Tag Archives: Actors

What the Academy Took from Broadway

Posted on February 20, 2013 by | Leave a comment

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was born 86 years ago this June.  Its conception was announced at a banquet dinner, and all 36 attendees were named founding members. Though created to celebrate the burgeoning film industry, the Academy was unable to escape its ties to theater, specifically the Broadway stage. The first president of the Academy was Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., who moved to films after a solid Broadway career. His wife took her stage name, Mary Pickford, before starring in the original Broadway run of The Warrens of Virginia.  She was the only female actress amongst the 36 founding members.

Unknown. [Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. and Mary Pickford.] Museum of the City of New York, 52.321.14

Unknown. [Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. and Mary Pickford.] Museum of the City of New York, 52.321.14

The connection between the early Academy and Broadway wasn’t limited to the people involved.  Often the early films celebrated by the Academy drew heavily on stories originally told on stage. The most nominated film in the first annual Academy Awards was based on the 1922 stage hit 7th Heaven.

Souvenir program for Seventh Heaven, 1923. Museum of the City of New York. 79.80.38

Souvenir program for 7th Heaven, 1923. Museum of the City of New York. 79.80.38

A romance between a street cleaner and a young prostitute that blooms under the shadow of World War I, the film garnered five nominations, winning in three categories: Best Writing – Adapted Story; Best Actress in a Leading Role; and Best Director, Dramatic Picture. The movie starred Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor.  The song “Diane” was written specifically for the film version.

"Diane" from Seventh Heaven by Museum of the City of New York. 42.406.67

“Diane” from 7th Heaven by Museum of the City of New York. 42.406.67

The Academy began hosting its awards show just as the silent film era was coming to an end.  The Jazz Singer, the first full-length feature film with synchronized sound, shared an Adapted Story nomination with 7th Heaven. (The Jazz Singer began its life on Broadway in 1925 play.) By the 2nd Academy Awards, only one out of the five nominees for Best Picture was a silent film. It was called The Patriot and was based on Ashley Dukes’s Broadway translation of Alfred Neumann’s  German play.

Souvenir program for The Patriot, 1928. Museum of the City of New York. 34.271.757A

Souvenir program for The Patriot, 1928. Museum of the City of New York. 34.271.757A

The Patriot depicts the life of Emperor Paul I of Russia. It won for Best Writing, but was recognized in several categories  (it tied for most nominations with In Old Arizona), including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor.   The following year George Arliss won for Best Actor, reprising in film the title role he originated on Broadway in 1911′s Disraeli.   As the British Prime Minister seeking control of the Suez Canal, Arliss starred in a 1917 revival production and a 1920 film version before getting an award for his 1929 film.

Warner Bros.[George Arliss in Disraeli, 1929.] Museum of the City of New York. 37.298.544

Warner Bros.[George Arliss in Disraeli, 1929.] Museum of the City of New York. 37.298.544

The Academy continued a strong connection to Broadway  through the Best Actor category.  Lionel Barrymore won for his portrayal of an alcoholic lawyer defending his daughter’s former flame from a murder charge in A Free Soul. In the film’s final scene, Barrymore delivers an intense 14-minute courtroom monologue.  Below is the same scene from the 1928 play starring Lester Lonergan.

White Studios (New York, N.Y.). [Courtroom scene from A Free Soul, 1929.] Museum of the City of New York. Detail of 50.200.422

White Studios (New York, N.Y.). [Courtroom scene from A Free Soul, 1929.] Museum of the City of New York. Detail of 50.200.422

Two movie adaptations of Broadway plays took major awards at the 5th Academy Awards.  Frank Borzage won Best Director and Edwin J. Burke won Best Adapted Screenplay for Bad Girl, based on Vina Delmar’s 1930 play.  Here are Sylvia Sindey and Paul Kelly from the Broadway production, perhaps giving a clue to the source of the title.

White Studios (New York, N.Y.) [Scene from Bad Girl, 1930.] Museum of the City of New York. 68.80.96

White Studios (New York, N.Y.) [Scene from Bad Girl, 1930.] Museum of the City of New York. 68.80.96

The Best Picture honor for that year went to Grand Hotel, a movie about the residents, guests, and staff of a Berlin hotel.  Like Bad Girl, the film came from a 1930 Broadway production.

48_210_1765

Vandamm. [Scene from Grand Hotel at the National Theatre, 1930.] Museum of the City of New York. 48.210.1765

The early years of motion pictures were full of creative borrowing from the Broadway stage. Though the industry began to develop more and more original material over time, the connection has never entirely gone away. The past decade alone has seen wins for film versions of the Broadway musicals Chicago (2003) and Dreamgirls (2007), with adaptations of straight plays like Frost/Nixon (2009) and War Horse (2011) garnering Best Picture nominations.  This year the movie version of the Broadway smash hit  Les Miserables is nominated in 8 categories including Best Picture.  Oscar can’t seem to let go of the Great White Way.

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Theater timecapsule – Greatest hits of 1912-1913 season

Posted on January 15, 2013 by | 1 Comment

Talking about a Broadway blockbuster today requires a discourse on the song and dance numbers involved.  The musical reigns supreme at the Broadway box office, but this wasn’t always the case.   The book musical with its full integration of song, dance, and narrative was still in its infancy 100 years ago, and the  stand out hits  of the time were straight plays.

Flier for "Within the law". 1913. Museum of the City of New York. F2013.41.3

Flier for Within the Law. 1913. Museum of the City of New York. F2013.41.3

The biggest dramatic hit of the 1912-1913 season was the inaugural production at the  Eltinge 42nd Street Theatre.  Within the Law opened on September 11, 1912.    In the play, young shop girl Mary Turner is accused of theft. Though she did not commit the crime, Mary is convicted to a three year sentence.  Making the most of her incarceration, Mary studies law and discovers legal ways to exact her revenge.  Once on the outside, she assembles a team from both sides of the law and begins extorting money from wealthy men including her accuser’s son.  Tension heightens when Mary’s mark sincerely falls in love with her, and she begins to return his feelings.

White Studio (New York, N.Y.). Jane Cowl as Mary Turner. 1912. Museum of the City of New York. F2013.41.1

White Studio (New York, N.Y.). Jane Cowl as Mary Turner. 1912. Museum of the City of New York. F2013.41.1

The story is full of confidence tricks, double-crosses, police informers, triple-crosses, and a gun shot on stage (made all the more blood-tingling through the use of the fairly new Maxim Silencer).  The play ends in true melodramatic form.  The real criminals are punished and love triumphs.  Audiences were rewarded with a thrilling evening of entertainment that did not significantly challenge the status quo.  Rich people may afford better protection under the law, but the hard-work of a virtuous spirit will ultimately win.

Souvenir program for "Within the law". 1913. Museum of the City of New York. F2013.41.2

Souvenir program for “Within the law”. 1913. Museum of the City of New York. F2013.41.2

Within the Law ran 541 performances with consistently high box office receipts, but it was only the second biggest hit of the season.  That honor fell to the comedy Peg O’ My Heart with over 600 performances.  Also a girl from humble beginnings, the titular Peg (played by Laurette Taylor) travels to England to be reunited with long-lost relatives.

White Studio (New York, N.Y.). [Laurette Taylor as Peg with Michael the dog.] 1913. Museum of the City of New York. 34.79.521

White Studio (New York, N.Y.). [Laurette Taylor as Peg with Michael the dog.] 1913. Museum of the City of New York. 34.79.521

Peg’s father is poor and Irish, and her mother ran off with him to America, effectively abandoning her own wealthy English family.  Peg’s uncle has recently passed away and left her a small fortune. This same uncle also left a stipend to any respectable family members willing to take up Peg’s education and introduction into society.  Peg’s aunt, Mrs. Chichester, left desperate by a bad investment scheme, welcomes Peg into her home.

Soon the warmth of Peg’s Irish-American manners crashes against the hypocritical reserve of her English relations.  In a scene in Act II, Peg returns home from a dance with her sweetheart “Jerry” (later discovered to be Sir Gerald) and runs into her cousin Ethel sneaking out to elope with a married man.

White Studio (New York, N.Y.) Laurette Taylor as Peg and Christine Norman as Ethel.] 1913. Museum of the City of New York. 48.210.1430

White Studio (New York, N.Y.). [Laurette Taylor as Peg and Christine Norman as Ethel.] 1913. Museum of the City of New York. 48.210.1430

When the noise of their run-in wakes the house, Peg cheerily admits to coming from the dance in an effort to distract the family from the fact that her cousin is fully clothed at a nocturnal hour.  Peg’s sacrifice teaches the Chichesters the value of familial duty and care. The play ends as it must, with all parties reconciled, everyone once again financially comfortable, and Peg with her arms around her sweetheart Jerry.

The popular song “Peg O’ My Heart” by Alfred Bryan and Fred Fisher is said to be inspired by the play’s main character.  Though it did not appear in the  play, the song was performed on Broadway as part of the Ziegfeld Follies of 1913.  100 years later, the popularity of the song has outlasted that of the original play.

Sheet music for "Peg o' my heart", 1913. Museum of the City of New York. 70.49.148

Sheet music for “Peg o’ my heart”, 1913. Museum of the City of New York. 70.49.148

Peg O’ My Heart enjoyed another successful run in 1922 again starring Laurette Taylor, who also starred in a silent film version of the play that same year.  Despite the success of its first two runs, no Broadway production has been mounted since 1922. Within the Law was also only revived once on Broadway, just 16 years after its smash debut.  The play was considered too dated and closed within the month it opened.  Though record breaking hits, both productions were unable to endure the changing times.  With influence of European artistic movements in the wake of World War I, audiences were no longer satisfied with the clear cut heroes and villains of melodrama.

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Eugene O’Neill: the sailor, the sickness, the stage

Posted on November 27, 2012 by | Leave a comment

In December 1912, a young man experiencing the onset of tuberculosis committed himself to Gaylord Sanatorium in Connecticut. The third son of a well known Irish-American actor, the young man had up to that point led a somewhat dissolute life. Brought up in boarding schools, he was suspended from Princeton University after his first year . By the time he checked into Gaylord he’d been a miner in Honduras, married (and abandoned) his first wife, spent several years sailing the Atlantic , and survived at least one suicide attempt. A change came when at the sanatorium he began writing plays. He was 24 years old. His name was Eugene O’Neill.

Eugene Gladstone O’Neill,  son of actor James O’Neill, was born on October 16, 1888 at the Barrett House Hotel located in what was then known as Longacre Square.

Unknown. [Broadway north from 43rd Street.] 1896. Museum of the City of New York. X2010.11.943
The Barrett House Hotel is the distant building on the left side. It later became the Hotel Cadillac.

James O’Neill was a dramatic actor known best for his role as Edmond Dantes in a stage adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo. His declamatory style was in step with the kind of theater popular at the time: full of bold gestures, spectacle, and clear lines of morality.

In May of 1913, after receiving a clean bill of health, the young Eugene took up play writing in earnest.  He attended George Pierce Baker’s play writing class at Harvard University.  Sailing up to Cape Cod in 1916, he spent his first summer in the company of the Provincetown Players, a newly formed group of theatrical artists committed to working against the grandiose melodrama that dominated the American stage.  It was at the Players’ Wharf Theatre that O’Neill performed in his own Bound East for Cardiff.  (Shown on the far left in the image below).

Unknown. [From left to right: Eugene O'Neill, Fred Burt, David Carb, and George Cram Cook in "Bound East for Cardiff" in Provincetown Wharf Theatre.] 1916. Museum of the City of New York. 54.380.39

Bound East for Cardiff was the first in what would become the Glencairn Plays, so named for the fictional ship on which the one-act plays were set.  The S. S. Glencairn, its characters, and its journeys were inspired by O’Neill’s time aboard the British steamship S. S. Ikala.  These four plays include Moon of the Carribees, The Long Voyage Home, and In the Zone.  They focus on a group of sailors and what they carry: secrets, a longing for a different life, and sometimes a bottle of rum.

Though written second, In the Zone is considered the last play in the series in terms of the characters’ chronology. The play debuted on Broadway at the Comedy Theatre as part of an evening of one-acts.

Theater program for “In the Zone”. 1917. Museum of the City of New York. 74.72.2

White Studio (New York, N.Y.). [Left to right: Eugene Lincoln, Robert Strange, Frederick Roland, Jay Strong, Arthur Hohl, and Rienzi De Cordova in The Washington Square Players production of "In The Zone".] 1917. Museum of the City of New York. 47.59.18

The play was successful enough to allow for a 34 week tour giving O’Neill his first steady income as a playwright.  It wasn’t until 1924 that the Provincetown Playhouse put up the first full-scale production of the complete cycle in New York City. By that time O’Neill was an established playwright with a Pulitzer Prize under his belt.

Unknown. [Scene from "Moon of the Caribbees" at Provincetown Playhouse, NYC.] 1924. Museum of the City of New York. 75.130.12

In 1920 O’Neill’s Beyond the Horizon earned him his first in what would turn out to be four Pulizters for Drama.  His first full-length work, the play is set in a rural farm community not unlike the one dreamed of by the sailors aboard S.S. Glencairn.  The opening scene is a road.  Below is a sketch from a draft page of Beyond the Horizon and the realized scenery at the play’s debut at the Morosco Theatre.

Eugene O’Neill. First page of draft of “Beyond the Horizon”. 1918. Museum of the City of New York. 30.145.3A

White Studio (New York, N.Y.). [Setting for Act I, scene 1 of "Beyond the Horizon".] 1920. Museum of the City of New York. 34.157.24

The main character, Robert Mayo, is described in the opening stage directions as having “a touch of the poet” about him. He is a dreamer and longs to travel outside what he has known. (Robert was portrayed by Richard Bennett, below, seated at far right).

White Studio (New York, N.Y.). [Mary Jeffrey, Sidney Macy, Erville Alderson, Robert Kelly, and Richard Bennett.] 1920. Museum of the City of New York. 34.157.25

Robert’s older brother Andrew is content to work the land, but through the affections of a young woman, the brothers’ fates are reversed. Robert stays on the family farm while Andrew takes to the sea. Neither fares well. Robert ends up contracting tuberculosis. He dies in the final scene as the sun rises up from a disappearing road.

Eugene O’Neill’s own end came with a long illness, a neuromuscular disorder that rendered him unable to hold a pen. He died 59 years ago this week at the Sheraton Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. He was 65 years old.

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Forbidden Broadway circa 1900: a look back at lampooning.

Posted on October 2, 2012 by | 2 Comments

Forbidden Broadway is back again this Fall with a new “Alive and Kicking” addition gleefully lampooning the current offerings of the Great White Way.  A revue show first conceived in the early 1980s, Forbidden Broadway harks back to an earlier tradition: American burlesque shows at the turn of the century.

Unknown. [Weber and Fields], ca. 1905. Museum of the City of New York, 36.440.1282

One of the most successful burlesquing teams was the duo of Joe Weber and Lew Fields who opened their Music Hall in 1896 to perform musical revues and burlesques of their own devising. (At the time the term “burlesque” described over-the-top parodies of popular theatrical productions and had less to do with the art of striptease.) One of Weber and Fields‘s most popular targets was the work of Clyde Fitch. Though his work hasn’t been performed on Broadway in decades, Fitch was one of the most prolific playwrights of early twentieth century.

Sarony. [Clyde Fitch], 1899. Museum of the City of New York, 43.430.533.

In 1909, the year he died, Fitch had four productions in Broadway theatres, three of which were new works.   He  saw over 60 productions of his work open on Broadway, often staged by him, and there have been over 30 feature film adaptations of his plays. (For more on Fitch’s life, check out the thoughtful bio at the The Clyde Fitch Report.)

Thanks to the efforts of the equitable photographers at Byron Company (and the Museum’s Digital Team), the Collections Portal contains images illustrating Fitch’s original intentions and the fun Weber and Fields had subverting them.

Fitch’s controversial play Sapho about a French seductress became the ridiculous Sapolio.

Byron Company (New York, N.Y.). [Olga Nethersole in "Sapho"], 1900. Museum of the City of New York, 93.1.1.19676.

Byron Company (New York, N.Y.). [Plays, "Sapolio"], 1900. Museum of the City of New York, 93.1.1.19684.

The very next year, in 1901, Weber and Fields took on Fitch’s The Girl and the Judge about the drama that ensues when a young woman faces her parents’ separation.

Byron Company (New York, N.Y.). [Annie Russell in "The Girl and the Judge"], 1901. Museum of the City of New York, 34.271.806D.

The Curl and the Judge was perhaps a more jovial look at parent/child relations.

Byron Company (New York, N.Y.). [Lew Fields and Fay Templeton in "The Curl and the Judge"], ca. 1901. Museum of the City of New York, 93.1.1.18806.

The ship deck setting in Fitch’s 1902 dramatic work The Stubbornness of Geraldine morphed in to the S.S. Pneumonia set for The Stickiness of Gelatine which opened at Weber and Fields’s Broadway Music Hall less than 2 months after Fitch’s opening.

Byron Company (New York, N.Y.). [Marry Mannering as Geraldine Lang in "The Stubbornness of Geraldine"], 1902. Museum of the City of New York, 93.1.1.19813.

Byron Company (New York, N.Y.). [Joe Weber and Lew Fields in "The Stickiness of Gelatine"], 1902. Museum of the City of New York, 48.210.1515.


One of Fitch’s most popular works (it launched the career of Ethel Barrymore) was Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines, a title Weber and Fields felt no need adjust for their skit.

Byron Company (New York, N.Y.). [Ethel Barrymore in Act III of "Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines"], 1901. Museum of the City of New York, 34.271.804Q.

Byron Company (New York, N.Y.). [DeWolf Hopper, Fay Templeton and David Warfield in burlesque of "Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines"], ca. 1900. Museum of the City of New York, 93.1.1.18681.

Fitch’s plays weren’t the only ones parodied by Weber and Fields, and just as certainly, Weber and Fields weren’t the only company doing the lampooning. Both enjoyed popular acclaim in their day, the best influenced by the best.  Fitch received the compliment of caricature, and both may have benefited in box office receipts. After all, a parody is always funnier when you’re familiar with the original.

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Peter Pan: over 100 years of the boy who wouldn’t grow up

Posted on August 21, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Wendy Darling:
Boy, why are you crying?

Boy:
What’s your name?

Wendy:
Wendy Moira Angela Darling. What is your name?

Boy:
Peter Pan.

Wendy:
Is that all?

Peter Pan:
Yes.

-Act I, Peter Pan; or, the boy who wouldn’t grow up by J. M. Barrie.

Otto Sarony Co. [Maude Adams as Peter Pan], 1905. Museum of the City of New York. 32.290.9.

This is how we are introduced to Peter Pan, in the Darling children’s bedroom, crying with frustration over his separated shadow.  The boy who wouldn’t grow up turns 108 this year and with his latest incarnation, Peter and the Starcatcher, showing at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway, he still can still draw our attention.

 Peter Pan made his Broadway debut on November 6, 1905, just under a year after appearing for the first time on the London stage.  Written by J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan; or, the boy who wouldn’t grow up was produced in London by Charles Frohman and remounted at his Empire Theatre on Broadway and 40th Street. The production starred Maude Adams as the  eponymous boy.

Theater program for “Peter Pan” at the Empire Theatre, November 1905. Museum of the City of New York. X2012.42.2.

The Empire Theatre revived the play three times in the early part of the 20th century, all starring Ms. Adams who by the 1915 production was 43 years old.

Unknown. [Eva Le Gallienne as Peter Pan]. 1928. Museum of the City of New York. 37248.9

Barrie’s boy got two revivals in the 1920s, the second of which was directed by and starred Eva Le Gallienne.  Though only 29, Ms. Le Gallienne was already a seasoned Broadway director.  Her production was seen as a  break away from Frohman’s productions. However, the New York Times review noted that the play “had lost nothing essential of its magic”.  The reviewer described Ms. Gallienne’s Peter as a “gallant, buoyant  clean-cut figure”, but also noticed that she “wears the limit of bare legs”.  Though her pose at left is decidedly less boyish than her predecessor, the choice of city rooftop is perhaps the most striking contrast to Ms. Adams’s idyllic woodland backdrop.

Lucas-Monroe. [Boris Karloff as Captain Hook], 1950. Museum of the City of New York. 80.104.1.2163.

The final Broadway production of Peter Pan the play was mounted in 1950 at the Imperial Theatre.  Continuing the tradition of a grown woman playing Peter, Jean Arthur took up the title role, and none other than the original Frankenstein, Boris Karloff, played Captain Hook.  In the premiere London production, the actor who played Captain Hook also portrayed Mr. Darling, the children’s father.  Peter’s archenemy is a father figure in disguise, an image as psychologically subtle as the make-up on Mr. Karloff’s face.

Peter Lawrence, a producer on Mr. Karloff’s production, arranged a national tour in the fall of 1951.  This time Peter was played by the improbable Veronica Lake.  The Digital Team at the Museum uncovered the images below in the archives of the Lucas-Pritchard / Lucas-Monroe Studios.

Lucas-Monroe. [Veronica Lake as Peter Pan], 1951. Museum of the City of New York. 80.104.1.2115.

Lucas-Monroe. [Veronica Lake as Peter Pan and Lawrence Tibbett as Captain Hook], 1951. Museum of the City of New York. 80.104.1.2119.

Though Peter Lawrence’s production was the last time the play was produced on Broadway, Barrie’s work was turned into a popular musical that opened just four years later. With a score by Mark Charlap and music by Carolyn Leigh, the production was directed by Jerome Robbins and starred the very popular Mary Martin.  Ms. Martin’s boy became the definitive Peter Pan. (She donated her Pan costume to the Museum in 1968 including the piece for Peter’s shadow.)

Sheet music for “Captain Hook’s Waltz” from “Peter Pan”, 1954. Museum of the City of New York. 70.22.123D.

Though the musical’s original run was only 152 performances, Ms. Martin starred in three live televised productions that gave the show a wider audience. The musical was revived five times, the last opening in 1999.  Now on Broadway, Peter Pan has been re-made for the 21st century in Peter and the Starcatcher, a precursor to the boy’s adventures with the Darlings. The play garnered an impressive nine Tony nominations this year, winning awards for its feature actor and sweeping the design categories.  The boy who wouldn’t grow up still won’t, and we can’t stop clapping our hands.

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If you enjoy seeing these digitized images in the Museum’s blog every week, please consider donating to our ongoing effort to photograph and make available more of the Museum’s collections. Click here and enter your donation amount in the Digitization box: https://boxoffice.mcny.org/public/donation.asp

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Lincoln’s last play; or, the continuing fascination with “Our American Cousin”

Posted on April 17, 2012 by | Leave a comment

A distant cousin stands to inherit a large British estate on the brink of financial ruin. Sound familiar?  The main storyline from the phenomenally popular British series “Downton Abbey” shares its roots with the 19th century play, Our American Cousin, in which an American travels to England to survey his British cousins and his inheritance.  This past Sunday marked the 100-year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, the event that jump starts intrigues at Downton; and Saturday was the 147th anniversary of the most famous performance of Our American Cousin:  the night of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, April 14, 1865.

"Our American Cousin", August 11, 1860. Broadway Production Files, Museum of the City of New York. F2012.41.18

Written by English playwright Tom Taylor, Our American Cousin premiered in New York in the fall of 1858.  It starred Joseph Jefferson as the rough and rustic American Asa Trenchard who arrives at the British Trenchard estate as the last named heir.  Servants gossip, villains emerge from the shadows, and true love conquers in the end. A comedy with a melodramatic structure, much of the show’s humor was originally intended to spring from Asa’s crude and uncouth manners as an American in England. However, the ad-libs of Jefferson’s friend, E. A. Sothern as the foppish and silly Lord Dundreary, soon eclipsed the American cousin.

With expansive sideburns and dandified attire, Sothern transformed Lord Dundreary’s role from a bit part into a top billing character.  Sothern became almost synonymous with the role and was able to perform it in several sequels and spin-offs.  “Dundrearies” entered the popular lexicon as a term to describe the facial hair Sothern chose for the character.  Not a hundred years after throwing off British rule, it is perhaps no surprise that the idiotic sayings of a ridiculous Englishman were thought humorous by American audiences.

Sheet music cover for "The Laura Keene Schottish", 1856. Theater Collection, Museum of the City of New York. 40.160.1064

Neither Jefferson nor Sothern performed for Lincoln the night of April 14th, but Laura Keene, who played the show’s original heroine, Florence Trenchard,  was on the stage.

In fact, it was Keene’s company that premiered the show in New York at the theater she managed on Broadway.  A single mother with two young daughters, Keene came to the United States from England in 1852 with an invitation to perform with James William Wallack’s New York based stock company. By 1857 she had formed her own company, leased theaters in Baltimore, San Francisco and New York,  and built  her own theater at 622 Broadway.   One of her theater’s biggest hits was Our American Cousin.  Below is an a page from the Laura Keene’s Theatre’s ledger for a performance of the play two years after its debut.

Account book for Laura Keene's Theatre, p. 186, August 11, 1860. Theater Collection, Museum of the City of New York. 39.500.153

Notes in the upper left corner provide information on the weather the night of the performance.  It was threatening rain on the evening of August 11, 1860, but that didn’t stop the audiences.

Our American Cousin wasn’t just the last play President Lincoln saw.  It  was one of the great commercial successes of its day.  It made a star our of E. A. Sothern and cemented the reputation of Laura Keene, America’s first successful theatrical businesswoman.   And 150 years later, the plot line still is still capable of capturing the imagination of a wide audience.  The images and information I was able to fit into this short blog post really are, if you’ll permit the allusion, just the tip of the iceberg.

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Treasures and “Shandas” from the Collection on Yiddish theater

Posted on February 7, 2012 by | 3 Comments

In the early decades of the twentieth century, the streets of the Lower East Side were plastered with theatrical advertisements for Der yidisher kenig lir and Mentsh un Tayvl.  Second Avenue was the Broadway of the Yiddish stage and two of its brightest dramatic lights were Jacob P. Adler and David Kessler.

White Studios. David Kessler, ca. 1905. Museum of the City of New York. X2012.7.2.

A prominent actor and manager, Kessler operated several theatres.  His Second Avenue Theatre is often credited with the establishment of the Yiddish theater district on Second Avenue.

Morris Bellin Studio. Jacob P. Adler. Museum of the City of New York. X2012.7.1.

Adler, known as “The Great Eagle” for his commanding gaze and presence, was not only a major star but also fathered an acting dynasty consisting of his children Celia, Luther, and Stella Adler.  Though Adler and Kessler worked together in their early careers, these two titans competed for audiences, doubtless putting a strain on their friendship.

Thanks to generous funding from the David Berg Foundation and the Lemberg Foundation, the Museum has begun processing its Collection on Yiddish theater. While there is still a lot to discover, this letter from Jacob P. Adler to David Kessler provides a peek into their friendship and their rivalry.

Jacob P. Adler letter to David Kessler, undated. Museum of the City of New York, Collection on Yiddish theater.

The translated letter reads as follows:

Friend Kessler!
I wonder very much that with my good performance and friendly relationship with you that you should believe  I badmouthed you or spread slander, and that I spoke badly when I was not spellbound by the masterpiece.   Of course, I understand that you, with your own opinion that differs from mine entirely, would also stage it in order to bring in cash.  But who knows?  [Upon reflection, I] may turn out to be satisfied and not protest that my daughter is acting in it.
I know that you probably half believed.  Now you know positively that the gossip monger is a dirty, contemptible creature.  I beseech you to spit in his face, and tell him he should write in his own name.
With caution and friendship,
Yours truly, Jacob P. Adler.

The daughter Adler refers to is likely the talented Celia, the eldest in his acting brood. Though she spent time performing in Philadelphia, Ms. Adler came to New York at David Kessler’s invitation, and performed in several productions with him. I looked into several different sources, but was unable to determine which production caused the “shanda” (Yiddish for  scandal) mentioned in the letter.  What was said, who said it, and about which production is unknown.  What is clear is the intensity of feeling from Adler, that same intensity he devoted to moving audiences.  It gives us a the tiniest glimpse of what it must have been like to see the passion of “The Great Eagle” on stage.

Check back for more peeks into the troves of the Museum’s Theater Collection.

Many thanks to Alyssa Masor for her guidance in Yiddishisms.

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Opening Night! Top Banana

Posted on January 17, 2012 by | 5 Comments

Lucas-Monroe. Margery Abbott. Museum of the City of New York. 88.104.1.2708.

The digital team has begun digitizing  thousands of images from the rarely-seen archives of the Lucas-Pritchard / Lucas-Monroe Studios, preeminent Broadway production photographers in New York City from about 1936 to 1950. Plays, musicals, variety shows – if it played in New York during that time period, they likely photographed it. The archive includes thousands of theater stills, images of opening night parties and premieres, backstage scenes, and portraits of Broadway actors and actresses.

Top Banana souvenir book, 1951. Museum of the City of New York.

One production in particular caught my attention, partly because of the sheer number of wacky slapstick images of performers on the stage, but mostly because a virtual who’s who of mid-century A-list celebrities made appearances at the premier.  Top Banana was a 1951 musical comedy review at the Winter Garden Theatre and starred Phil Silvers, whose later credits include It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966), and television appearances on The Beverly Hillbillies, The Love Boat, and Happy Days.  The lead character, an egotistical television variety star named Jerry Biffle, was based Silvers’s friend, Milton Berle.

Lucas-Monroe. Top Banana (Phil Silvers and Ted (Sport) Morgan singing "A Dog is a Man's Best Friend), 1951. Museum of the City of New York. 80.104.1.2413.

The show featured acts like a duet in which Silvers and an Airedale terrier improbably named Ted (Sport) Morgan performed the showstopper, “A Dog is a Man’s Best Friend.” According to a review in Life Magazine, Sport even owned a share of the production.

Ted (Sport) Morgan is seen below basking in the glory on opening night.

Lucas-Monroe. Top Banana (Phil Silvers and Ted (Sport) Morgan), 1951. Museum of the City of New York. 80.104.1.2444.

Ted Morgan wasn’t the only celebrity that turned up on opening night.  I came across images of  Judy Garland, Liz Taylor, Ginger Rogers, Marlene Dietrich, Jimmy Durante, and General MacArthur. And here they are, for your viewing pleasure.

Judy Garland was in town doing a four month run at the Palace Theatre. Here she is palling around with Jimmy Durante at the bar.

Lucas-Monroe. Top Banana (Judy Garland and Jimmy Durante), 1951. Museum of the City of New York. 80.104.1.2446.

Marlene Dietrich walked the red carpet decked out in fur and fancy necklaces.

Lucas-Monroe. Top Banana (Marlene Dietrich), 1951. Museum of the City of New York. 80.104.1.2414

Liz Taylor, of course, did the same.

Lucas-Monroe. Top Banana (Elizabeth Taylor), 1951. Museum of the City of New York. 80.104.1.2433.

Farley Granger, fresh from his success in Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train, stopped by and hung out backstage with the cast and  Shelley Winters.

Lucas-Monroe. Shelley Winters and Farley Granger visiting performers backstage at "Top Banana"., 1951. 80.104.1.2473.

Lucas-Monroe. [Ginger Rogers, Jean MacArthur, Phil Silvers and General Douglas MacArthur backstage at "Top Banana"., 1951. 80.104.1.2470.

Backstage, a winning combination of Hollywood and military star power: Ginger Rogers and General Douglas MacArthur.

And that’s just the beginning of our Lucas-Pritchard and Lucas-Monroe archive. Images of Veronica Lake as Peter Pan and Eartha Kitt as a “new face” of 1952 are just some of the good things yet to come.  Stay tuned for updates!

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Belasco’s Ghost

Posted on November 8, 2011 by | 6 Comments

New York is haunted by nature of its constant transformation.  Neighborhoods change, leaving only small or hidden remnants of what they were; once thriving communities are slowly eclipsed by others.  But, New York may be haunted in more traditional ways as well.

Byron Company. Portrait, David Belasco, 1902. Museum of the City of New York. 93.1.1.8606.

During his long career in theater, David Belasco produced, wrote, and directed over 100 plays, including the original 1900 adaptation of Madame Butterfly, starring Mary Barker as Suzuki and Frank Worthing as Lieutenant Pinkerton.  He was one of the most powerful figures on Broadway, spending nearly every waking hour either in his theater, the Belasco (formerly the Stuyvesant Theatre), or in his study and apartment directly above.  But as rumor has it, even after his 1931 death, Belasco thought he had more to contribute to Broadway.

Byron Company. Stuyvesant (later renamed Belasco Theatre), ca. 1909. Museum of the City of New York. 41.420.395.

Immediately following his death, actors and staff reported sights and sounds they could not explain.  Hardly a shy ghost, he is said to appear almost solid and even speak to actors.  Although he’s commonly spotted as a lone figure, dressed in priestly garb watching rehearsals from the balcony, he is also said to offer praise to the actors, shaking their hands and even pinching the bottoms of several young actresses.   A perfectionist in life, Belasco’s ghost isn’t afraid to show his disapproval.  Over the years, actors claim to have heard moans in the theater’s wings and had their dressing rooms upturned after a particularly bad performance.

Of course, he manifests himself in more traditional ghostly ways as well: unexplained footsteps, doors mysteriously opening in unison, and a supposedly non-functioning elevator, which makes trips to Belasco’s apartment.

Byron Company. The David Belasco All Star Company in Green Room, Stuyvesant Theatre (later renamed the Belasco Theatre, New York, 1909. Museum of the City of New York, 93.1.1.15660.

A social man in life, Belasco’s ghost is rumored to have incorporeal guests.  Shortly after his death there were reports of raucous parties in his apartment, but he seems to keep quieter company these days.  A lover of women in life, Belasco continues to carry on affairs in the afterlife.  Several sightings of the “Blue Lady,” the ghost of a showgirl who died after falling down an elevator shaft, have been reported in the theater.

One television and film actress who prefers to remain unnamed told Playbill that she heard her locked dressing room door open while she was taking a shower.   Upon investigating, she found the door still locked, but the bathroom steeped in a blue glow.   The Blue Lady may not be the lone female ghost Belasco is entertaining; the disconnected elevator is rumored to carry phantom visitors directly to his private apartment.

Visitors to the Belasco Theatre need not be anxious though.  One rumor says that Belasco’s spirit stopped appearing after Oh! Calcutta!  was performed on the stage; perhaps he was taken aback by the full-frontal nudity in the production.  If he is still roaming the halls of his theater, however, at least he seems to be a friendly ghost.

Anthony F. Dumas. Belasco's Theatre, 1934. Museum of the City of New York. 75.200.66.Byron Company. Stuyvesant (later renamed Belasco Theatre), ca. 1909. Museum of the City of New York. 41.420.393.

- Anne DiFabio

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