futuristic farce. As an undergraduate at
Princeton, Fitzgerald wrote three shows for the club between 1914 and 1917.
In the article “Rah!Rah!Rah! The New Princeton Show,” there
was a little more information about scenery that Moses considered “odd.” The
article reported, “The type of scenery used has never been employed in any
musical comedies of this country. It was arranged by Bakst, designer for the
Russian ballet. Massive blocks of bold colorings have been employed throughout
so as to gain an effect of the greatest contrast possible. The effort was made
to make the actors themselves stand out more in the foreground, and the
situations realistic without aid form the stage setting” (The Theatre, 1917,
Vol. 25, page 80).
The article further described the production: “From the mystical prologue to the final satirical
drop of the curtain, [this] is a musical comedy which speaks rather of the twenty-first
century than the twentieth century. It is daring and done with finesse and
polish that relieves it of any touch of the outré. The show is a plea to waft
the audience to the land of the future – a land in which all our modern
absurdities have been carried to their logical conclusions indicating that
society should examine carefully each new idea before accepting it as bona
fide. The idea of the lyric should be to proceed more carefully, looking before
we leap, and thus practicing ‘Safety First.’”
The Triangle Club’s production of “Safety First” toured all
across the country that year. The cast of 65 traveled 3,000 miles and
performing in eleven cities. They traveled by special train referred to their “a
hotel on wheels.” On Dec. 3, 1916, the show played in Pittsburgh at the
Schenley Theater; it was the ninth of the eleven cities. Other locations included
Brooklyn’s Academy of Music, Baltimore’s Lyceum Theatre, and New York’s
Waldorf-Astoria. “Safety First” was reported to be “one of the most completely
equipped plays” produced by the Club (Pittsburgh Press, 3 Dec. 1916, page 15).
There is no mention of Sosman & Landis’ scenic contribution other that by
Moses in his memoirs.
The Triangle Club’s production of “Safety First,” from “The Theatre,” 1917, Vol. 25, page 81.
As with Purdue’s Harlequin Club, men played the female
roles. In girl’s parts Mr. W. M. Bowman played Betty Howard and Mr. W. J.
Warburton played Cynthia Mars.
The “Baltimore Sun” described the production on 17 Dec 1916
(page 31). The article included a picture of Paul D. Nelson, president of the
Princeton Triangle Club and leading man in “Safety First.” Here is the rest of the article from the
“Baltimore Sun:”
“On Wednesday evening the Princeton Triangle Club will make
its annual bow to the theatre-going public of Baltimore at Albaugh’s Lyceum
Theatre, Although an amateur organization, this well-known college dramatic
club has for years set a standard of professional excellence and the play this
year, entitled ‘Safety First,’ is reported as well up to that standard. The
play is a satire on modern conditions and a burlesque on some of the modernist
ideas. The action takes place in the futuristic art community of Arden and
deals with a counterfeit art school run by a former convict named Howard. The
lyrics, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, serve to carry on the general idea
conveyed by the show, that of satire and burlesque on certain foibles and fads
of the day – mostly feminism, futurism, and prison reform. One of the
characteristics of the show, and of all Triangle Club productions, is that it
is the work of undergraduates throughout. Not only are the play and lyrics
composed by students at the university, but the entire personnel of the company
is made up of undergraduates, including the cast, flirtatious girls, chorus and
pony ballet, orchestra and the lowly electricians, property men and ‘mistress’
of the wardrobe. The scenery and costumes are also designed by members of the
club.” The designs were the work of club
members, but the manufacture of the stage settings were delivered by Sosman
& Landis, installed under the supervision of Thomas G. Moses after
Thanksgiving Day in 1916.
Of the scenery, “Brooklyn Life” reported, “the stage
settings were most attractive” (23 Dec 916, page 12). “The Brooklyn Citizen”
elaborated that there were “a variety of striking scenic effects” and stage
settings were “unique”…One innovation is in scenery. Instead of one set for the
play there are three distinct scenes, with a special drop curtain for the
prologue.” (3 Dec 1916, page 10). The drop curtain was provided by Miss
Katherine Maxey in the “Bakst style.” More on Maxey tomorrow.
I explored the life of Frederick R. Megan yesterday.
Megan was a salesman for the Kansas City Scenic Co. during the early twentieth
century, selling a large scenery collection to the Elks Opera House in
Leadville during 1902.
Fred Megan and Thomas G. Moses later purchased the name “Sosman
& Landis” after the company closed in 1923. That year Sosman & Landis partnered
with Kansas City Scenic Co. to production scenery for productions in Olathe,
Kansas. The two companies had worked together over the decades, sharing both
artists and designs. One example of their working together was the 1902 scenery
collection delivered to Leadville, Colorado.
Note that scenery is credited to both Sosman & Landis and Kansas City Scenic Co. From the “Olathe Mirror,” Olathe, Kansas, 22 Feb 1923, page 3.
On February 22, 1923, the “Olathe Mirror” reported “Let’s
Go Peggy” was using scenery Sosman & Landis, Chicago, and Kansas City
Scenic (page 3). by On March 1, 1923,
the “Johnson County Democrat” announced that the Olathe American Legion
production, “The Play’s the Thing,” used the scenery for the was by both Sosman
& Landis and Kansas City Scenic Co. (Olathe, Kansas page 1).They continued
to run the firm successfully throughout the decade, delivering scenery to the Oakland
Scottish Rite in 1927.
From the “Olathe Mirror,” Olathe, Kansas, 22 Feb 1923, page 3.
Today’s posts, jumps ahead of my “Tales of a Scenic
Artists and Scholar” timeline, but is being included to provide some additional
context for the Tabor Opera House history.
Situated on the shores of Lake Merritt, Oakland’s
Scottish Rite was a staggering $1,500,000 project. The painting contract alone for
Moses was worth $36,000 (Oakland Tribune, 4 June 1927, page 3). Although this
seems an exorbitant, it is on par with what Tabor spent for his opera house in
Denver in 1881. Today, these projects would require an estimated $18,000,000.
From the “Oakland Tribune,” 12 Dec 1927, page 17.
On Dec. 12, 1927, the “Oakland Tribune” published the
article, “Stage Setting and Scenery are Artistic.” The article lists the major
players, Moses and Megan of Sosman & Landis, as well as their collaborative
endeavor with the Western Scenic Studio. Moses designed the scenery and Megan
designed the stage machinery. Here is the article in its entirety as it
contains such valuable information, especially in regard to the description of
the counterweight system:
“In keeping with the magnificent beauty of the new
Oakland Scottish Rite Temple is the stage scenery and equipment installed by
Thomas G. Moses, representing the Sosman and Landis company of Chicago. The
settings exemplify the degrees of Scottish Rite Masonry and portray an oriental
splendor whose style ranges from the Egyptian to the Assyrian, Persian, Gothic,
Grecian, Norman Gothic, Babylonian, ending in the land of the Druids of
Stonehenge, England.
“Moses bears the reputation of being the most sought-after
scenic artist in America. Not only is he known for his masterful production of
elaborate scenery and stage settings, but his own hand wields the brush in the
majority of his creations.
Thomas Gibbs Moses (1856-1934) pictured in the “Oakland Tribune,” 12 Dec, 1927, page 19.
“Into the stage settings for the Oakland Scottish Rite
Temple he has put the knowledge and ability of over fifty years of scenic
production work.
“The richness of the stage settings concurs with the art
of the ancient courts of Cyrus, Darius and Solomon, through the motif of the
scenery is to provide a harmonious background for the colorful robes used in
the Scottish Rite degree work.
“The ideas of members conferring the degree were combined
with those of the designer. Al painting was done at the new Tempe were the
designs could be discussed with the Oakland Scottish Rite officials. The
excellent result of the cooperation is apparent in the finished work. Earl
Sudderth and Lenn Harris, local artists, aided Moses in the actual painting of
the huge settings. [In 1925, Robert Earl Sudderth was listed as a scenic artist
working at the Western Scenic Studio].
“The scenery for the Oakland Scottish Rite Temple is the
largest Masonic scenery ever to be painted according to Moses. The drops on the
stage measure thirty by fifty feet while the average drop for this type of work
measure but twenty by thirty-six feet.
“The canvas employed in this work is a heavy six-ounce
duck tied to an iron pipe instead of wood. Moses started several months ago
painting a complete set of new designs using a large neutral cyclorama, forty
feet high and one hundred and thirty feet long, This is used as a background
for many of the sets [this is exactly what he delivered to Fort Scott, Kansas a
few years earlier].
“A special set of rigging was installed for the operating
of the stage scenery. The rigging was designed and planned by Ned [sic. Fred]
R. Megan, also of the Sosman & Landis company. Special concentration was
given the arrangement and construction of the rigging as the commodious stage
of the Oakland Scottish Rite Temple allows thirty-five drops to be raised out
of sight, This allows plenty of space for high sets, This is the first Scottish
Rite Temple to have wall slots, in which counterweight arbors travel without interfering
with the operators. In the old system the operator’s hands were in constant
danger f being injured by the counterweight frames. Steel sheaves, with ball
bearings, the best tiller rope cable, Cuban bolt hauling lines, irons arbors
with counterweights constitute the rigging equipment. Iron pipe battens are
used in place of the old style wooden battens. The materials for this rigging
was furnished by Oakland foundries. Patterns were shipped from the east while
additional ones were made here. Megan was aided in this work by L. A. Abrott,
of the Western Scenic studios.” Larry
Abrott, owner of Western Scenic Studios, was a member of the Oakland Scottish
Rite. In 1908, it was A. O. Sterling and Bart Marlone who opened Western Scenic
Studio and Stage Equipment Co. in the Grand Opera House of Des Moines, Iowa. On
July 4, 1908, “The Billboard” announced the opening of the firm, adding, “They
have a well-equipped studio and are prepared to turn out good work in the
shortest time possible. The write wishes them success” (Billboard, 4 July 1908,
Vol. 20, page 11). By 1929, Western Scenic Studios offices were located at 1527
Jackson St., Oakland. In 1929, the Sosman & Landis offices were located at
416 S. Kedzie Ave. in Chicago.
Now this article is a pretty big deal, as I cannot think
of a comparable one that describes the rigging with this level of detail, the
comparison of the old standards and new installation.
Advertisement in conjunction with the opening of the Oakland Scottish Rite, published in the “Oakland Tribune,” 12 Dec, 1927, page 17.The Oakland Scottish Rite with scenery by Thomas G. Moses of Sosman & Landis.
