Category: Waszut-Barrett Travels

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

The story of the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, is interwoven with that of Gov. H. A. W. Tabor, Augusta Tabor, and Baby Doe Tabor. The 1932 film was based on David Karsner’s book, “Silver Dollar,” tracing the ups and downs of this one-time silver magnate and his two wives.

On Dec. 1, 1932, the world premiere of “Silver Dollar” was held at the Denver Theatre, previously known as  the Tabor Grand Opera House. Prior to the premiere, movie representatives scoured Leadville for artifacts to display at the upcoming event. They visited Baby Doe in Leadville and searched throughout the opera house for remnants from Tabor’s glory days.

On Dec. 9, 1932, “Steamboat Pilot” announced, “Leadville Relics Taken to Denver for ‘Silver Dollar.’ The article reported, “The theater men also went to the Elks, once the famous Tabor opera house of Leadville, seeking relics of the olden days. They secured a stage drop and four magnificent velvet drapes of the ornate Tabor days. Both drop and drapes are said to be older than the curtain at the old Tabor Grand theater in Denver” (page 3). Note the article did not state that the men secured the original drop curtain, or any painted front curtain from the Tabor Opera House in Leadville,

For additional context, the original drop curtain for the Tabor Grand Opera House in Denver was painted by Robert Hopkin in 1881, two years after the Tabor Opera House in Denver opened. It was an impressive scene of ancient ruins and the Charles Kinsley quote: “So fleet the works of men, back to their earth again; Ancient and holy things fade like a dream.” How apropos.

After the drop from the Tabor Opera House was used for the 1932 premiere, it seems to have disappeared from sight and institutional memory. For decades, many believed that the movie representatives failed to return the drop; some even believed that it was the original 1879 front curtain. At the time that it went out on loan, there was no loan agreement, or any description of what was being lent out for display at the movie premier. Others hoped that somewhere, amidst the piles of the scenery in the Tabor Opera House attic, the missing drop was carefully tucked away, awaiting discovery.

In February 2020, a missing roll drop was discovered at the Tabor Opera House, hiding on stage in plain sight. At the time, I was leading a group of local volunteers to document the scenery on stage. Near the end of the documentation process, we spotted something suspended just below the pin rail. We lowered the piece and unrolled the scene. It was roll drop with a palace arch composition. This piece was possibly the same drop lent out for the movie premiere and returned to a secure place.

It was certainly not the original drop curtain for the Tabor Opera House in 1879; wrong composition. The original front curtain was described in an article for the “Leadville Weekly Herald” on November 15, 1879 (page 3 ): “The drop curtain is a masterpiece from the brush of Mr. Lamphere, and represents a glorious mountain scene, at the base of which is a fine old castle, with a stream running at the foot; alongside of the water is a rugged road, which ends in the winding of  canyon.”  The size also indicates that it could not fill the proscenium opening, suggesting that the roll drop was some type of backing piece. Furthermore, the proportions and forced perspective suggest a far upstage placement near the back wall, almost as a masking flat. A few years later, the stage and scenery were refurbished, and a new drop curtain was painted.

The small size of the extant roll drop likely made it into a perfect artifact to put on display for the 1932 premier; small, compact, and easily transportable. The wings or shutters in the Tabor Opera House attic would have been too difficult to remove, transport and display in winter. The roll drop also exhibits all of the characteristics of having been partially “touch-up” for the movie premiere. Interestingly, only a portion was refurbished, and not the entire composition; the top quarter of the scene was left “as is.”  The refurbished section suggest that the piece was partially exhibited in a nearby lobby or a reception room. This top portion of the drop was possibly rolled, or draped over a bar, unseen. It was refurbished to fit in a shorter venue. Keep in mind that none of the original scenery would have worked well at the Tabor Grand Opera House, as it was simply too small for the proscenium opening.

Furthermore, the roll drop that we discovered last February was actually documented in 1933 as part of a Scenery Project led by Muriel Sibell Wolle (1898-1977).  In December 1933, Wolle led a group to of students, a former Tabor stage manager, and professors set up and photograph many of the scenes on stage at the Tabor House. This documentation did not include the wings and shutters that were stored in the attic. Wolle also sketched each set and made color notes, later making watercolor paintings for each piece. For more images from the 1933 Scenery Project, visit: https://digital.denverlibrary.org/digital/collection/p15330coll22/search/searchterm/1933%20Scenery%20project

There is a historic photograph of the curtain in the Denver Public Library digital collections database. Although the exact date remains unknown, the roll drop is visible as a backing piece for an interior setting, dated prior to the stage renovation by the Elks.

To be continued…