Stage Whispers - Theatrical History and Ephemera

CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME

2009-12-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

Britain's Christmas Pantomime is deeply rooted in the theatrical buffoonery of 16th Century Italy's Commedia dell'Arte (literal translation: the art of comedy; preferred translation: Italian comedy). Troupes of players roamed the country, performing on temporary stages set up on city streets, in parks and courtyards — wherever they could attract a crowd. The better troupes, such as Gelosi, performed in palaces, and even traveled throughout Europe.

In Italy — a land of numerous regional dialects — audiences had no problem understanding the stories being dramatized, because Commedia dell'Arte relies on physical humor, not the spoken text, to evoke audience emotion — in this case, gales of laughter.

Note that I said "Commedia dell'Arte relies" (present tense) on physical humor..." because it is an art form still being taught today.

And it's still being professionally performed today, as evidenced by the following photos of Ferruccio Soleri in the title role of the Piccolo Teatro di Milano's production of Arlecchino, Servant of Two Masters, part of New York's Lincoln Center Festival 2005.

Originally a slapstick adaptation of the Commedia dell'arte, harlequinade is a performance piece that revolves around its five main characters: Harlequin, Pierrot, Columbine, Clown, and Pantaloon. The British harlequinade, begun in the 18th century, wove scenes from serious plays based on myth or folklore, with the typical slapstick of Harlequin and his cronies.

Harlequin

The traditional Harlequin costume includes the batte he holds in the above picture. This is the stick Harlequin uses to slap other characters — hence the term "slapstick," which has come to mean almost any kind of physical business on stage. Harlequin is quickly identified in this early 18th-century artist's rendering of a "Pantomime Entertainment Lately Exhibited."

Originally, Harlequin was the comic of the show — a servant and Columbine's love interest. His undaunting spirit and extreme cleverness (sometimes even magic!) enabled him to elude the consequences of his actions. He was the original Teflon Don, so to speak. What's more, he never held a grudge or sought revenge.

John Rich (1692-1761), English actor known as "the father of English pantomime," developed the character of Harlequin into a mischievous magician. He would use his magic slapstick to transform a scene from pantomime to harlequinade, and to magically change the settings during a chase scene. In 1716, under the stage name of Lun, Rich first appeared as Harlequin in an unnamed entertainment which developed into an annual pantomime. When he died 45 years later, the great David Garrick wrote this tribute to his friend and fellow performer:

A century later, brothers Fred and Harry Payne became the most famous Harlequin and Clown, respectively, of the early 19th century.

Columbine

The on-stage symbol of feminine charm and grace, Columbine is essentially Harlequin's sweetheart, yet all the men in the Harlequinade have loved and wooed her through numerous character transformations — even Clown, yet now he is more often portrayed as Columbine's father. Unlike her castmates, Columbine wears no mask, signifying that her purity and innocence are genuine, and she requires no "false face."

In this 1906 photo, a youthful Billie Burke (at far right) portrays Columbine. Can you think of a more perfect role for her?

Pantaloon

Originally a devious, greedy merchant — a typical character of the Commedia dell'Arte — Pantaloon has transitioned to the role of over-protective father who refuses to allow the heroic Harlequin to court his daughter Columbine. Pantaloon is always dressed in red — sometimes extravagantly:

And sometimes not so extravagantly:

Clown

A slapstick character, Clown was immensely popular in Commedia dell'arte, and easily recognizable to any one who's ever seen a mischievous circus clown. The epitome of buffoonery, Clown was a foil for the sly and slippery antics of Harlequin.

In the 17th century, Clown was known as Pulcinella, often called Punch or Punchinello in English, and Polichenelle in French. He was most often represented as the servant of Columbine's father, Pantaloon. Clown grew more important in Victorian harlequinade, the embodiment of anarchic wit and out-of-the-box humor.

The great British clown Joseph Grimaldi became a sensation when he made his first appearance in 1800. He was responsible for transitioning the character from "country bumpkin fool" to central figure of the harlequinade. Grimaldi developed jokes, catch-phrases and songs that were used for decades after his retirement. He also pioneered the second most important British pantomime tradition: the art of cross-dressing.

Enter the Panto Dame

Among Grimaldi's Pantomime Dame roles were Queen Rondabellyanna in Harlequin and the Red Dwarf, and Dame Cecily Suet in Harlequin Whittington. The earliest picture I could find of a cross-dressing Panto Dame was this one of Dan Leno as Widow Twankey in Aladdin back in 1896:

The 21st century version of Widow Twankey has many faces, foremost of whom is Sir Ian McKellen, who is reprising the role this year at the Old Vic, I believe:

And while we're on the subject of Widow Twankey, here's the jolly British comic Chris Biggins in the role:

And a popular Scottish comic, Euan McIver, in the same role:

From Grimaldi onward, Christmas Pantomime evolved into a British art form, rooted in buffoonery and providing settings for some of Britain's finest music hall comics. During the 19th century, American entertainers experimented with the Pantomime genre, to luke warm acceptance. Americans like their Harlequinade in other formats, however, such as in one of my favorite paintings...

...and in the elegance and romance of the Ballet...

George Fox, a popular American comic, revived the slapstick pantomime for a time but, alas, no one was there to carry on the work after him.

Here are pictures of other popular Panto Dames:

From a production of "Cindarella" (adapted from "Cinderella"):

From a production of "Jack and the Beanstalk:

Unidentified actor/character I have dubbed Lolly Palooza:

Principal Boys and Girls

In almost all panto productions, the Principal Boys are girls — statuesque and curvaceous girls — with, imperatively, long, shapely legs. For example, about 100 years ago, curvy Bessie Featherstone played the principal boy, i.e., the title role in Aladdin:

And the requirements haven't changed much over the years:

To illustrate the Principal Girls, here are Cindarella's ugly stepsisters:

Not surprisingly, Christmas Pantomime is exceedingly popular in Canada and Australia, and throughout the European community. And it extends the holiday season considerably, as it usually begins around December 1 and doesn't end until late February, sometimes early March.

Christmas Pantomime is family entertainment to the max! The scripts are all rooted in traditional children's stories, the darkest of which is Babes in the Wood. Names of traditional characters are often changed to better describe the actors playing the roles. The cast is supplemented by new characters written for the production. Silliness reigns, of course. Visual humor provokes the laughter of children which is instantly contagious. and when the hero is being chased by the bad guy and the children shout "Look out! He's behind you!" it's the greatest accolade the actors can receive, and they must work very hard to blink back their tears of joy and not break character.

Should you be fortunate enough to visit anywhere in Great Britain over the next couple of months, do yourself a big favor and include a pantomime or two in your schedule. You'll be glad you did.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

THE ZIEGFELD FOLLIES • PART SIX • THE FINALE

2009-11-19T13:08:00.000-08:00

— Being the sixth and final set of illustrated records of the Ziegfeld Follies (1927 and 1931), plus a few extras.

After all the confusion within and about the 1924-25-26 Follies, I'm happy to report that Ziggy invested heavily in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1927. To ensure that investment, he initiated two "firsts": he gave star billing to Eddie Cantor, the first Follies performer to be so honored; and he assigned the music and lyrics to one—and only one—composer, Irving Berlin. He also brought back Joseph Urban to design the sets.

Headlining with Cantor was Cliff Edwards, aka Ukelele Ike. (That's how ukulele was spelled back then.) Edwards held the coveted next-to-closing spot with his popular routine.

If you're not old enough to remember him playing the uke, maybe you'll remember him as the voice of Jiminy Cricket from the 1940 animated film, Pinocchio.

Cantor & Edwards shared billing with five talented ladies: Claire Luce, Ruth Etting, and the Brox Sisters.

This edition had a large and lively jungle number performed by the Ziegfeld Girls and augmented by a variety of animals. In this number, Claire Luce rode a live ostrich who behaved quite well except for one night when they came off stage: He panicked and, instead of depositing Miss Luce back stage, he continued on, carrying her through a stage door out onto West 41st Street. Well, the poor bird just needed some fresh air.

Also in the jungle number were the singing Brox Sisters, who performed a well-reviewed number entitled "Jungle-Jingle." The three sisters were also well reviewed for their rendition of Berlin's "It's Up to the Band."

Cantor earned his star billing: He appeared in nearly half the scenes, and co-wrote the script with Harold Atteridge. He also inserted the one number not written by Irving Berlin, Walter Donaldson's hit "My Blue Heaven." The New Yorker's critic described the show's music as "reminiscent of everything haunting in the last ten years ('Blue Skies' being prominent)," adding that it "retains the best features of each."

In the opinion of Brooks Atkinson of The New York Times, one of the two numbers best liked by the audience was "Shakin' the Blues Away," performed by Ruth Etting.

You can hear Miss Etting's rendition of this Berlin classic by clicking on the following link:

http://www.last.fm/music/Ruth+Etting/_/Shakin'+the+Blues+Away

Mr. Atkinson's pick for the next-best-liked number was "Ooh, Maybe It's You," which was performed as a duet by Franklin Bauer and the lovely Irene Delroy.

Miss Delroy also performed another popular number entitled "Ribbons and Bows."

By and large, critics didn't think the music for this production was first-rate, but pretty much all of them were united in their praise of the men and women who performed the musical numbers — from the popular soloists, to the singing and dancing of the chorus, to the 90 beautiful girls playing an array of instruments. Harkening back to a comment I made in my previous post, It was Percy Hammond, writing for the New York Herald Tribune, who wrote this animated description of the Ziegfeld Girls' instrumental talents:

"...there is a scene in which these cultured demozelles perform upon all the instruments known to orchestration, including the flute, the xylophone, the hautboy (oboe) and the piccolo. As the curtain went down last night on the first act, twenty of them were performing upon pianos and many more than that were twanging banjos, tooting trombones and b-flat cornets and tickling snare drums."

The talents and beauty of the Ziegfeld Girls was truly mind-boggling. Here are a few of the talented lovelies who graced the Follies stage in 1927:

The beautiful Miss Moylan had hordes of male admirers. Upon breaking up with a fiancé, she returned a diamond encrusted pendant worth $18,000. "Why should I ruin my career by keeping junky jewelry?" she said.

Here it should be told that after the Jazz Age, Madeline Janis became well known for preserving the history of the Follies through her involvement with The Ziegfeld Club of New York, a charitable organization created in 1935, initially as an element of a publicity campaign designed to promote the 1936 film, The Great Ziegfeld. However, under Madeline's guidance, the club was dedicated to staying in touch with its girls, tracking their histories, and helping those who had fallen on hard times.

Ballets in the Follies of 1927 were created and choreographed by Albertina Rasch, who cast a small number of chorines to augment her ballet company — among them, these two phenoms, Marilyn Miller, who became a popular musical comedy star until her untimely death at age 37, and the great Helen Hayes, who went on to become our most venerable dramatic actress, known for many years as "The First Lady of the American Theatre."

Dressed in pastel colors, Miss Hayes and the dancers performed a number called "In the Clouds," moving gracefully across a stage of prop clouds while Franklin Bauer sang "The Rainbow of Girls."

This was the last Follies to play the New Amsterdam, which had been home to the series since 1913.

Now we enter a four-year period wherein Ziggy's health deteriorated, and the stock market crash of 1929 wiped him out financially. In 1931 he tried to revive his fortunes by producing another edition of the Follies. It was the only edition ever to be staged in Ziegfeld's art deco theatre on Sixth Avenue.

Ziggy staged this edition under the pre-crash assumption that the more money he put into a production, the better the show would be and the more tickets he'd sell. Not so in 1931. This edition cost more than a quarter of a million dollars, an unheard of production sum at the time. Ziggy's longtime friend and associate Gene Buck made more than his usual contribution of talent, helping Ziggy with the staging and assisting him in myriad ways of production, as well as working with Mark Hellinger on the book and lyrics.

Serving as Master of Ceremonies was popular singer-dancer-comedian-pianist-songwriter Harry Richman. It was Richman's only Follies appearance.

Other headliners included Jack Pearl, popularly known on radio as The Baron Munchausen; singer-actress Ruth Etting; torch singer Helen Morgan; outrageously funny eccentric dancer Hal LeRoy partnered with one of the best tap dancers of the 1930s, Mitzi Mayfair; actor-singer-impressionist Albert Carroll; and the tap-dancing, keyboarding duo of Buck and Bubbles.

Music for the 1931 Follies combined the old with the new. One scene was built around a new song by Dave Stamper and Gene Buck entitled "Broadway Reverie," which included a few previous hits. For example, performing as Nora Bayes, Ruth Etting sang "Shine On, Harvest Moon," for which her reviews bordered on raves.

And her rendition of "Cigars, Cigarettes," received an enthusiastic review from Variety, and from The New York Daily Mirror's Walter Winchell, who wrote, "Miss Etting again scored powerfully in this playlet with 'Cigars! Cigarettes!'"

The "Broadway Reverie" number also featured Harry Richman as Al Jolson singing "You Made Me Love You"...

...Ziegfeld Girl Anne Lee Patterson, a standout as Miss U S...

...and Jack Pearl as Sam Bernard singing "Who Paid the Rent for Mrs. Rip Van Winkle When Rip Van Winkle Went Away?"

In case you're wondering, Sam Bernard was a British comedian who died in 1927. He was recalled and revered by generations of comic performers. He introduced the Rip Van Winkle song in a show called The Belle of Bond Street, the inaugural production of New York's Shubert Theater, which opened December 11, 1914.

I don't know if Sam Bernard recorded the Rip Van Winkle song, but Jack Pearl did, in 1932. And Bing Crosby and Al Jolson recorded it in 1947. I'm told that Sophie Tucker recorded a more risqué version. Now that I'd like to have heard.

The song was composed by Fred Fischer. Alfred Bryan wrote the lyrics, which seem tame by today's standards:

Oh, oh, many years ago

Lived the wife of happy Rip Van Winkle

Oh, oh, she sent him away

As the little stars began to twinkle

All that he had he had under his hat

She was glad to see him go

So over the hills he went

Left her without a cent

One thing I'm anxious to know....

Who paid the rent for Mrs. Rip Van Winkle

When Rip Van Winkle went away?

And though he slept for twenty years

Who was it kissed away her tears?

She had no friends in the place

No one to embrace

But the landlord always left her with a smile on his face

Oh, who paid the rent for Mrs. Rip Van Winkle

When Rip Van Winkle went away?

C'mon, tell me!

Who paid the rent for Mrs. Rip Van Winkle

When Rip Van Winkle went away?

And though he slept for twenty years

Who was it kissed away her tears?

She never married again

She was lonesome but then

You'll always find a rooster

Lookin' round for a hen

Who paid the rent for Mrs. Rip Van Winkle

When Rip Van Winkle went away?

Helen Morgan introduced Noel Coward's "Half-Caste Woman," which was cut after several weeks of negative critical review. Morgan had achieved star status as Julie in Ziggy's production of Showboat in 1927, but this was her first and only Follies. Harkening back to the Follies days of Bert Williams, critics found Miss Morgan's material unworthy of her talent, suggesting that her songs didn't seem to suit her personality as well as usual, "even if Noel Coward did write one of them," said The New York Sun reviewer.

Popular actor, choreographer and lyricist Albert Carroll made his only Follies appearance in this edition. His name and presence were fixtures of Broadway theatre since 1916, and his career continued well into the 1940s.

In this edition of the Follies, eccentric dancer Hal LeRoy partnered with Mitzi Mayfair, another brilliant dancer, and according to one writer, their humorous dance routines "stole the spotlight from big stars such as Harry Richman and Ruth Etting."

In truth, it was the spectacular keyboarding-tapdancing duo Buck and Bubbles who stole the show. The easy piano (and song) stylings of Ford Lee "Buck" Washington in counterpoint to John "Bubbles" Sublett's explosion of complicated rhythmic tap patterns, set the audience's fingers snapping and toes a-tapping. Bubbles, known as the father of rhythm tap, was Fred Astaire's favorite dancer, and I believe he was held in similar regard by Michael Jackson.

The Ziegfeld Follies of 1931 earned favorable reviews, but the cost of the show was way too high to earn a favorable return on investment. Ziggy had hoped to lure a big star or two back to the Follies, but most of the headliners over the years had become big stars in Hollywood — in films, radio or both — that he tabled that idea in favor of continuing to produce book musicals, which had long been his bread & butter.

Having earned accolades and lots of money by putting the first production of Showboat on the stage in 1927, he chose to revive that show after the 1931 Follies closed. The revival was as popular as the original, and became the biggest grosser on Broadway — that is, until the Great Depression, at its worst in 1932, forced the show's closure.

Ziggy didn't live to see Showboat close. He died in Hollywood on 22 July 1932, from pleurisy following a severe lung infection.

He had been in Hollywood producing The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air, a CBS Radio series that was catching on across the nation. Hosted by Eddie Dowling, and sponsored by Chrysler Motors, the series aired Sunday nights and featured many well known Follies headliners. Ziggy's death ended the original series, but it was revived for a little over three months in 1936, as a tribute to the showman.

Ziggy's widow, Billie Burke, and their daughter Patricia, working to pay off his debts, sold the rights to produce a few Follies editions: 1934 (good), 1936 (so-so), 1943 (553 performances, excellent reviews), 1956 (the only edition that ever closed before reaching Broadway), 1957 (all reviewers' thumbs went down), and 1960 (a low-budget, in-the-round production using recycled material and no stars. Go figure!)

Fast forward to 1990 when the quintessential Broadway song-and-dance man, Tommy Tune, was hired to stage the quintessential Broadway musical, The Will Rogers Follies, earning him his ninth Tony Award for direction and choreography of the 1991 blockbuster.

This wonderful Broadway musical, which earned six Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards, played 33 preview performances, then opened at the Palace Theatre on May 1, 1991, and closed on September 5, 1993, for a total of 983 performances in just under 2-1/2 years. Golly! Isn't it time for a revival?

We've reached the end of this long journey through the star-studded history of the Ziegfeld Follies. This is the finalé, as it were, and I sincerely hope you've enjoyed the show.

Now, I bring back a lovely lady to take another curtain call. Put your hands together for the talented dancer and indomitable spirit, Doris Eaton:

You may remember reading about the diminutive Miss Eaton's Follies appearances in the early 1900s. She debuted as Florenz Ziegfeld's youngest dancer (age 14), taking her place in the line as her six older siblings had done before her. She remained with the Follies through 1920, then went to work as a ballroom dancing instructor for the Arthur Murray Dance Studios. It was there she met her husband, Paul Travis. The Travises established a horse farm in Norman, Oklahoma, which they operated together for, oh, a mere 75 years (give or take a couple)! After Paul died in 2000, the horse farm became too much for Doris to operate by herself, so she gave it up last December — at age 104!

The snowy-haired beauty, and the last remaining Ziegfeld Girl, Doris Eaton Travis celebrated her 105th birthday in April of this year, and shows nary a sign of slowing down.

Cue soundtrack: Thunderous Ovation!

(Happy Thanksgiving to all. I'll be back around Christmas.)

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

THE ZIEGFELD FOLLIES • PART FIVE

2009-10-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

— Being the fifth set of illustrated records of the Ziegfeld Follies (1923 thru 1926).

The Follies of 1923 opened at the New Amsterdam on October 20th, and ran for 233 performances. The music (by Victor Herbert, Rudolph Friml, David Stamper and others) was characterized by Variety as "null and void," with the most memorable numbers being "Shake Your Feet," "Little Old New York," and Eddie Cantor's "Oh Gee! Oh Gosh! Oh Golly! I'm in Love."

Yes, Eddie Cantor was back! Ziegfeld, recognizing that this edition was, well, uninspired, he ended his feud with Cantor, who agreed to make an uncredited appearance during the opening weeks.

Credited headliners included popular singer and multi-faced comedienne Fanny Brice...

...husband/wife vaudeville dance team Bert & Betty Wheeler, whose career received a big boost from this appearance...

...former heavyweight boxing champion James J. Corbett who, 20 years after his retirement from the ring, was now known popularly as "Jim Corbett, that handsome leading man" on stage, and poised for a successful film career...

...pert little dancer/actress/comedienne Ann Pennington, a Follies regular and consistent audience pleaser...

...and Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra, which would have looked much like this 1921 photo from the sheet music of "Wang Wang Blues," one of their early hits...

...whereas, this is how Conductor Whiteman appears in my old memories.

The Follies of 1923 had some pretty good players, but not much to play with in terms of a cohesive production. But an Irish comic by the name of Lew Hearn brightened a few sketches...

...and no doubt Ziggy was grateful for the beauty and charms of his Ziegfeld Girls.

Here's just a handful of beauties who graced this edition:

I found the following picture of Edythe Baker, a Ziegfeld Follies pianist known for pianologues that ran the gamut from classical to syncopation.

I have heard and read descriptions of the many Follies girls who played musical instruments — not just drums and tambourines, mind you, but all the band and orchestra instruments. Mr. Ziegfeld had musical numbers choreographed specifically to show off the instrumental talents of his beauties, and I assume that somewhere there exists photographic evidence, but I have yet to find it.

Now on to the 1924 edition...or I should say, the 1924-25 edition because, what started out as the Ziegfeld Follies of 1924, actually ran for two seasons, with performers and music and sketches changed along the way.

This was the first edition in 10 years with sets designed by anyone other than Joseph Urban. Scenery for this edition was credited to Ludwig Kainer, John Wenger and others. Julian Mitchell staged the show. The score was written by Victor Herbert, Raymond Hubbell, David Stamper and Harry Tierney, with lyrics by Gene Buck, Joseph M. McCarthy and others. At first, this production suffered from the "too many cooks" syndrome, and early critics rated it as substandard. But as the show ran for two seasons, it was bound to get better. And if later reviews are any indication, it improved dramatically.

Topping the bill was Mr. Follies himself, Will Rogers (who, with William Anthony McGuire, co-wrote this production)...

...as well as the versatile and very popular Ann Pennington.

This edition marked the final Follies for series veterans Rogers and Pennington. Replacing them at the end of the first season were Follies faves, comics Ray Dooley and W. C. Fields. (Doesn't he look ready to strangle her?)

Featured was...oh-oh! Trouble ahead!...Frank Tinney.

Remember Mr. Funshine, that bouncy little bundle of infidelity? Well, he and the beautiful Imogene Wilson were having an affair when Imogene learned that the little two-timer was already married, and she poisoned herself.

Naturally, the press had a field day with the news, which embarrassed Ziggy. But hey! It sold tickets.

Other featured players in this edition included acrobatic dancer/actor Lupino Lane, a young British performer renowned for his character versatility...

...actress/singer Vivienne Segal, whose only Follies appearance was in this edition. She is best remembered for her work in the 1940s, beginning with her creation of the role of Vera Simpson in Rodgers & Hart's Pal Joey, opposite Gene Kelly in the title role.

The highlight of this edition was a British act, The John Tiller Girls. Precursor to the Radio City Rockettes, Tiller Girls were known as precision dancers, famed for the synchronized routines created for them by Dance Master John Tiller, who operated dance studios in London, Paris and New York, and had several different dance troupes performing around the world at any given time.

The big voice of actress/singer Ethel Shutta (pronounced "shoo-tay"), made a very big hit in this show. Like Ms. Segal, Ms. Shutta's only Follies appearance was in this edition, but she came to prominence in other musicals and on Jack Benney's radio show. One of her Follies solos was entitled "Eddie, Be Good." Most reviewers didn't think the song was particularly good but, like everyone else, they certainly liked the way Ethel Shutta sang it.

Some of us oldsters were privileged to see her when, at the age of 74, in the original production of Sondheim's Follies, she made her Broadway comeback in the role of Hattie, belting out "Broadway Baby," a song based on her life and written especially for her by Stephen Sondheim. Here are the memorable lyrics:

I'm just a

Broadway Baby.

Walking off my tired feet.

Pounding Forty-Second Street

To be in a show.

Oh...

Broadway Baby,

Learning how to sing and dance,

Waiting for that one big chance

To be in a show.

Oh...Gee.

I'd like to be

On some marquee,

All twinkling lights,

A spark

To pierce the dark

From Battery Park

To Washington Heights.

Someday, maybe,

All my dreams will be repaid.

Heck, I'd even play the maid

To be in a show.

Hey, Mr. Producer,

I'm talking to you, sir;

I don't need a lot,

Only what I got,

Plus a tube of greasepaint

And a follow-spot!

I'm a Broadway Baby,

Slaving at the five-and-ten,

Dreaming of the great day when

I'll be in a show.

Oh...

Broadway Baby,

Making rounds all afternoon,

Eating at a greasy spoon

To save on my dough.

Oh...

At My tiny flat

There's just my cat.

A bed and a chair

Still

I'll stick it till

I'm on a bill

All over Times Square.

Someday, maybe,

If I stick it long enough,

I may get to strut my stuff

Working for a nice man

Like a Ziegfeld or a Weismann

In a great big

Broadway show!

As the 1924-25 edition ran for two seasons, it was only natural that, because of upcoming commitments to other shows, some of the Ziegfeld Girls would require replacements at the end of the first season. But after a pickup rehearsal or two, cast changes worked seamlessly — a credit to their professionalism.

Here are a few of the beautiful and talented ladies of the Follies of 1924-25:

I can't identify the girls in the photo below, but I knew you'd want to see these spectacular headdresses.

The following scene depicts a musical number entitled "I'd Like to be a Gardener in a Garden of Girls."

Near its opening, the Follies of 1926 was was so uneven that even Ziggy couldn't pull it together. Instead, he renamed it NO FOOLIN' — Ziegfeld's American Revue, and brought it into the Globe Theatre where it ran for 108 performances.

I'll be back soon with the final two editions of the famed Follies: 1927 and 1931.

But right now, with the help of a couple of my favorite old vaudeville comics, I leave you with Halloween greetings — one for the ladies...

...and one for the gents.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

THE ZIEGFELD FOLLIES • PART FOUR

2009-10-05T13:58:00.000-07:00

— Being the fourth set of illustrated records of the Follies (editions 1920 thru 1922).

The Ziegfeld Follies in the 1920s, starting here with the 14th edition, began to tarnish a little. That is to say, not all reviews were raves. But the Follies didn't lack for audiences because the song lyrics became more provocative, the costumes more revealing, and because the talent levels of headliners and showgirls always remained high.

The Follies of 1920 opened at the New Amsterdam on June 22, and ran for 123 performances. Headliners were Fanny Brice, W. C. Fields, Mary Eaton, dancers (and the show's choreographers) Jack Donahue and Ray Dooley, Bernard Granville, Charles Winninger, Van and Schenck, Moran and Mack, and Art Hickman's Orchestra. The show was staged by British director Edward Royce.

Nearly every song performed by Fanny Brice became popular. "Rockaway Baby" wasn't exactly at the top of the hit parade, but "Rose of Washington Square" and "My Man" were so popular, Fanny repeatedly sang them as encores.

And in this edition of the Follies she introduced the comedy song, "I'm A Vamp From East Broadway." She also shared a funny automobile sketch with W. C. Fields.

Mary Eaton and Doris Eaton were two of several Eaton siblings who performed in the chorus of many editions of the Follies. From time to time, they were featured in support of the headliners, as was Mary in this edition. The Eaton girls were talented dancers, who could also sing, and their commendable work ethic helped set the standard for the Ziegfeld Girls.

Charlie Winninger is a name and a face that some of us old folks remember from motion pictures. But this great singer-actor started in vaudeville, and starred in many stage musicals. He performed in this edition of the follies, and Ziegfeld regarded his talents so highly that he cast him as Cap'n Andy when he produced the original production of Show Boat. And four years later, when Ziggy produced the first revival of Show Boat, he recast Winninger in the same role.

Audience pleasers Van and Schenck were a musical team that also performed comedy routines. Gus Van's hearty baritone and Joe Schenck's high tenor (and keyboard artistry) provided close harmony in their novelty routines.

Precursors to Amos 'n' Andy, the blackface comedy team of Moran and Mack was a popular vaudeville attraction. Their humor was filled with corny gags, about evenly divided between racial and non-racial stereotypes, but they were very popular with white audiences of the 1920s.

They were also known as the Two Black Crows, which is the name under which they recorded.

The 1920 Follies featured two big chorus numbers, in one of which "Hold Me" was introduced.

And now, dear reader, here are five of the many beautiful Ziegfeld Girls who appeared in this edition:

Because Ziegfeld's smash hit musical Sally (featuring our old friends Marilyn Miller and Leon Errol) was still running at the New Amsterdam after 7 months, the Ziegfeld Follies of 1921 opened June 21 at the Globe Theater (now the Lunt-Fontanne Theater) on West 46th Street, where it ran for 119 performances.

The New York Times called this 15th edition of the Follies the "Best of Them All," hailing the show's "good comedy" and stressing its "remarkable dancing." And while a reviewer in the Summer issue of Theatre Magazine went on at length to make the point that the Ziegfeld Follies are merely "plain, unadulterated vaudeville" with a higher price tag, he also mentioned the show's many excellent dancers and the wide variety of dance genres featured. Both reviewers sang the praises of Mitti and Tillio, dancers imported from the Follies Bergeres, Paris.

Headlining this edition were Fanny Brice, W. C. Fields, Raymond Hitchcock, and Van and Schenck. There were also about 2 dozen principal performers, among whom were many dancers who could also sing, and a few singers who could also dance. Mr. Ziegfeld always took advantage of those opportunities, just as he had turned dramatic actors into comics, and vice versa. He never acknowledged the limitations that some performers placed on themselves. A case in point was Fanny Brice's rendition of "My Man" at the opening of Act 2.

During rehearsal, dressed in evening attire, Fanny was belting out the song when Ziggy leapt onto the stage, shredded her gown and smeared dirt on her face. Brice, shaken to the core, broken-heartedly sang the song, and Ziegfeld ordered her to never sing it any other way. Hardly breathing, the audience would sit quietly through that number every night. At the end of the song there was a beat of silence before thunderous applause.

Par for the course for Fanny who, back in the first act, had introduced "Second Hand Rose," also to thunderous applause.

An audience favorite was the very funny Ray Dooley, an eccentric dancer and comedienne who kept her audiences in stitches. Several excellent hoofers (all Dooleys) worked with the Follies from time to time, but Ray was given more featured spots than her siblings, and even choreographed occasionally. She and her pal, Fanny Brice, performed an hilarious fistfight in the finale of Act 1. Dooley played The Manassas Mauler, Jack Dempsey, and Brice played the popular French fighter, Georges Carpentier.

First-time Follies headliner Raymond Hitchcock had been a multi-talented writer-producer-director-performer on Broadway for more than 20 years. He offered the Follies audience some new material written for the show, as well as some of his old reliable routines that somehow always seemed new. His delivery was casual, but his wit was quick and sharp, and he was a great ad-libber. Theater Magazine reviewed him well, calling him the show's "chief fun maker."

Earlier in his career, Hitchcock earned audience and critical acclaim for his performance of Elijah Booze in the comedy Yankee Consul. He had reprised the role several times since then, and was loved for it. Tribute was paid to him and the play when this cigar box label showed up on boxes in the windows of tobacconists everywhere.

Back in the New Amsterdam Theatre, the Follies of 1922 opened June 5 and played 541 performances — the longest running Follies Ziegfeld ever produced, and the first to proclaim the motto "Glorifying the American Girl." Headliners were comedy team Gallagher & Shean, singer-dancer-actor Jack Whiting, the homespun humorist and rope twirler Will Rogers, and the zany Hellzapoppin' comics Olsen & Johnson, along with electrifying dancer Mary Eaton, and queen of the Shimmy Dance, Gilda Gray.

"Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean" was the hit song of this edition, just as the gentlemen themselves, Ed Gallagher and his uncle, Al Shean were the hit of the show. Over the years, their act was so often mimicked that even now, nearly a decade into the 21st century, some of the lyrics and their simple melody are easy to recall. The song has many verses, some official, some not, all funny. Musicals101.com has transcribed the lyrics from a 1922 recording. You can read them here:

http://www.musicals101.com/lygallagher.htm

Jack Whiting, a 21-year-old singer, dancer and actor, made his Broadway debut in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1922, and his career took off, spanning more than three decades playing leads and major supporting roles in two dozen musicals on stage and screen.

And here's the beautiful Anastasia Reilly, who performed in this and other editions of the Follies before transitioning to musical theatre book shows.

She would eventually marry a wealthy nephew of Florenz Ziegfeld, and enter upon a successful career as a newspaper publisher before her death from cancer at the age of 58.

Dancer Evelyn Law stopped the show when she crossed the stage on one leg, while she wagged a disapproving finger at her other leg, which was raised straight up above her head.

Zany comics Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson, famous for free-wheeling, anything-goes comedy, blasted the Follies audience with what was called "orchestrated mayhem." No joke was too old, no song too corny for this engaging vaudeville team. They were also a regular attraction on radio and in early "talkies."

Humorist Will Rogers could be counted on to produce laughs as he spoofed the news, twirled his lariat, and even lassoed a pretty girl or two. He relied on the changing news stories to keep his act fresh. What a wise man.

A principal performer in this edition of the Follies was Gilda Gray, whose dance, the Shimmy, was scandalizing New York audiences. Follies audiences weren't scandalized. They liked what they saw.

Gilda displayed her versatility in several different dance numbers.

Now here's a tidbit of information that might interest you: In the chorus of the Follies of 1922 was a 16-year-old girl named Ruby Stevens — not really chorus material, but she badly needed a job, so she took it. Ruby would later change her name to Barbara Stanwyck and become a star in motion pictures.

We've come to the end of Part 4, with just one more installment to complete the series. Most likely, I'll publish that in a week — maybe 10 days. So until then, enjoy the lovely autumn weather.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

THE ZIEGFELD FOLLIES • PART THREE

2009-09-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

— Being the third set of illustrated records of the Follies (editions 1917 - 1919).

Part 3 begins with the Ziegfeld Follies of 1917, which opened June 12 at 42nd Street's New Amsterdam Theatre, where it played 111 performances. Scores by Irving Berlin and Victor Herbert were added to the music mix, and the show was staged by Ned Wayburn. Headliners were Bert Williams, Fanny Brice, Eddie Cantor, Dolores, Will Rogers and the youngest members of the Ziegfeld girls, The Fairbanks Twins.

The twins, Madeline and Marion Fairbanks, had been child actresses in films, but outgrew those roles, and were being groomed for more glamorous scenarios. Each was a triple threat, quite able to sing, dance and act when called upon. They would remain with the Follies for several years before accepting leading roles in several Broadway musicals.

Eddie Cantor (in blackface) was a smash hit in his Follies debut, and he had to encore "That's the Kind of Baby for Me" at almost every performance.

Will Rogers, who performed in the coveted next-to-closing spot, did exactly what the program notes warned he might do: talk about anything or anybody.

In addition to some ballet music, Victor Herbert's major contribution to this edition of the Follies was a stirring wartime song sung by the newest Ziegfeld Girl, Peggy Hopkins Joyce, described by New York Times journalist Constance Rosenblum, as "wearing beaded chiffon and a gleaming helmet topped with a plume, performing Victor Herbert's red, white and blue sparkler called 'Can't You Hear Your Country Calling?'"

It was generally agreed that Miss Joyce's talents were not in the performing arts, but as a Jazz Age gold digger, she had no equal. (I recommend Ms. Rosenblum's book, Gold Digger. It's an eye-opening read.)

Other patriotic tableaux were staged around the stunningly underdressed chorus girls, paying tribute to an array of American patriots from Paul Revere to Woodrow Wilson.

That famous one-name beauty, Dolores, neither sang nor danced; she would merely glide across the stage with elegance and regal bearing. She appeared throughout this edition as The Empress of Fashion, wearing a succession of stunning costumes. The most striking of all was the butterfly gown.

Despite this show's critical acclaim, audience numbers fell off a bit toward the end of the run because of the deadly flu epidemic. It continued to affect audience turnout for the Ziegfeld Follies of 1918, but thankfully, less so.

The 1918 edition opened at the New Amsterdam on June 18, and ran for 151 performances. It featured some returning stars — Eddie Cantor, W. C. Fields, Will Rogers, Ann Pennington, Lillian Lorraine, The Fairbanks Twins — and added 20-year-old dynamo Marilyn Miller, popular vaudeville comedy team Savoy and Brennan, actor-dancer Frank Carter, and comedy jazz dancer Joe Frisco.

Oops! I almost forgot to mention the new, the handsome, the then-unknown rehearsal pianist for the Follies of 1918:

Imagine the stories cast members would tell their children and grandchildren about working with the great George Gershwin when he was just starting out in the music biz.

Young Marilyn Miller literally sang, danced and joked her way to becoming a bright star in Ziegfeld's constellation of beauties. (Note: It was here that she met her first husband and the love of her life, Frank Carter. A year after they were married, Frank died in an automobile accident. Eventually, she married twice more, but her heart wasn't truly invested in either relationship. She died following surgery, at the age of 37, and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, next to Frank Carter, in a mausoleum she had constructed to house his remains.)

Hilarious (and adorable!) Joe Frisco was famous for his jazz dance, and for being a witty and stuttering stand-up comedian. Performing to the tune of "Dark Town Strutters' Ball," wearing his trademark derby and puffing on a king-size cigar, he shuffled his feet, rolled his hips and contorted his body to create the eccentric dance that Variety called the "Jewish Charleston." He was backed up by a chorus of beauties in leotards, short jackets and derbies, all puffing on big prop cigars.

She's ba-a-ck! Remember Lillian Lorraine, the jealous and disruptive performer who kept getting fired after missing rehearsals and picking fights with her cast mates? As you may recall, she was discharged during the Follies of 1912. Well, six years later, she was back in the fold — no caustic barbs, no fights, no visible jealousy.

Having honed her talents and done fair box office for a few shows since her 1912 fiasco, it was generally assumed that the 1918 Follies would be her break-out vehicle. Alas, no matter how good Lillian Lorraine was, Marilyn Miller was better, completely overshadowing Lorraine's final appearance in the series. That is not to say she was washed up, merely that her Follies time had expired. She did a couple of book musicals, then made a couple of films, but tragically in 1921, she fell and hurt her spine, quickly ending her career.

Follies funny men W. C. Fields and Will Rogers did what they did best: kept their audiences laughing. Fields introduced a new routine involving a misshapen golf club; and Rogers kidded the headlines and lassoed a dancing Ann Pennington. Then out of the wings came two popular vaudevillians: Bert Savoy, an earthy, aging drag queen, and Jay Brennan, an understated, cool, quiet spoken gent. When they first teamed up, their act was built around songs and dances held together by jokes and snappy patter. It wasn't long before their audiences let them know that they should get rid of the music and stick with the humor. They did, and their career as the comedy team of Savoy and Brennan took off. Brennan wrote all their routines.

Savoy, known as Maude on stage (and familiarly back stage and to his friends), always wore voluminous, hard-to-handle gowns, and wide hats perched at precipitous angles. Throughout their routine, Maude would gab non-stop to the quiet, dignified Brennan. Savoy never stopped moving; he was known for his exaggerated hip-swaying saunter, as well as his sexual innuendo and big contagious laugh.

The Ziegfeld Follies of 1919, which opened at the New Amsterdam on June 23, and ran 171 performances, featured Marilyn Miller, Eddie Cantor, Bert Williams, Eddie Dowling, John Steel, The Dooleys (brother and sister Johnny & Ray), Gus Van, Joe Schenck, and The Fairbanks Twins.

This 13th edition deserves to be introduced with some fanfare, maybe an overture of show tunes. As I'm unable to provide that, let me stage it another way:

Among the hit melodies Irving Berlin wrote for the 1919 edition, one instantly became the signature song of the Ziegfeld Follies — sung as accompaniment to the parade of Ziegfeld Girls in their intricate costumes and headdresses, as they gracefully glide across the stage and maneuver stairways — during every performance of every edition through the end of the series.

The handsome tenor who sang that song was John Steel.

Now click on this link:

http://www.last.fm/music/John+Steel/_/A+Pretty+Girl+Is+Like+A+Melody

Then close your eyes and pretend you're in the audience, to hear John Steel sing "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody."

Another Irving Berlin hit, "Tulip Time" was also introduced this night by John Steel.

This edition of the Follies was, without question, the most expensive, most lavish production thus far, and it showed in every facet of staging — performances, costumes, sets, the top-quality musical score, and the many hit songs by Irving Berlin, including "You'd Be Surprised," a comic song about a seemingly shy man who is really a sexual dynamo in private. Sung by Eddie Cantor, it stopped the show.

The mild innuendo of the lyrics titillated 1919 audiences, but when sung by Eddie Cantor, who knew just when to punch a word or roll his eyes, it brought down the house. Here are the lyrics to YOU'D BE SURPRISED:

Johnny was bashful and shy.

Nobody understood why

Mary loved him.

All the other girls passed him by.

Every one wanted to know

How she could pick such a beau.

With a twinkle in her eye

She made this reply:

He's not so good in a crowd but when you get him alone

You'd be surprised,

He isn't much at a dance

But then when he takes you home

You'd be surprised.

He doesn't look like much of a lover,

but don't judge a book by it's cover.

He's got the face of an Angel but

There's a Devil in his eyes.

He's such a delicate thing but when he starts in to squeeze,

You'd be surprised.

He doesn't look very strong but when you sit on his knee,

You'd be surprised.

At a party or at a hall

I've got to admit he's nothing at all,

but in a morris chair,

You'd be surprised.

Mary continued to praise Johnny's remarkable ways,

To the ladies,

And you know advertising pays.

Now Johnny's never alone,

He has the busiest phone.

Almost every other day.

A new girl will say:

He's not so good in the house but on a bench in the park

You'd be surprised.

He isn't much in the light but when he gets in the dark

You'd be surprised.

I know he looks as slow as the Erie,

But you don't know the half of it dearie.

He looks as cold as an Eskimo,

But there's fire in his eyes.

He doesn't say very much but when he starts in to speak

You'd be surprised.

He's not so good at the start but at the end of a week

You'd be surprised.

On a streetcar or in a train

You'd think he was born without any brain,

but in a taxicab,

You'd be surprised.

The Volstead Act would soon take effect, and entertainer Bert Williams protested Prohibition via another Berlin comedy song entitled "You Cannot Make Your Shimmy Shake on Tea." The first act ended with a minstrel show in which Cantor was Tambo, Bert Williams was Bones, and Marilyn Miller was interlocutor George Primrose. Later in the show, she danced to Berlin's minstrel-style hit, "Mandy." There were a number of skits spoofing Prohibition, including one that depicted the Saloon of the Future with girls parading as Coca-Cola, Sarsparilla, Grape Juice, Lemonade, Bevo*, and Lady Alcohol.

*Bevo: A non-alcoholic malt beverage, or near beer, brewed in the U. S. by Annheuser-Busch. It enjoyed its greatest success during Prohibition, when beer was illegal.

Before signing off this post, I'd like to point out that the Follies of 1919 was hailed by reviewers as the outstanding Ziegfeld production thus far. The New York Herald blessed it with a 10-word headline: Thirteenth Ziegfeld Follies Eclipses Predecessors in Beauty, Color and Action. But the Evening Sun said it better and quicker in only three words: Ziegfeld Outziegfelds Ziegfeld.

Unfortunately, the run was interrupted in August by the Actor's Equity strike which caused a rift between Ziegfeld and several performers. Cantor stayed away for several years. Bert Williams also left, and was never to appear in a Follies again. Most likely he would have been tempted back at some point, but he died in 1922 at the age of 48, following a long history of cardiac problems. A light went out on 42nd Street.

The next post will begin with the Ziegfeld Follies of 1920. The Roaring '20s will feature many familiar faces, but a whole lot of new ones as well. Be sure to bookmark STAGE WHISPERS, and check back to see what's new. Better yet, sign up for our e-mail posts.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

THE ZIEGFELD FOLLIES • PART TWO

2009-09-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

— Being the second set of illustrated records of the Follies (editions 1912 - 1916).

Our first installment ended with the 1911 edition, which offered exquisite performances by...

and...

while temperamental...

foolishly picked a backstage fight with...

...who put an end to the conflict once and for all by dragging her opponent by the hair, across the stage, in front of a roaring audience. (Oh how I regret being unable to draw!)

Lorraine was fired soon after — yet, believe it or not, she would reappear for the Ziegfeld Follies of 1912, along with Bert Williams, Leon Errol and Harry Watson, and two newcomers: Singer/actress Elizabeth Brice (no relation to Fanny), and Rae Samuels, a peppy performer known as The Blue Streak of Ragtime, who packed a mixture of dialect songs, novelty numbers and comical anecdotes into a fast-paced act that kept her audience in stitches.

The Ziegfeld Follies of 1912 opened on October 21 — the first autumn Follies, and the first that did not play on the rooftop, but in the downstairs Music Hall. Critics and audiences agreed that the 1912 edition was the best one yet! The volatile Lillian Lorraine scored with a new song, "Daddy Has A Sweetheart," but once again, she was fired for missing rehearsals, and would not return to the Follies until 1918.

The finale of this best-ever Follies was a feast for the eyes entitled Society Circus Parade — a vision in pink, white and silver — ponies and show girls doing the now familiar Ziegfeld walk. (The photo above may be from a film version, but is probably not too far off the mark.)

For about 20 years, this is what the New Amsterdam Theatre's program cover looked like:

The New Amsterdam was Broadway's most elegant venue, and it was home to the Ziegfeld Follies from 1913 through 1927.

The Ziegfeld Follies of 1913 opened at the New Amsterdam on June 16, where it played 96 performances before going on tour. Headliners were comic actors Leon Errol and Frank Tinney; English actress and singer José Collins; and diminutive dancer Ann Pennington, whose high kicks and dimpled knees were the talk of the town.

Tinney, frequently billed as The Funbeam, was a small, baby-faced comedian, and a favorite in vaudeville with an act that consisted of deliberately corny jokes, asides to the audience, and joking with the conductor in the pit.

Ms. Collins' given name was Josephine, but she was best known as José (pronounced Josay), and went on to a career in musical comedy and motion pictures.

A highlight of the 1913 edition was Leon Errol dancing a "Turkish Trot" with his pants falling down in the midst of a massive dance ensemble staged by director Julian Mitchell. (That sound you hear is the audience that can't stop laughing!)

This brings us to the Ziegfeld Follies of 1914. It opened June 1 at the New Amsterdam where it ran for 112 performances, and the stage was packed with 78 Ziegfeld Girls.

During rehearsals, Ziegfeld and director Julian Mitchell had a major disagreement. Mitchell walked out and Leon Errol took over. Headliners, in addition to Errol, were:

...Vaudeville comic Ed Wynn, who scored well in his Follies debut as Joe King the Joke King...(and I'm not joking!)...

... Bert Williams, whose pantomime of a poker game called Darktown Poker Club became one of his signature routines...

...Annette Kellerman, a zaftig swimming champion and dancer who often wore daring form-fitting costumes...

...the beautiful Vera Maxwell and funny man Leon Errol performed The Seasick Dip, a comic ballroom dance that brought down the house...

...and the diminutive dancer, Ann Pennington, perfomed a spectacular shimmy, as well as her own version of the Black Bottom.

The following June 21st, the Ziegfeld Follies of 1915 opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre, and marked the beginning of a long association between the Follies and stage designer Joseph Urban.

It has been said that Urban designed and built not just "sets," but alternative worlds where resident performers lived for a few hours every night for months at a time. He did that for the opera stages of Boston and New York, and for nine consecutive visually stunning editions of the Ziegfeld Follies.

In 1915, headliners still included Leon Errol, who staged some of the show, (assisted by a returning Julian Mitchell), plus Bert Williams, Ed Wynn, and Ann Pennington.

Follies newcomers included that cantankerous misanthrope, W. C. Fields...

...dancer George White who hoofed his way into a featured spot and popularized a new dance called the "Turkey Trot" (but when he demanded a raise, Ziegfeld fired him, and the dancer vowed to beat Ziggy at his own game. And so he did: The George White Scandals eventually became The Follies' fiercest competitor)...

...superb actress and comedienne Ina Claire, who became a popular star on Broadway and in motion pictures...

...a beautiful but unhappy 21-year-old actress who would commit suicide at the age of 26, Olive Thomas...

...a talented performer and brainy lady who would eventually graduate from Columbia University and later be honored for her work in endocrinology and cancer research, Justine Johnstone...

...and the girl with the bee-stung lips, dancer-actress Mae Murray, who became a popular movie actress, then a sought-after film producer and screenwriter.

Although the Ziegfeld Follies of 1916 had a cast of 118, historians say that this 10th edition "belonged to the comics." And what else would you expect from a show with the likes of Bert Williams, Fanny Brice, W. C. Fields, Will Rogers, Ina Claire, Ann Pennington and Marion Davies?

Will Rogers' lariat and his witty commentary on Washington politicians, as well as notables at home and elsewhere was a sure-fire audience pleaser.

Fanny Brice did a send-up of a vamping Theda Bara; spoofed Swan Lake Ballet as a flatfooted dying swan in a tutu; then sang a tribute to ballet legend Vaslav Nijinski.

W. C. Fields did impersonations of political figures (a side of him not often seen); Bert Williams morphed Shakespeare's Othello into a comedy; and other skits had Henry VIII singing about his wives and Julius Caesar and his "Toga Girls" singing ragtime.

And the newest Ziegfeld Girl, Marion Davies, began her long romance with newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst when he bought out the same orchestra seat for every night of the eight-week run.

That's all for now, but I'll pick it up again in my next post, starting with the 1917 edition in which we meet some Follies newcomers, including the lovable Eddie Cantor, the one-name beauty, Dolores, and the 17-year-old Fairbanks Twins.

THE ZIEGFELD FOLLIES • PART ONE

2009-09-11T05:13:00.000-07:00

— Being an illustrated record of the first five editions of the Follies (1907 - 1911).

Given the longevity and popularity of these lavish productions, it's difficult to imagine that the Follies became Florenz Ziegfeld's personal money pit. Ziegfeld was a brilliant showman who never allowed funding, or the lack of it, to influence his artistic visions. And what he visualized, he brought to the stage by employing the talents of writers, composers, directors, costume & set designers, musicians and performers, all at the top of their game. Nothing was left to chance. The Ziegfeld level of professionalism was established with the first eye-popping Follies of 1907, and over the years, they repeatedly raised the bar.

Ziegfeld adopted the name, Jardin De Paris, for the New York rooftop theater where he premiered the Follies on June 8, 1907. This inaugural production was subtitled Just One of Those Things in Thirteen Acts, and headlined Grace LaRue, Emma Carus, comic Harry Watson, and the wonderful actress/singer/comedienne Helen Broderick, whose Follies appearance was her stepping stone to a long career on the stage, in radio, and in films.

Scene after scene showcased the beautiful chorines. It wasn't unusual for at least one number to be performed in the aisles, where patrons could better appreciate the talents of the Ziegfeld Girls.

Designed to be a limited summertime engagement, the production was loosely woven around a script written by Harry B. Smith (who also wrote the song lyrics). The plot followed Capt. John Smith and Pocohontas around modern New York City, while skits gently jabbed New York's well known residents. The show was so well received that, after 70 performances, it was moved to Broadway's Lyric Theatre for two additional weeks, then toured for two months, returned to New York for a week's engagement at the Grand Opera House, then ended its run with a month of performances in Philadelphia. Toward the end of its run, the popular singer/actress/comedienne Nora Bayes made a few appearances, and subsequently was contracted to headline the 1908 edition.

Joining Miss Bayes in the Follies of 1908, which opened at the Jardin de Paris on June 15, was Mlle. Dazie who performed her Jiu Jitsu Waltz, as well as her Swingstreet/Streetswing ballet. Returning for their second Follies were troupers Grace LaRue and Harry Watson.

Harry B. Smith's script and song lyrics brought humor to an otherwise forgettable score, and Nora Bayes sang her popular "Shine On, Harvest Moon," but the Ziegfeld Girls remained the main attraction.

The theme of this edition of the Follies was...(are you ready for this?)..."the history of civilization" — which meant that everything was fair game for spoofing. Audiences loved the show, which ran almost twice as long as its predecessor.

The Follies of 1909 featured Lillian Lorraine, specialty dancer Bessie Clayton, newcomer Sophie Tucker, and the returning Nora Bayes and her husband, Jack Norworth.

This talented cast was an unbeatable combination on stage, but back stage it made for a snake pit of petty jealousies and cat fights. When Sophie Tucker proved a huge hit with pre-Broadway audiences, Nora Bayes flew into a jealous rage and demanded Sophie be fired. Instead, Sophie was removed from all numbers but an unattractive jungle skit. Bayes walked out early in the Broadway run, and Lillian Lorraine (then Ziegfeld's mistress) was given Bayes's "Harvest Moon" spot. Then, instead of restoring Sophie's comedy numbers, Ziegfeld hired the popular Vaudeville star, Eva Tanguay. Sophie was a trouper, and stayed through the run, but would never return to the Follies.

Two superb comics—Fanny Brice and Bert Williams—together with the perennial Lillian Lorraine, proved to be a friendler and more cooperative trio of featured players, making the Follies of 1910 a delicious experience from the outset. The show made history in three other ways, as well:

(1) It turned a little known burlesque vocalist, Fanny Brice, into a star overnight. The hilarious Fanny made such a hit on opening night singing "Lovey Joe" and "I Thought He Was A Business Man," that the next morning Ziegfeld tore up her contract, increased her salary and elevated her to star status.

(2) Due in part to Bert Williams's gentlemanly demeanor and the good sense to let his boss fight with the protesting bigots, Mr. Williams became the first African American performer to co-star with whites in a major Broadway show. He agreed to only appear on stage alone or with men (never in the company of the all-white chorines) and Ziegfeld agreed to book the tours only above the Mason-Dixon Line. Williams would not perform in the South.

Some performers refused to work with Williams, but it wasn't long before they realized that he was a true artist, as the June 21, 1910 edition of The New York Times pointed out: "There is no more clever low comedian on our stage today than Bert Williams, and few, indeed, who deserve to be considered in his class. Last night he was warmly welcomed, and deservedly so, though he has occasionally had better songs. In fact, without Williams to sing them, there would be little to any of these particular numbers, with the possible exception of "Constantly,"... in which he scored his best success."

(3) By employing an innovative film sequence in honor of the 1910 appearance of Halley's Comet which had not been seen since 1835, and which produced much excitement across the United States. The short film featured Ziegfeld's wife, Anna Held, as the comet and comic Harry Watson as the earth.

As the 1910 summer Follies series came to a close, it was clear that changes were on the horizon. Librettist Harry B. Smith was unhappy: He was overworked, and his boss was way behind in paying his royalties. In addition, Ziegfeld's womanizing while still married to Anna Held was like an open wound for Harry's wife who was a close friend of Anna's. On the plus side, Bert Williams had been so popular with audiences that the script and music writers were excited about developing new material for him. And beginning with the 1911 edition of "The Follies" the show was officially renamed:

Making his Follies debut in the 1911 edition was that wonderful comic actor Leon Errol. I remember this man — not on stage, but on film — and no mimic, then or now, has ever been funnier or more rubber-legged than Leon Errol's drunk. They say that on stage, where Errol was given the opportunity to "milk" the bit for laughs, the audience roared in waves, each wave louder and longer than the one before. This picture appeared in a 1911 issue of Stage Pictorial Magazine:

Not only did this mark the first of many show-stopping skits that Errol and Williams would do over the years, but it was also the first Follies where Williams began appearing on stage with all cast members, regardless of their skin color.

In addition to funny men Leon Errol and Bert Williams, headliners of the Ziegfeld Follies of 1911 were Fanny Brice, The Dolly Sisters, Vera Maxwell, Bessie McCoy, and the increasingly temperamental Lillian Lorraine. (Picking a backstage fight with Fanny Brice marked her Follies death knell.)

Specialty dancers, The Dolly Sisters, were superb in their roles as the synchronized Siamese Twins. Audiences and critics alike could never stop raving over the talents and sparkling personalities of these 20-year-old beauties.

Well, dear readers, I'll post these first 5 editions of the Follies now, and go right to work on the next 5 editions (1912 - 1916). I hope you have enjoyed your summer, and will continue to enjoy reading STAGE WHISPERS.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

WOLFIE, THE HUSBAND OF HIS COUNTRY

2009-08-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

— Profiling that larger-than-life American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer, DeWolf Hopper (1858 - 1935). His insatiable appetite for young actresses may have been the reason for his nickname "Wolfie," while his many marriages earned him the title "Husband of His Country."

William DeWolf Hopper was born in New York City to John Hopper, a wealthy Quaker lawyer, and Rosalie DeWolf, granddaughter of U. S. Senator James DeWolf, scion of a notable Colonial family. Young Hopper was expected to follow his father into the legal profession, but he was of an entirely different bent. In 1878, he used his inheritance to experiment with what had long been his dream: he formed his own theatrical company (albeit short-lived), then studied voice, all in hopes of becoming a classical actor and/or an opera singer.

Hopper's dream was to play Shakespearean roles. He was handsome and self-confident, and carried his 230 pounds effortlessly on an unusually tall (6' 4" or 6' 5") frame. But to his chagrin, he was considered too large for most dramatic roles. However, the young actor's big bass-baritone voice and his quick wit moved producer John A. McCaull (often called "The Father of American Comic Opera") to cast him as a singing comedian in Désirée in 1884. Hopper was thrilled with his success in the role, and recognized immediately that he had found his life's work.

His newly found success may have gone to his head, however, because in 1885, he and his wife of 5 years, Ella Gardiner, were divorced. He was 27 at the time, and already the leading man in The Black Hussar, a musical which was packing them in at Wallack's Theatre. He followed that with The Beggar Student (also in 1885), then in 1886, he married Ida Mosher, whom he had met when she was in the chorus of Désirée. Within a year or so, the couple had a son, and by all reports, were a happy little family

It was often noticed and commented on by theater friends just how well Wolfie and Ida got along. They were described as "an ideal pair of married lovers." It was said that Mr. Hopper lived only for his wife and little boy. Frequently, both wife and son would accompany him to the theater, where he performed in The Begum (1887) and The Lady or the Tiger (1888), and where the little boy was quite popular among cast and crew members.

But when Hopper went into rehearsals for Castles in the Air, his first starring vehicle (1890), he couldn't deny the attraction he felt for his diminutive leading lady, Della Fox. It didn't take long for their cast mates and friends to recognize that those kisses on stage were real, and that off stage, the couple displayed all the signs of a love affair. Also noticed: Ida and the little boy no longer visited Hopper at the theater.

Adding insult to injury (from Ida's p.o.v.), Wolfie and Della teamed up for two more musicals: Wang (1891) and Panjandrum (1893). Wolfie's friends had all decided that Della was a shoo-in to become the next Mrs. Hopper, as soon as he was free to marry again. But here's the kicker: On June 28, 1893 — only a few hours after a quiet divorce was obtained by Ida — Wolfie married actress/singer/comedienne Edna Wallace, then a member of Charles Frohman's stock company.

The new Mrs. Hopper was a surprise to one and all — most especially, I suspect, to Della Fox. Conjecture, certainly, but it's not a stretch to think it could have triggered Della's slide into alcohol and drug abuse. It wasn't long before she became ill and had to leave the cast of Panjandrum. I wonder how Della felt when she learned that her successor on stage was the same woman who took her place in her lover's heart. Edna Wallace Hopper made a successful debut in comic opera when she assumed Della's role in Panjandrum. Together, the Hoppers costarred in Dr. Syntax (1894), a revival of Wang (1895) and John Philip Sousa's comic opera, El Capitan (1896). By 1898, they had separated and filed for divorce.

In 1899, Wolfie married Nella (Reardon) Bergen in London. It was her second marriage (she was divorced from actor James Bergen), and Hopper's fourth marriage (in case you haven't been keeping score). Nella, her sister, and two brothers, were born and reared in Brooklyn, where their father, John Edward Reardon, was a Police Captain. Nella was a singer/actress in comic opera and it is believed that she was on tour in England in John Philip Sousa's comic opera,The Bride Elect, when she became Mrs. Hopper.

Following the development of a postcard promotion in 1905, Wolfie appeared in Happyland in 1905, and had a big hit with A Matinee Idol in 1910.

It appeared that Wolfie and Nella had succeeded in finding the secrets of a happy and lasting marriage. Wolfie did, indeed, set a new record for himself: not quite 14 years of wedlock. They were divorced in 1913, the very year Wolfie met and married Elda Furey. Some of you may remember her as the acerbic-tongued Hedda Hopper. (She took the name "Hedda" in 1919, reportedly chosen for her by a numerologist.)

They moved to Hollywood in 1915, the year their son* (see sidebar) was born, and established motion picture careers. It was also the year Wolfie made the film Don Quixote. Wolfie was a star of silent films, whereas Hedda played occasional supporting roles, and eventually became a character actress. It's interesting to note that, in 1921, Wolfie finally played a Shakespearean role: Sir John Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor.

The Hoppers were divorced in 1922; Hedda began her career as a gossip columnist, and Wolfie started writing his autobiography, "Once A Clown, Always A Clown."

Wolfie was slowing down some, still working in the occasional revival of one of his musical-comedies, still making a picture now & then — but it was three years before he married again. His sixth wife was Lillian "Lulu" Glaser, with whom he tied the knot in 1925. He was Lulu's third husband. She had been a popular Broadway performer, and a vaudeville star for many years. She was highly regarded as a versatile actress and singer. After retiring in 1917, she divided her time between New York and a quiet farm in Connecticut.

This was a comfortable time for Wolfie. He finished his autobiography, which was published in 1927. He made a Broadway appearance in White Lilacs in 1928, and in 1932 he performed, amid an array of Broadway's oldsters, in the Radio City Music Hall Inaugural. He died of a heart attack in 1935 in Kansas City, Missouri, where he was making a radio appearance. He was 77. His ashes are inurned at Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn.

Wolfie's life was written indelibly on the memories of everyone with whom he came in contact — his sweethearts, his longtime friends, his ardent fans, his baseball team. 'Tis true, he was a bit of a bounder, but as much as he loved women, I believe he loved baseball, if not more, at least as much! He was a lifelong baseball enthusiast (his friends called him a "baseball crank") and he was an ardent New York Giants fan, known to travel from the theater to the Polo Grounds after a matinée, just to see the last two innings of a home game; then travel back to the theater in time to prepare for the evening performance. Wolfie founded the Actors' Amateur Athletic Association of America (AAAAA), organizing actors' benefits, and all-actor baseball tournaments (in which he was a talented player). He could have made a career of reciting "Casey at the Bat" in his big, booming voice, which he did about 10,000 times — during stage performances, in curtain calls, and on radio — and eventually on record. Just thought you'd like to know about that side of him.

*SIDEBAR:

Wolfie's & Hedda's son, William DeWolf Hopper, Jr., eventually established his own career as William Hopper in movies and television. He started acting in summer stock at Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine, and had roles in 25 or 30 movies over the years. A navy frogman during WW2, he returned from service in 1945 with a bronze star for bravery and heroic action, but didn't restart his career until the mid-1950s. In 1957 he was cast as private investigator Paul Drake in the CBS-TV series Perry Mason. He remained in that role until the series ended in 1966, at which time he retired from the acting profession. He died in 1970, the result of a stroke complicated by pneumonia. He was only 55.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

THE LITTLE GIRL WITH THE LITTLE CURL

2009-08-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

— Profiling Della May Fox (1870 - 1913), actress and singer whose talent, diminutive stature, and childlike persona earned her great popularity on the American stage in the 19th century. And when she set that spit curl on her forehead, it became the mode of fashionable young women from coast to coast.

For half of her short life, Della was a principal attraction in America's musical theater. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a successful photographer and his wife, Andrew & Harriett Fox, and from the time she could walk and talk, Della was a performer. She made her first stage appearance at the age of 7 as a midshipmate in a youthful cast of H.M.S. Pinafore, and followed that with other children's roles. (In the 1870s & '80s, it was a popular trend to cast Pinafore and other Gilbert & Sullivan operettas with children and send them on tour through the midwest where they were popular with audiences.)

In 1880, Della appeared as Adrienne in Adolphe Dennery's comedy, A Celebrated Cause, which attracted the attention of the not-yet-famous Augustus Thomas and his theatrical cronies. Known collectively as the Dickson Sketch Club, they were preparing to produce a touring show built around Thomas's adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's story, Editha's Burglar, and Thomas engaged Della as the lead. Burglar was a short story, hence a short play; even with a 10-minute intermission, it ran under an hour. The sketch-clubbers filled another two hours with comic sketches and barbershop quartets. Not only was the tour a great success, but the names of Della Fox and Augustus Thomas became familiar to audiences throughout the midwest and Canada. Thomas wasted no time expanding Editha's Burglar to four acts, renamed it The Burglar, and secured the great Maurice Barrymore to play the title role. Success ensured, the play continued to tour for another two years.

Della forged on, determined to become a Broadway star. In the late 1880s, she appeared with Comley Barton and the Bennett & Moulton Opera Company, where she played soprano roles in the operettas Fra Diavolo, The Bohemian Girl, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado, among others. In February 1889 she appeared for the first time at Niblo's Garden in New York, her light opera roles having brought her to the attention of Henrich Conried, who engaged her to play the soubrette role of Yvonne in The King's Fool.

When DeWolf Hopper formed his light opera company the following year, and began actively seeking a company of supporting players, Della's was one of the first names mentioned. In May 1890, Hopper (or Wolfie, as he was known to Broadway denizens) opened in Gustave Kerker's Castles in the Air, with Della in the supporting role of Blanche.

They received good notices, but Della's first big success came the following year when she played the trouser role of Prince Mataya, singing "Another Fellow," in Hopper's production of Wang. The show was so popular that the lean & lanky Hopper, a foot taller than the diminutive & dainty Della, continued to play it through 1892, then re-teamed in Panjandrum in 1893, and The Lady or the Tiger in 1894.

Continuing to play in comic opera and operetta, Della starred as Clairette in William Furst's The Little Trooper in 1894, following that in 1895 with the starring role in Furst's Fleur-de-Lis. In 1897, she appeared with Lillian Russell and Jefferson De Angelis in The Wedding Day.

In 1898, Della put together her own company to produce and star in an original musical comedy, The Little Host, credited as the work of two librettists (Edgar Smith and Louis DeLange) and two composers (Thomas Chilvers and William T. Francis). Host opened the day after Christmas 1898, and ran for a month at New York's Herald Square Theatre, garnering rave reviews before embarking on an equally successful 3-month tour. According to one critic, her performance in Host "brought her to the pinnacle of success." She was said to have been for a time the highest-paid performer on the American variety stage.

The 19th and 20th centuries collided, and the dust didn't settle for nearly a decade. Della's life seemed to parallel the time. Due largely to abuse of alcohol and drugs, she began turning up fairly frequently in private hospitals and sanitariums (or "retreats" as they were called then). After she married Jacob D. Levy, a jeweler, in 1900, she performed in only three productions: The Rogers Brothers in Central Park in 1900-1901 (which earned the first critique of her failing voice); The West Point Cadet in September 1904; and in a revival of Rosedale in April and May 1913. She died of acute indigestion at a private sanitarium in New York City on June 15, 1913, and is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery, Saint Louis, Missouri.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE UBIQUITOUS GEORGE SPELVIN

2009-08-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

One cannot be an avid theater-goer for long before encountering the name George Spelvin in a cast list. Sometimes there's even an accompanying photo of the actor, in makeup and costume, of course. From one production to another, this master makeup magician can be tall, short, skinny, fat, clean-shaven or full-bearded, playing more characters in a day than some actors do in a year. Just six weeks before his 30th birthday, an article in the October 1, 1916 issue of The New York Times described George Spelvin as "a Broadway myth so generally accepted as to have become a Broadway institution."

Stories of how he was born are as varied as the raconteurs who tell them, but his date of birth is generally agreed to be November 15, 1886, when he opened on Broadway in Karl the Peddler by Charles A. Gardiner. I have read several articles proclaiming November 15th as George Spelvin Day — one even alluded to all of November as George Spelvin Month — yet I've spent my entire adult life in and around "the theatah," and never once did anyone remind me about George Spelvin Day. Be that as it may, following are the most popular spins on the origination of this American theater icon.

Spin No. 1 — A cast of 13 characters caught the superstitious eye of its producer, who refused to hire 13 actors. Instead, he hired 12 actors, one of whom was required to play two roles. Just who was that superstitious producer? According to a scribe for The Masquers Club, it could only have been David Belasco, whom he called "that super-superstitious late, great showman."

Spin No. 2 — At a play rehearsal one day, an actor said to the producer, "I can't play the cop in the first act and the bellboy in the third act and use the same name." With a flash of insight, the producer said, "I never thought of that." So the bellboy was played by George Spelvin and an American theater tradition was born.

Spin No. 3 — A favorite version of Spelvin's beginnings alleges that, in December 1906, the late Edward Abeles, about to open in Brewster's Millions, discovered, in conversation, that the producer was leaning heavily toward scrapping the whole show. Abeles, a great barroom debater, was never above making up "authorities" to support a claim, so during a break in the conversation, he casually mentioned that "Everything would be all right if only George Spelvin were here. HE would know what to do!"

The producer bit! He asked Abeles to get this Spelvin fellow. Abeles dashed to the barroom next door, went up to the first man he saw, and told him to "just say your name is George Spelvin and tell'em it's the greatest play you ever saw, just as it is. Tell'em they're crazy if they don't put it on right now." As the story goes, the producer wrote out another check and Brewster's Millions opened December 31, 1906 and ran for 163 performances, with George Spelvin listed in the credits. Did Abeles really drag a stranger out of the barroom? Did that same stranger actually play a small role in Brewster's Millions? Who knows? But somebody went on stage as George Spelvin for the run of the play.

George Spelvin is linked with some famous theatrical names: Two popular actors, William Gillette and Maude Adams, and the great Jacob Adler of the Yiddish Theatre, all used the pseudonym.

Proving the theory that "there are no small parts, only small actors," George has occasionally played a corpse. Once he even played a character who was only spoken of, never seen. What a trooper!

Throughout the years, there have been many variations on the theme: The Moscow Art Theatre once listed a Gregor Spelvanovich on one of their programs. Mrs.Frank Craven invented Georgette Spelvin as George's daughter. George also had a son, George Spelvin, Jr., who appeared in Salt Water and Gentlemen of the Press. Harry Selby is another name that is sometimes used for a "double" when George Spelvin has already been cast in a role.

George's children have trod the boards only occasionally, but his sisters Georgina and Georgia have appeared more frequently. Unfortunately, however, Georgina is now considered the black sheep of the family — ever since she started appearing regularly in porn films in the late 20th century. But if you're looking for a substitute for Georgina Spelvin in your cast list, I recommend you think about Georgeanna Spelvin or Georgie Spelvin (yes, exactly like Georgeanna "Georgie" Drew, who married Maurice Barrymore and spawned generations of performers!) By George! You couldn't ask for a better role model than that!

Across the pond, George's British cousin is the popular actor, Walter Plinge. There are two pretenders to his throne — Mr. F. Anney and Mr. Bart — but Walter's the icon. I know because, like George, Walter has his own day, December 2. So, fans of the theater, mark your calendars:

BTW, George Spelvin made a seamless transition to film, appearing in D. W. Griffith's The Birth of A Nation in 1915. A man of many talents, he next appeared as a dancer in Way Down East in 1920. He also had a small role in the Academy Award-winner, From Here to Eternity in 1953. His list of television credits goes back to the The Fugitive series, and even extends to the daytime soaps.

SIDEBAR:

Back in the spring of 1949, in the tavern of The Masquers Club, three great minds belonging to three fun-loving (and possibly inebriated) members discussed the idea of an annual award to honor the acting art, to be given to actors by their Masquers Club peers. They were putting the finishing touches on their proposal when someone at the table (they say it was Alan Mowbray!) suggested it be called the George Spelvin Award. The vote was unanimous. Wiping away their tears of laughter, they ordered another round, made a long-winded toast to George Spelvin, and the meeting was adjourned.

There have been many recipients of The Spelvin. The first award was given to Milton Berle in 1949. In the early days, other recipients included Harold Lloyd, Jack Benny, Sir Laurence Olivier, Fred Astaire, Dean Jagger, Broderick Crawford, Ronald Colman, John Huston, Herbert Marshall and Edmund Gwenn, among others. Here are a few photos in honor of those wonderful performers.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

THE 1896 REVIVAL OF SHERIDAN'S "THE RIVALS"

2009-07-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

Imagine, if you will, that it's an evening in May 1896. You're in a 4th-row-center seat of an aging theater, perusing the souvenir program for the new production of The Rivals, as you eagerly anticipate the appearance of this stellar cast of ten.

You are aware, of course, that this play was the first written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751 - 1816) when he was but 23 years old. A comedy in five acts (in just under 5 hours), The Rivals was first performed 121 years earlier — January 17, 1775 — at Covent Garden, London. For the first 100 years, revivals appeared numerous times in many countries — not as frequently as the ubiquitous Shakespeare, but definitely in good company with Goldsmith and Moliére. Sheridan was the earliest English playwright whose works were presented in America while they were still new to the London stage, and that have retained their popularity.

Over those first 121 years, The Rivals had been trimmed a bit by various producers. However, the production you are about to see has been professionally trimmed, tightened and lightened by none other than everyone's favorite comic actor, Joseph Jefferson, known never to shy away from rewriting dialogue or adding or cutting business in order to breathe new life into a well worn piece. Jefferson wore three hats equally well: actor, writer, and producer; operating under all three, he produced a comedy with fewer acts (down to 3), fewer characters (down to 10), in a shorter time-span (under 3 hours), with cutting-edge humor for the modern audience (after all, it's almost the 20th Century).

The Rivals is set in the 18th century in the town of Bath where fashionable people went to "take the waters." The plot centers around two young lovers, Lydia Languish and Captain Jack Absolute, who is courting her not as himself, but as a poor officer named Ensign Beverley. She falls in love with the poor Ensign, but when she discovers he's really a wealthy Captain, she falls out of love immediately! Meanwhile, Sir Anthony Absolute, Jack's father, gives him the news that he's arranged a marriage for him. Jack refuses to even consider an arranged marriage, telling his father that he loves another, but not telling him who. Jack soon discovers that the arranged mate is actually Lydia! O'woe is Jack, who worms his way back into his father's good graces, claiming he has seen the error of his ways, and accepts the arrangement. And so it goes, while other characters — Bob Acres, Sir Lucius O'Trigger, as well as Jack's friend, Falkland, — each also fancies himself as Lydia's suitor.

Lydia's guardian is Mrs. Malaprop, a moralistic widow who is one of the play's chief comic characters because of her continual misuse of words that sound like the words she intends, but mean something completely different. (Yes, this is where the term "malapropism" originated.) Mrs. M strings her pearls of wisdom throughout the play (forget about the fellow — illiterate him from your memory! . . . Few gentlemen nowadays know how to value the ineffectual qualities in a woman! . . . He is the very pineapple of politeness! . . . I thought she had persisted from corresponding with him; but, behold, this very day, I have interceded another letter from the fellow . . . ) until, in the final act, everyone winds up on the dueling ground where misunderstandings eventually get sorted out before any blood is shed.

I've read enough of Joseph Jefferson's autobiography to strongly suspect that the wonderful bios that appear opposite the photos in the souvenir program were written by him. I have included each one here, in its entirety, beneath the appropriate character's photo. Bios and photos are in the order they appear in the program. (Be sure to click on the bios to see them in larger text.)

I hope you've enjoyed this little bit of theatrical history. To have seen Mrs. Drew and Mr. Jefferson on the same stage would have been the epitome of my viewing pleasure. They had played Mrs. Malaprop and Bob Acres several times before and after this revival. In fact, it has been said that Mrs. Drew would travel any distance to play Mrs. M. — especially in Mr. Jefferson's productions. Well, who could blame her? I have a bit of a crush on him, too!

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

5 ACTRESSES ON THE WORLD STAGE • PART 5: AMERICA'S JULIA MARLOWE

2009-07-21T14:11:00.001-07:00

The all-American actress Julia Marlowe (née Sarah Frances Frost/Brough) (1866 - 1950) was actually a British transplant. Her father, John Frost, a sportsman laboring under the mistaken impression that he had put out a neighbor's eye with a whip during a race, gathered his family from their home in Keswick, Cumberland, England in 1870, and fled to America where he changed their name to Brough. They settled in Kansas, then moved eastward to Portsmouth, Ohio, then on to Cincinnati.

In her early teens, Marlowe, whose nickname was "Fanny," began her career in the chorus of a juvenile opera company. She toured with the company for nearly a year, performing the role of Sir Joseph Porter in Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore, under the direction of Col. Robert E. J. Miles, manager of the Cincinnati Opera House. (She would later play Galatea in W. S. Gilbert's Pygmalion and Galatea.)

Her excellent training and early successes were largely due to her manager, Ada Dow, Col. Miles's sister-in-law, whom Fanny always called "Aunt Ada." Still in Cincinnati, and billed as Fanny Brough, she performed her first Shakespearean roles — Balthazar in Romeo and Juliet and Maria in Twelfth Night. Ada Dow took Fanny, still in her teens, to New York where for several years she was given voice and elocution lessons, and a new name: Julia Marlowe.

To be an unknown 20-year-old actress in New York was a challenge in and of itself; but add to that mix her determination to play only Shakespearean roles, and therein loomed an enormous obstacle to her success. But, as luck would have it, Col. Miles, former manager of the Cincinnati Opera House, was now manager of New York's Bijou Opera House. He gave his sister-in-law's young protégée an opportunity to play on tour for two weeks in New England, and this provided Marlowe with the repertoire she needed. Her mother came to her aid, and hired the Bijou for a matinée of Ingomar* on October 20, 1887. For her portrayal of Parthenia, Marlowe received excellent notices, which set her on the path to Broadway.

*Ingomar was a popular play adapted by Maria Lovell from a 5-act German play, Der Sohn Der Wildniss (English translation: Ingomar the Barbarian), by Frederick Halm. Marlowe would reprise her role in a 1904 revival of Ingomar, produced by Charles Frohman, and boasting a cast of notable actors, including Frank Reicher, Thomas Lindsay, Paul Weigel, Ralph Lewis and Tyrone Power, Sr.

After good reviews of her roles in several off-Broadway productions, Marlowe made her Broadway debut in 1895 at Palmer's Theatre, as young Henry, Prince of Wales, in Shakespeare's King Henry IV, Part I. With her in the cast were William F. Owen and her newlywed husband, Robert Taber. (The husband & wife team next appeared in an 1896 revival of Sheridan's The Rivals, which will be the subject of my next post.)

Off to a good start, Marlowe next appeared with Taber on Broadway as Mary in For Bonnie Prince Charlie, an original drama which played Wallack's Theatre in March and April of 1897. She followed that with the title role in a short-lived original, Collinette. In October 1899, Barbara Frietchie, an original play in 4 acts — written by Clyde Fitch, produced by Charles Frohman, with Marlowe in the title role — opened at the Criterion Theatre where it ran for 83 performances. It was Marlowe's first bona fide hit on Broadway. Her marriage to Robert Taber ended the following year. They had no children, and remained friends until Taber's untimely death in 1904 at the age of 39.

In 1901, Marlowe had starred as Mary Tudor in a production of When Knighthood was in Flower, a play in 4 acts by Paul Kester, based on Charles Major's novel. Then in 1904, Charles Frohman produced the play, also starring Marlowe, which was a huge success — one that put her on the road to financial independence.

A string of hits followed, including a 1904 revival of Pygmalion and Galatea by W. S. Gilbert. In Gilbert's Pygmalion story, the sculptor is married to Cynisca, who is often away, and doesn't want her husband to be bored, so she encourages his interest in his statue, Galatea. But when the statue comes to life, chaos reigns! A delicious comedy — just what we'd expect from Sir William!

In 1904, a theatrical milestone was achieved when Marlowe partnered with actor E. H. Sothern, and they breathed new life into the works of Shakespeare in America, starting with the title roles in Romeo and Juliet, followed in quick succession by Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, and the leads in Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Then adding The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, and The Merchant of Venice, the Sothern and Marlowe Repertory Company played both on Broadway and on tour all over the U.S.

In 1906, they added Percy McKaye's Jeanne D'Arc, Suderman's John the Baptist, and Gerhart Hauptmann's The Sunken Bell. In 1907, there followed another theatrical milestone: Long before Joe Papp brought Shakespeare to the Park, Sothern & Marlowe brought him, at affordable prices, to the New York Academy of Music, affording lower-income audiences the opportunity to experience superb performances of great Shakespearean plays. In 1908, they dissolved their company, each going out on their own, but near the end of 1909, they reunited in Antony and Cleopatra. In 1910, they toured Macbeth to both critical and popular acclaim, and brought it to New York where it was a hit.

Marlowe and Sothern continued touring their Shakespearean repertoire, and where they could, they fitted in special performances for school children. And finally, in 1911, Marlowe and Sothern married. They continued touring until 1924 when Marlowe retired due to ill health. Sothern continued performing until 1928, then became a lecturer until he died of pneumonia in 1933 in New York, after which Marlowe became something of a recluse. She died in 1950 in New York City. She was 84, and had no children.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

5 ACTRESSES ON THE WORLD STAGE • PART 4: FRANCE'S GABRIELLE REJANE (1856 - 1920)

2009-07-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

Gabrielle Rejane, the French comedienne of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, did not leave a lasting image on generations of American theater goers as did her contemporary, Sarah Bernhardt. If that oft' queried "man (or woman) on the street" were asked to name two historically famous French actresses, most could give you Madame Sarah, no problem, while the smart-alecs might smile and suggest Brigitte Bardot, but few, if any, could name Madame Rejane.

The daughter of an actor, she was born in Paris and educated at the Paris Conservatoire, where she was a student of famed actor Regnier. She became well known in the U.S. when she toured in Sardou's Madame Sans-Géne in 1893-94. Thereafter, Americans saw her here almost as frequently as they saw Bernhardt, sometimes in the same roles but, whereas Bernhardt would tailor emotion for artistic effect, Rejane never stepped across that line. It could be said that Bernhardt, known for assimilating characters into her own personality, played the truth of the performer. Rejane, on the other hand, accepted a character fully — good, evil, slutty, prudent, ugly, beautiful, smart or stupid — and could move, speak, and think only as that character, thereby playing the truth of the character.

Sometime in the first half of the 1890s, the brilliant young artist Aubrey Beardsley sketched Mme. Rejane, and developed drawings for his illustrations for Alexandre Dumas's La Dame aux Camelias. Beardsley's superb artistry runs the gamut from gorgeous to grotesque. You can see more of it by visiting the THE SAVOY, a wonderful online gallery devoted to the works of this important fin-de-siecle illustrator.

In 1905, after a dozen years of marriage to the director of the Vaudeville Theatre, Madame Rejane and her husband divorced. The following year, she opened the Theatre Rejane in Paris. Four short years later — June 19, 1910, to be exact — a small article in the New York Times announced that Madame Rejane "is about to give up her managerial career and will surrender the Theatre Rejane, always a favorite resort of Americans, into other hands. She will join the forces of the Theatre de la Porte Saint-Martin, where she will take the principal part in an important new piece to be produced next Autumn." The article went on to suggest that her reputation for being an over-amiable manager may have led to her decision, pointing out that "amiability and economy are not always compatible."

Two days after Mme. Rejane's death, the June 16, 1920 edition of the New York Times carried this touching obituary with no by-line. It's long, but worth reading:

"Though Rejane lacked the personal distinction and the elevated style which carried Bernhardt and Duse to the pinnacles of poetic drama and of popular applause, she was no less original and valiant as an artist; in one respect she excelled them both. She was the supreme comedienne of her time. Of the crimson passions and golden voice of Bernhardt she had no touch; nor yet of the lovely, twilight spirituality of Duse, which blended in such strange harmony with her unaffected and infinitely modulated naturalism. But as an interpreter of everyday character of the subtleties, the emotions and the absurdities of the modern woman, Rejane had no equal. As Bernhardt modernized the tradition of Racine, (Rejane) modernized the tradition of Moliere.

"It is for this reason mainly that Rejane was the least known of the three to the outside world. Tragedy is a strong wine that holds its heady quality throughout the seven seas, but comedy is a vintage which, though rare and exquisite in its native valley, turns flat in transportation. Rejane was French, Parisian, to the subtlest nerve. Of a hundred masterly strokes of characterization, one may perhaps be caught in dull, descriptive words. That was the case in Henri Becque's satiric masterpiece, 'La Parisienne.' The play opens with a scene of conjugal jealousy. Clotilde is concealing from Lafont a letter — from another. He commands, he rages, and she rides the storm of his dull, masculine passions like a petrel. He becomes tearful, sentimental, moral. 'In remaining faithful to me,' he says, 'you are worthy, honorable; the day you deceive me —' She interrupts the homily with a start. 'Hush!' she says, going quickly to the door. 'My husband is coming.' It is the first the audience has known that Lafont and Clotilde are not man and wife. That stroke of satire upon Parisian infidelity is of course the work of sardonic Henri Becque. But it was Rejane who embodied it; and the manner in which she contracted the airy insolence of Clotilde's demeanor toward her lover with the equally insolent realism toward her husband spoke new volumes of feminine lore to the Parisian playgoer.

"Two plays, neither of a very high quality, provided vehicles for a world tour. 'Mme. Sans-Géne' showed her comedy talent at its raciest and most unmistakable. 'Zaza' similarly developed her emotional power. Moreover, both were familiar to the public in translation. There were many who found her less compelling in the parts than local actresses. It is true that her stage lacked glamour and her art the more obvious appeal. But her characterizations were masterpieces of native color and detailed finesse, as they were of emotional vigor and abundant comic spirit. Molier would doubtless have appreciated Bernhardt and found in Duse a strangely kindred spirit. He would have adored Rejane."

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

AMERICA'S MUSICAL PATRIOTS

2009-07-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

American patriotic music has been with us since before the revolution, much of it then written as lyrics to known British melodies. For example, The Liberty Song, written in 1768 by patriot John Dickinson (1732 - 1808), member of the Continental Congress 1774-76 & '79, and signatory to the U. S. Constitution, was set to the music of William Boyce, a well known British composer.

You can listen to this spirited march, and read Dickinson's lyrics, on this wonderful Folk Music history website.

Edward Taylor Paull (1858 - 1924) was a prolific writer of patriotic marches. His first hit was The Chariot Race or Ben Hur March, published in 1894. He started his own publishing company to accommodate the music that was pouring out of him. One of his most popular works was the America Forever March. In 1924, his final composition was Spirit Of The U.S.A., copyrighted only six weeks before he died.

Throughout history, much of our patriotic music was written to stiffen our spines and see us through the horrors of wars without losing hope for our country. As we moved toward the 20th Century, we were blessed with the works of a superb musician and prolific composer, John Phillip Sousa (1854 - 1932), whose output was more than 130 compositions, most of them marches so timeless they are still favored by today's orchestras and marching bands. I bet I'm not the only one who gets goose bumps when they play Stars and Stripes Forever, Liberty Bell March or, as a former Marine, my particular favorite: Semper Fidelis.

There came along an entertainer so special that his music inspired us through two world wars. George Michael Cohan (1878 - 1942) was way more than the sought-after triple threat (actor/singer/dancer), He was also a playwright, a composer, and a lyricist, credited with creating the first musicals that used songs and dances to further the plot, not interrupt it. George had so much energy left over that he also became a producer. He and his partner, Sam Harris, were for 20 years Broadway's busiest producing team.

George had his first big hit on Broadway in 1904 with his show, Little Johnny Jones, which introduced his songs "The Yankee Doodle Boy" and "Give My Regards to Broadway." He published more than 1500 original songs over his long career — none of them more affecting than "You're A Grand Old Flag," and none more needed than "Over There" as America entered WW1.

In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt presented George with the Congressional Gold Medal (not to be confused with the military Medal of Honor) for his contributions to WW1 morale, in particular his songs "You're a Grand Old Flag" and "Over There." The latter, as I recall, was also sung a lot during WW2.

When Georgie was ten, and still criss-crossing the country with The Four Cohans, a little baby was born in Russia who was destined to become one of the most prolific American songwriters. Irving Berlin (1888 - 1989) wrote more than 1,000 songs in his 101-year life — so much good music, that it has spilled over into succeeding generations — youngsters thinking it's new, while we oldsters just smile, belt out the lyrics, and watch their little jaws drop. (Don't you just love when that happens?)

Irving Berlin wrote "God Bless America" in 1918, although it may not have been published then, as it doesn't seem to occur in any production until he wrote and produced This Is The Army during WW2. But it was the song's powerful rendition by singing star Kate Smith that turned "God Bless America" into our country's second national anthem. She sang it every week on her radio show, and record sales of her rendition were enormous. In 1941, she also recorded a touching British wartime song, "The White Cliffs of Dover," which became a big hit in the U.S.

Irving Berlin was deeply patriotic. Throughout WW2 he wrote patriotic songs such as "Any Bonds Today?" and donated all proceeds to the war effort. He donated the proceeds from the film This Is The Army to the U. S. Army, and entertained the troops far and wide with a road company of that show, in which he was a cast member. At war's end, he was recognized for his important contribution to troop morale, and was awarded the Medal of Merit by President Harry S. Truman.

One of these days I'll revisit some of these patriots, for they have provided us with some wonderful theater over the years. But right now, on the occasion of America's 234th birthday, I wish to thank them for the gifts of their music. Their love for this nation is our good fortune.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

AUSTRALIA'S RICH THEATER HISTORY

2009-06-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

You theater buffs out there are gonna love this site: It's called "Down Under in the 19th Century" — a fascinating chronology of theater in Australia, skillfully, humorously and lovingly told.

This site is much, much more than Gilbert & Sullivan, but I thought you'd be interested in one of their illustrations — an early Pirates of Penzance poster.

I urge you to surf on over to:

homepages.ihug.co.nz/~melbear/century1.htm

You probably won't be able to finish it in one sitting, and even if you do, you'll want to go back to it. I guar-on-tee.

Happy reading!

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

5 ACTRESSES ON THE WORLD STAGE • PART 3: ENGLAND'S ELLEN TERRY (1847 - 1928)

2009-06-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

It's not surprising that Ellen Terry became an actress, nor that she was, for an era or two, the best loved actress in the English-speaking world. Born into a loving family of successful British actors, headed by popular performers Benjamin and Sarah (Ballard) Terry, Ellen — second surviving daughter of 11 children — was destined for stardom.

Home-schooled, Ellen's earliest memories were of the serious instruction she and her siblings received in elocution — what her father called "the importance of clear articulation"— as well as a thorough study of the plays of Shakespeare. She made her first professional stage appearance at the age of 9, when she was hired by Charles Kean (son of actor Edmund Kean and husband of actress Ellen Tree) to play Mamillius in Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale which opened at the Princesses Theatre April 28, 1856. She performed her role flawlessly, and without an understudy, every night of a 102-night run. Playing other juvenile roles, including Prince Arthur in King John and Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Ellen remained with the Keans until Charles Kean retired in 1859

When she was 15, Ellen joined her actress sister Kate (already a popular performer) in a stock company in Bristol, where she met designer Edward Godwin — associate of William Morris and close friend of Whistler — who introduced her to the fine arts and artists of the time, and influenced her appreciation of the wide artistic world outside the theater.

In 1864, George Frederick Watts, an artist with a studio near Hyde Park, invited Ellen to pose for him. By the time the painting was complete, Watts was totally smitten with the young actress and proposed marriage. Assuming that her aging parents would want to see her firmly settled, she accepted. Their age difference (she was 16, he 46) should have signaled potential disaster; they separated 10 months after they were married.

Soon thereafter, Ellen encountered her old friend Edward Godwin, and this time they fell deeply in love. Still legally married to Watts, Ellen ran away with Godwin to his country home in 1868. Their daughter, Edith, was born in 1869, their son, Teddy, in 1872. Parenthood agreed with them, but by the mid-1870s, their love began to unravel as financial problems went unsolved. In an effort to defray some of their expenses, and restart her career, Ellen returned to London and the stage, but Godwin turned his back on the relationship, leaving Ellen and their children.

After giving a star-building performance as Portia in the 1875 production of The Merchant of Venice at the Prince of Wales Theatre, a string of good roles came her way. And in an effort to give her children respectability, she married in 1877, this time to Charles Clavering Wardell Kelly, an actor/journalist, but they separated sometime before his death in 1885.

In 1878, the 30-year-old actress received a message that changed her life: an invitation from the much honored actor, Sir Henry Irving, to join him as leading lady in his company at the newly acquired Lyceum Theatre, beginning with Ophelia opposite Irving's Hamlet. When she eagerly accepted, that was the start of a 24-year, totally compatible partnership — on stage and off. This is not to say they were or weren't lovers. But in every way, they appeared joined at the hip, fully trusting and completely in sync with one another.

Together, Ellen Terry and Henry Irving breathed new life into classical theater in England, and when their American tours began in 1883, huge advance sales led to nightly sold-out performances of The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, Bulwer-Lytton's The Lady of Lyons, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Charles Reade's The Lyons Mail, W. G. Willis's Faust, Macbeth, Henry VIII, Alfred Tennyson's Becket, King Arthur, Cymbelline, and the list goes on.

Ellen and Sir Henry reigned as Britain's leading interpreters of Shakespeare throughout their 24-year partnership. In 1902, Sir Henry's health began to fail, and he and Ellen gave up the Lyceum, and officially brought to an end a quarter century of superb classical theater. They remained close friends and confidants until Sir Henry died in 1905.

You well may think that Dame Ellen Terry, world-famous actress, would slow down, retire to her home in Smallhythe, Kent, write her memoirs, hug her children and grandchildren, and bask in the glory of a life well spent. But here's how it really went down:

1903 - 1905: She and her son took over management of the Imperial Theatre. Here she had complete artistic control and could choose which roles she would play. (Obviously, she had learned well from her longtime partner!) This new venture focused on the plays of Henrik Ibsen, J. M. Barrie and George Bernard Shaw. For at least 20 years, she and Shaw carried on a much publicized correspondence, which has been published and often referred to as a "paper courtship."

1906: Upset by Irving's death in 1905, Ellen went into brief retirement, returning to the stage in April 1906 in the role of Lady Cecily Wayneflete in Shaw's Captain Brassbound's Conversion, then touring successfully in that role throughout England and America.

1907: She toured the U.S. under the direction of Charles Frohman, during which she married American actor James Carew, with whom she had worked at the Court Theatre. He was 30 years her junior. Their marriage was over in under two years.

1909: Ellen played Nance Oldfield in A Pageant of Famous Women, written in 1909 by C. Hamilton and her daughter, Edith.

1910: She toured America once more, to great success.

1911: Returning to England, she played Nell Gwynne in The First Actress by Christopher St. John. Also that year she recorded scenes from five Shakespearean roles for the Victor Talking Machine Company.

1914: Ellen toured Australia and the U.S. again, reciting and lecturing on Shakespeare's heroines. While in the states, she underwent surgery to remove cataracts from both eyes, but the operation was only partially successful.

1916: She performed the role of Darling in Barrie's The Admirable Crichton.

1917 - 1922: Her busy schedule included performing in many WW1 benefits, and she continued to perform on stage while establishing a respectable motion picture career. She retired from the stage in 1920, and from films in 1922.

1925: Actress Ellen Terry became Dame Alice Ellen Terry when she was awarded a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire.

In the last few years of her life, Dame Ellen gradually lost her eyesight, and showed signs of senility. She died at her home in Smallhythe, Kent. She was 81. Her ashes are inurned at the actors' church, St. Paul's, Covent Garden, London.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

Carla Cushman Interview - Stage Whispers Blog Author

2009-06-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

I wish to acknowledge Marty Weil and his splendid blog, ephemera, and thank him for interviewing me and publishing that interview this morning, June 22.

I urge you to visit his blog and read the interview. Whether your passion is for theater, or for the old paper on which theater's rich history is written, or whether you just want to learn about some old stuff that could be new and interesting to you, surf on over to the ephemera blog.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

5 ACTRESSES ON THE WORLD STAGE • Part 2: ELEONORA GUILIA AMALIA DUSE (1858 - 1924)

2009-06-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

Eleonora Duse was born into a struggling family of itinerant actors in Vigevano, Italy. When she was 4, she made the first of her many stage appearances with the Duse-Lagunaz Troupe. They would set up in town after town, quickly constructing a little stage at the end of a park, or in one of the many piazzas. Two boards and a passion is all an actor requires.

At age 14, when Eleonora played Juliet at Verona, critics began to take notice. But it wasn't until 1878 in Naples that 20-year-old Eleonora's career took a turn toward stardom. Her performance in the title role of Emile Zola's Thérése Raquin met with both critical and audience acclaim, in agreement that "a woman's anguish had never before been played with such truth."

Becoming a star was easy for the talented young actress, but remaining a star required some strategy. Having recognized that Italian audiences were becoming bored with the old, traditional repertory, Duse borrowed a page from Bernhardt's playbook, and developed a repertoire of plays by contemporary French dramatists. For three years she acted in several plays by Dumas the younger, scoring triumph after triumph. In 1884 she created the title role in the latest Dumas play, Denise, as well as the role of Santuzza in Giovanni Verga's Cavalleria Rusticana.

She successfully toured South America, then returned home to form her own company. With it, she made headlines touring Europe, then finally the U.S., where she triumphed despite the fact that she couldn't (didn't?) speak a word of English. All her performances were in Italian, yet Americans flocked to them.

In 1894, she embarked on a long and tempestuous love affair with the young poet, Gabriele D'Annunzio. In his novel, Il Fuoco (The Flame of Life), published in 1900, he tells the story of their love. Duse acted in two of his dramas — La Gioconda in 1898 and Francesca da Rimini in 1902.

It has been said that Duse was capable of subtle and controlled gestures — a "method actress" before "the method" was ever defined — and was able to blush and turn pale at will. She was described as "restrained," an actress "who lived her roles." She became the character she was playing. Quite the opposite of Bernhardt, who molded the character into her own personality.

For reasons of ill health, Duse retired from the stage in 1909, but financial losses incurred during WW1 forced her to return to work in 1921. Her talents were undiminished, but poor health intervened, causing some gaps in her schedule. She appeared in London and Vienna, then embarked on an American tour, which ended in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when she collapsed on stage and died. Her body was returned to Italy where, according to her wishes, she was buried in the small cemetery of Azolo.

NOTE: If you want to read more about this great tragedienne, I urge you to repair to your public library and check out "Eleonora Duse • A Biography" by Helen Sheehy, published in 2003. Of course, if you wish to remain where you are, surf on over to Amazon. They'll sell you a copy.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

FIVE ACTRESSES ON THE WORLD STAGE • Part 1: Agnes Sorma

2009-06-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

INTRODUCTION

On this beautiful cigar box label are the subjects of five blog posts — this one and the next four. Originally I intended to put all five in one post, but soon I realized it would be way too long and take too much time. So I've decided to add them one post at a time.

This proof print of the Bachelor Cigars label honors five famous actresses of the late 19th century: America's Julia Marlowe (center), surrounded by, clockwise from top left — Germany's Agnes Sorma, Italy's Eleonora Duse, England's Ellen Terry, and France's Gabrielle Rejane

AGNES SORMA (1862 - 1927)

In her long career, Agnes Sorma played all the roles that make dramatic actresses popular. In Europe, she was often called "the German Bernhardt." She is even credited with having originated the role of Nora in Henrik Ibsen's The Doll's House. Suffice it to say she was recognized as one of the great dramatic actresses of the 19th century.

In 1890, Agnes married an Italian, Count Dimitrio Minotto, and they lived most of the time in Berlin, although the count owned many properties in Italy and throughout Europe. Their son and only child, James, was born in 1891. Before WWI, young Count James Minotto traveled to America, which he loved, became a citizen, and got married. But then he was arrested and interned in a camp of enemy aliens suspected of "pro-German activities."

James's father-in-law, meat packer Louis F. Swift, and many other prominent citizens, testified on his behalf, as did his mother, who called him "Jimmy," and his father who, in describing his son's pro-Americanism, called him "an all-American." Ultimately it became clear that his family was highly regarded in Italy, and his mother, though unknown in the U.S., was renowned as an actress in Europe, and the young count was looked upon more favorably.

Eventually, James was cleared of espionage and released. He and his wife, Idamay, settled in Crown King, Arizona, where he became an innovative and highly respected rancher, and reared a family.

Agnes and Dimitrio returned to their country house on the shores of Wannsee in Berlin. The count died in May 1920, after which the countess asked her agent to arrange for her to tour the U.S. with a repertoire suited to American theatrical tastes.

The tour was designed specifically with occasional breaks so she could visit her son and daughter-in-law and her first grandchild. On those occasions, she worked with a contractor to build the beautiful stone-and-wood house to which she would retire after the tour ended in 1925.

Agnes fit in very well with the people of Crown King. She was an avid horsewoman, a trait she had in common with most of them. She was a good neighbor and well-liked. She died in Crown King, of heart failure at the age of 63, and was buried there, on a knoll near her house — until her Jimmy felt it was time to send her on to Italy, to be buried beside his father.

Next up: Italy's Eleonora Duse.

Stage Whispers is published by Carla Cushman at carlacushman.blogspot.com/

ERRATUM — JULIAN ELTINGE

2009-06-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

After some kind words about my recent Drag Queens post, Mark Berger, creator and supreme web master of The Julian Eltinge Project corrected a bit of misinformation about the start of Julian's career. As it turns out, he was not 10, but 18, when he first went on stage in female clothing.

Mark operates a superb site chock full of theatrical history and lots of great pictures. Check it out at

http://www.thejulianeltingeproject.com

Stage Whispers is published by Carla Cushman at carlacushman.blogspot.com/

DRAG QUEENS OF THEATRE

2009-06-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

It wasn't until the mid-18th century that theater directors began to cast females in gender-appropriate roles. Before that, the stage was the dominance of male performers. Did they call that "playing in drag?" Probably not. Most likely their pet name for those roles was something like "petticoats," "bloomers," or an unflattering anatomical term.

I've read several definitions of "drag" (including a couple of tongue-in-cheek acronyms), but the most logical meaning derives from the styles of women's costumes in the 18th and 19th centuries, with skirts so long and full and heavy beyond belief, that they actually dragged across the stage. Thus, the men who wore them were dressed "in drag."

ROBERT STEIDL (1865-1927)

When I first saw this post card image of Steidl performing as a female Spanish dancer, I thought it was a hoax...that he was far too dowdy and amateurish-looking to be dancing in drag on the stage of the Apollo Theatre in Berlin. But over time, I understood that (1) he was, indeed, spoofing his audience, and (2) back in the day, for a European variety artist to appear at the Apollo in Berlin was a measure of success akin to an American vaudevillian playing the Palace in New York.

That said, I can't tell you how glad I was to see that he grew that lovely mustache and became a cabaret performer—witty and urbane—and adored by European audiences.

LEO LOYAL

Though I don't know who he is, I think this post card image of Leo Loyal is worth viewing to see (1) the poignancy and gentle beauty of the full-figured, farm-fresh young lady he portrays; and (2) the use of his phrase "character impersonator," which leads one to ponder the possible characters in his repertoire. If you know anything about the career of Leo Loyal, I invite you to use this venue to fill in the blanks.

RICHARD HARLOW (1873 - 1920)

Theatrical history was made in 1893 when a 20-year-old, 6-foot-tall, 200-pound Harvard grad opened in New York's Palmer's Theatre in the musical comedy (billed as an operatic extravaganza) "1492," playing the pivotal role of Queen Isabella. Audiences adored the show, especially Harlow and a funny man named Walter Jones, and they laughed from curtain up to curtain down. To quote the end of an 1893 New York Times review: "...people laughed and laughed and laughed. That is success."

For seven years, audiences continued to flock to 1492, critics continued to write excellent reviews, and Harlow continued to gain weight each year, prompting the New York Morning Advertiser to dub him "the ponderous but graceful Harlow." He left the show at the end of the 1898/99 season, and immediately followed it with several successful seasons in Vaudeville, after which he retired from the stage and became an interior decorator.

When Harlow left the show, he was replaced by Marie Dressler. As hard as I've tried, I can't imagine how the show could be funny with that casting...unless, of course, she was impersonating a man impersonating the queen. But of course, she wasn't. The gig didn't help her career any, and lasted only three months.

JULIAN ELTINGE (1881 - 1941)

King of the Queens

Arguably the finest female impersonator of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Julian Eltinge (né William J. Dalton) was born in Newton, Massachusetts, and first appeared in drag at the age of 10, in the Boston Cadets Revue. In 1900, he appeared at the Tremont Theatre, Boston, in Malady and the Musketeer, then with Robert Barnet in Miss Simplicity. Julian's Broadway debut in Mr. Wix of Wickham in 1904 launched his meteoric rise to stardom.

Two Sides of the Coin

Part of Julian's magic was that the women he created were stunningly beautiful from head to toe, not merely to look at, but to listen to, as well. A brilliant actor, his female voices were well modulated in speech, and memorable in song (although it boggles the mind how that was possible when he was so tightly corseted!).

The other part of his magic was his believably masculine side. He played male roles on stage, and every day in real life! And he seemed to know instinctively what role was required of him for any occasion. For example, he and a female friend were traveling together, and the press cornered him where their ship had docked. He enjoyed the good-natured banter of the press, and he easily introduced his traveling companion as his wife. She wasn't of course, but to Julian it seemed the appropriate dialog for the scene he was playing.

Julian's talents were equally appreciated by male and female audiences; moreover, he was equally liked by his men and women friends. It was as if Julian was completely erased when he went to bed, and when he woke up, he was re-programmed to play the day's required roles, both male and female.

The post card images promoting his greatest hit, show two sides of The Fascinating Widow.

As Julian matured, so did the characters he played:

Writers have called Julian Eltinge a drag star and a magician—even a gender-bender. He was all that, and so much more. Until the Great Depression, that is, and all its ordinances and laws that increasingly prohibited men from appearing in public in female clothing. It breaks my heart to tell you that he wound up in 1940, standing on stage in male clothing, performing his act NEXT TO a rack of his famous gowns.

Can you imagine this man talking, singing, joking and gesturing as a female, while pointing to or holding out a portion of one of these magnificent costumes?

Julian Eltinge had been impersonating "life" for nearly 50 years. After a year of humiliation, he passed away in 1941.

Working in Drag Today

The difference between Drag Queens of today and yesteryear is, in my opinion, the quantity and quality of the talents on display. Venues today are mostly limited to supper clubs and Las Vegas. The Vegas-like drag queen most often impersonates a known star—singing, looking, and dancing like Liza Minelli, for example—and in some cases, not even singing, but lip-synching the lyrics! Yes, I know, tastes change and entertainment evolves. But I also know that if Julian Eltinge were alive today, he'd be so happy that the nasty restrictions that did him in are gone, that he'd find a way to perform his show intact, like the trouper he was.

CHARLEY'S AUNT

Plum Role for Comic Actors

The original Charley's Aunt was penned by Brandon Thomas especially as a vehicle for William S. Pensley (1851-1912), an English actor, singer and comedian. Pensley, after successfully entertaining English audiences in plays, musicals, and Gilbert & Sullivan light operas for 21 years, produced and starred in Charley's Aunt in 1892. It was hugely successful, and moved to the Globe Theatre in 1893, becoming an unprecedented hit, running for 1,466 performances in London. That historic record wasn't broken for decades. Moreover, three revivals were produced over the next 15 years, each starring Pensley.

The well known movie version of Charley's Aunt starred Jack Benny (1894 - 1974), a one-time vaudevillian cum radio personality cum TV star, who was never above donning women's clothes to get a laugh. Based on the original play, the movie version, according to the blurb on the old videocassette sleeve, "stars Benny as an Oxford undergrad who agrees to help his friends circumnavigate a strict university dating rule by acting as their chaperone." I remember watching the movie and laughing a lot, but I was just a kid. I'll order it on Netflix next week, and watch it again. I always liked Jack Benny.

Finally, no post dealing with men who entertain in women's wear would be complete without mentioning two of my all-time favorite actor/comedians, Milton Berle (1908 - 2002) and Harvey Korman (1927 - 2008), two beloved comics who knew how to get laughs—in drag or out.

In the 1950s, Milton Berle was known to us as Mr. Television or Uncle Miltie. He was the Star in the Texaco Star Theater. Slapstick comedy was his domain. A popular variety artist in the heyday of vaudeville, Miltie, to everyone's delight, brought vaudeville to television. Tuesday nights belonged to Uncle Miltie. He would walk out to greet his audience, clad in the wildest costumes—often in drag. Master of the sight-gag, he could just look into the camera and the tears would begin to roll down our faces, we were laughing so hard!

A generation later, Harvey Korman, a classically trained actor, couldn't stay away from comedy. He adored making people laugh, and showcased his versatility on The Carol Burnett Show, where he thrived on playing bizarre men and buxom old ladies.

A skit in 1968 shows Carol Burnett conducting a test for her audience, wherein five pairs of gorgeous gams are exposed. As the upper bodies are revealed, the audience goes wild when they realize that two sets of shapely legs belong to two men: Lyle Waggoner and Harvey Korman.

In case you hadn't notice, Harvey's the one with the cigar.

NEIL BURGESS (1846 - 1910)

I was going to save Mr. Burgess for a future post on the lengthy subject of "Hippodrama," but came to my senses in time to tell you a little something about this popular Vaudeville comedian. When he was just 19, he was an apprentice with a performing group known as Spalding's Bell Ringers. The illness of one of its actors resulted in his stepping into a female role, and his long career of impersonating "elderly widders" was born.

His greatest stage success was as the title character in The Widow Bedott which he introduced in 1879, and which served him well for more than 10 years. He went on to star as Auntie Abigail Prue in Charles Barnard's The Country Fair in 1889, and followed that with Old Miss Podd.

In addition to being an actor and a playwright, Mr. Burgess's many contributions to 19th century hippodrama earned him a large number of patents. Suffice it to say, he was a craftsman in all areas of theater.

Stage Whispers is published by Carla Cushman at carlacushman.blogspot.com/