St. Patrick's Day 1920s Theatricals - Holy Name Church, Chicopee, Massachusetts

The Annual St. Patrick’s Show was a fundraiser of the kind seldom seen anymore: a community theatre, in this case, a church drama club, whose aspirations went no further than homemade costumes and props in the church hall, a show put on by friends and neighbors, and a bit of the luster of show biz for the price of a 50-cent ticket.

And Billy Disappeared was a comedy put on St. Patrick’s week at the Holy Name Hall on South Street, Chicopee, Massachusetts, in 1923.  The following year it was another comedy, Professor Pepp, billed as “A Farcical Comedy with a College Flavor in Three Acts.”  Oh, the flashy times and witty repartee of the Roaring Twenties.

 As evidenced in this page from the program, these types of plays featured large casts, because as any community or church theatre group knows, large casts means lots of relatives in the audience.

In those days, it certainly meant large Irish families. 

The next year, March 1925, they performed The Whole Town’s Talking, which surely they must have been, over the riotous vaudevillian gusto of another big cast made up of members of the congregation, including defectors from the choir, Ladies’ and Men’ Sodalities, and some seniors from Holy Name High.

This tight little world on South Street was the Holy Name of Jesus Church, founded in 1857, the oldest Roman Catholic church in western Massachusetts, the mother church of the Springfield Diocese.  A grammar school and high school and convent were once part of that little world.  Unfortunately, the church was closed temporarily in 2011, and continues to be closed indefinitely at this point, due to repairs needed for structural issues.  The parish continues actively at another church around the corner, Assumption of the Blessed Mary Church.

The thespians, their antics, and their intermissions of Irish songs, are from another era when hokum, sentiment, and amateur theatrics were beloved for all their imperfections, when two players not married to each could fluster the straight-laced regular churchgoers with a stage kiss, and when St. Patrick’s Day was a time for innocent, and entirely homemade, showmanship.

Watch on the Rhine and Waiting for a Theater in Springfield, Massachusetts - 1942

This Thursday on my Another Old Movie Blog, I’m going to reveal the cover of my latest non-fiction book, Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star., on the career of film star Ann Blyth, which will be published in June.  Ann Blyth, if you’ve read any of my blog posts last year, had a part in the prestigious Broadway drama Watch on the Rhine by Lillian Hellman, when she was just a girl.

That play was a colossal hit, and after its Broadway run, it toured the country.  It came to the Bushnell Memorial Theater in Hartford 73 years ago this evening, March 10, 1942.  We mark this occasion with a very interesting editorial by W. Harley Rudkin in the Springfield (Massachusetts) Daily News of March 14, 1942 which lauds the performance he saw in Hartford, but also makes several observations about why the city of Springfield, which was originally supposed to be on the list of cities in the national tour of Watch on the Rhine, was excluded. 

Today, Springfield is undergoing a great change—construction and reconstruction—with the impending arrival of a casino.  Mr. Rudkin’s words on the importance of a theater to a community, the soul of a community, is well said, and though CityStage and Symphony Hall serve playgoers today, the grand theater Mr. Rudkin pleaded for in his editorial never materialized.  Indeed, the Court Square Theater had only another decade of life in Springfield, and the grand old vaudeville houses were a thing of the past.  The Bushnell, meanwhile, still graces Hartford.
 

“Again the Big Ones Got Away; Our Tackle was Not Adequate”

By W. Harley Rudkin

This week just past has been a big one for Hartford, and for such Western Massachusetts theatergoers as were able to get to the Bushnell Memorial for McBeth, and Watch on the Rhine.

The former grossed better than $10,000 for two performances.  Figures on the other are not immediately available, but they were hanging out the SRO signs early at all three performances.

That is very nice, and I am happy for Hartford.  It knows how to support its theater.  It turns out in droves for the good, indifferent and bad.  It is a theater-conscious community in which the potential audience is rapidly reaching such proportions that I shall be surprised if the day does not come when major productions land in Hartford for extended runs of two and three weeks just as they do in Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington.

For Watch on the Rhine they were everywhere but hanging from the chandeliers, and the only reason they weren’t there is because there aren’t any.

The natural follow to all this, of course is—why not in Springfield?  What is wrong with us?  Are we lepers, but the show business persists in feeding is crumbs most of the year with an occasional slice of cake at odd moments?  No matter how much we may pride ourselves on our progressiveness, we are still standing at the back door of the legitimate theater with our hat in our hand.

There is a reason, a very definite reason.

Watch on the Rhine was slated for the city on March 11 for matinee and evening performances under the aegis of the Playgoers of Springfield.  Instead it played two days in Hartford.  The inference is obvious.  If Springfield had been so situated that it could given the play the same contract it would have stood the same chance.  And that is too bad, for a more exciting experience could not possibly grace any theater season.

We are restricted in our theater life because we have no theater that is adequate to our needs. Hartford can move a play in on any day of the week and come very close to guaranteeing the company capacity houses.  That means 3000 or better.  We can give them 1600 people at a time-and they can come in only on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.  Even at that we must negotiate with the theater two weeks in advance of anything we want to bring in.

If we could have the new Hepburn play, Without Love, or Candle in the Wind tomorrow we couldn’t accept the offer.  There is too much red tape binding our hands.  For anyone who wants to know what happens to our theater season, there is the answer.  We simply are not adequately equipped to bid against communities that can double us every time.  Sort of unpleasant, isn’t it?

The answer to all this?  There are several.  Outside interests that might consider the city a good theatrical venture might be persuaded to build a theater commensurate with our needs.  Some public-spirited individual might like to perpetuate his or her name by one of the most worth-while donations that could be made to the cultural life of any community.  There is plenty of precedent for it.  Local businessmen with an eye toward public service and the possibility of a fair return on investment might consider building a theater.  Then, and only then, we can come out of hiding.  Active enterprise working against heavy odds has brought us what theater we have.  This is the time for branching out.  The road is in the ascendant.  We should be ready to meet our opportunities.

Log Drives on the Connecticut River

This photo of log men on the Connecticut River is from the Image Museum website, but looks to have been taken from a book. From about 1870 to 1915, lumberjacks drove timber from the near the Canadian border down the 300-mile trip on New England's longest river to Massachusetts sawmills, where lumber was produced for the industrial cities.  The log drive was a springtime event, when the river was swollen from the melted winter snows. We'll not see a sight like that again after a long winter, but just a look at the photo may remind us, encourage us that, indeed, spring is coming even after such a winter as this one.

Summer Theatre 2015 - Berkshire Theatre Festival

In this snowy winter of ice dams and where to put the ever-increasing amounts of snow, let us look forward to the summer, when in one of the greatest of New England traditions, means summer theatre:

 Today, a look at the 2015 summer roster of the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge and Pittsfield, Massachusetts:

 

Bells Are Ringing

book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
music by Jule Styne
entire original production directed by Jerome Robbins
dance and musical numbers of original production staged by Jerome Robbins and Bob Fosse, produced on the Broadway Stage by The Theatre Guild


directed by Ethan Heard
featuring Kate Baldwin and Graham Rowat

at The Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield Thursday, July 9-Sunday, July 26


Telephone service operator, Ella Peterson, played by Tony Award-nominated Kate Baldwin (A Little Night Music, Finian's Rainbow) is not your typical phone operator. Using a variety of comical personae's, Ella meddles with her clients' lives as she takes and delivers their phone messages. Ella's busybody ways trigger trouble when she falls for one of her customers, Jeff Moss, played by Kate Baldwin's real life husband, Broadway and television actor, Graham Rowat (A Little Night Music). A hilarious mesh of mistaken identity and mishaps follow in this delightful musical directed by BTG Alum, Ethan Heard  (A Little Night Music, Cat and The Canary). Bells Are Ringing is an irresistibly charming musical, bursting with breathtaking dance numbers.

 

DEATH TRAP

by Ira Levin, directed by Aaron Mark

at The Fitzpatrick Main Stage, Stockbridge, Wednesday, July 1-Saturday, July 25
Recognized as the longest-running comedy thriller on Broadway, Deathtrap is a sidesplitting romp of a play within a play. Aaron Mark, who brilliantly directed The Mystery of Irma Vep last year, directs Ira Levin's treasured Tony Award-nominated play. This witty thriller tells the tale of defeated playwright, Sidney Bruhl, who would do almost anything to write a hit Broadway play. Former student, Clifford Anderson, tells Sidney that he's written a suspense play with a seamless plot that's sure to be Broadway-bound.  When Sidney lures Clifford into his colonial style home, adorned with eclectic antique weaponry, both men's motives become unclear as unforeseen happenings unfold. Jaw-dropping hilarity ensues as the zany characters weave a web of mystery in two acts.

Frankie and Johnnie in the Clair de Lune

by Terrence McNally, directed by Karen Allen

at The Fitzpatrick Main Stage, Stockbridge, Wednesday, July 29-Saturday, August 22
The bewildering journey of finding love in the modern world sets the premise for Terrence McNally's (Master Class, Love! Valour! Compassion!) bittersweet comedy, Frankie And Johnny In the Clair de Lune. After a one-night rendezvous in Manhattan's West Side, Johnny, a compulsive, starry-eyed, short-order cook, is convinced he has found his life companion in Frankie, a wisecracking waitress. Frankie's poor history with men leaves her hesitant to commit, but as the night progresses, she lets her guard down and an unlikely romance begins to blossom. This contemporary love story will be directed by beloved BTG Alum, Karen Allen (Moonchildren, Extremities).


 

Disney and Camera McIntosh’s

Mary Poppins 

a musical based on the stories of PL Travers and the Walt Disney film

 Directed by Travis G. Daly
at The Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield
Thursday, August 13-Sunday, August 23

There is magic stirring in London, England at No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane, home to the troubled Banks family. George and Winnifred Banks are frustrated and fed-up with their misbehaving children, Jane and Michael, who once again sent a nanny running out the door. The seemingly endless search for a suitable caretaker comes to a halt when a nanny by the name of Mary Poppins appears at their door. Through whimsical lessons and unforgettable adventures, Mary Poppins shows Jane and Michael the magic of everyday life. Bert, an elusive renaissance gent, narrates this timeless tale that captivates audiences with its alluring story, beautiful dance numbers and unforgettable songs including,
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” "A Spoonful Of Sugar,” and many more!

Call now to purchase tickets and/or passes:

(413)-997-4444
or visit www.berkshiretheatregroup.org 

 

Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.

For those who follow my Another Old Movie Blog regularly, you're aware that my year-long series on the career of Ann Blyth has evolved into a book, which will be published in June.

The book is to be called Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.  This to be a study of her career and will not delve too deeply into her personal life.   Much of it contains tweaked posts from my year-long 2014 series on Ann Blyth from this blog, but there is also a lot of new material: including chapters on her early radio work as a child, her experience in the Broadway play Watch on the Rhine, and her re-emergence for younger, newer fans of classic film as a one of the Hollywood greats (for this chapter, I have called upon the assistance of two bloggers to whom I am indebted for sharing their opinions, experiences and photos—Laura Grieve of Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings, and Janet Sullivan Cross of Sister Celluloid).  Also lending their input are fans who took the TCM Cruise last October where Ann was one of the celebrity guests.

The book will contain appendices of filmography, selected television appearances, radio appearances (with synopses of episodes), stage, discography, and for the print book, an index. The book will be as complete a resource for film fans and, especially fans of Ann Blyth’s career as I can make it. It is the first book written about her work, and I hope will be worthy of the subject.

My intention at this point is to publish the book on June 18th. To that end, I’ll be looking for some help in the pre-launch phase, so I’d like to invite any blogger—film blogger or book blogger, anyone who likes to read and blog—to participate in a blog tour. I’ll be looking for blogs to schedule publicity-oriented posts beginning Monday, June 1st. The last day will be June 17th. If anyone wants to pick a day, please let me know so I can coordinate with others. Think of it as a kind of blogathon. On your day, you can post a review of the book (I’ll have ARCs – advanced reading copies - available in PDF form which I’ll email to you that you can read on your computer), or you can do a Q&A with me, or I can just send you a 250-word excerpt of the book, or you can just post the cover and a link to the Amazon page, if you will. Just a little something to spread the word. I will be posting here every day from June 1st through the 18th and I’ll be linking to your blogs, pushing traffic to you.

Among those 17 bloggers who participate, I’ll throw your names in a hat and pick five winners who will receive a print book of Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. when it is published on the 18th. The rest will receive an eBook file in whichever format you choose: ePub, Mobi, or PDF (Note, the ARC copies will not have the index).

Also, I hope to have the book ready for pre-order on Amazon by April. (It will also be sold as an eBook and in paperback at a variety of other online merchants.)

For those of you with connections to book clubs, classic film societies, libraries, or bookstores, I will be available for speaking or book signing after the book is released, but will likely limit my geographic range to eastern New York and the New England states for the time being.

I’m looking forward to the year ahead and sharing it with you. More updates on the book (including the cover reveal) to come in weeks ahead. 

Answers to New England Lingo Trivia

The answers to last weeks New England lingo trivia questions from Yankee Talk - A Dictionary of New England Expressions, compiled by Robert Hendrickson and published by Facts On File, Inc., 1996.....


afterclap  - This is described as an old term for some unexpected or unpleasantly surprising happening, and quotes Melville's use of the word in Moby Dick.  We might further define it as the unpleasant result of an action.

all smiles and johnnycake - An expression for happy.

Boston strong boy - This was famed boxer John L. Sullivan's nickname.

bulkhead - the cellar double hatch doors.

Downeaster - Someone from Maine, to be sure, but also a ship built in Maine, and also sometimes referring to any New Englander.

muckle - Nantucket term to fret, or to putter with.

Watch Night - an old term for New Year's Eve.

Yankee Lingo Trivia

A few fun trivia questions from Yankee Talk - A Dictionary of New England Expressions, compiled by Robert Hendrickson and published by Facts On File, Inc., 1996.


See if you can identify these words or expressions:


afterclap

all smiles and johnnycake

Boston strong boy

bulkhead

Downeaster

muckle

Watch Night


Answers next week.