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DE LUXE ANNIE
1917
De Luxe Annie is a play by Edward Clark based upon a short story of the same name by Scammon Lockwood, published in the Saturday Evening Post. It was originally produced and staged by Arthur Hammerstein. It featured Thurlow Bergen, Jane Grey, and Vincent Serrano. It also featured Harold Hartsell, Mary Hall, Dore Davidson, Percy Pollock, Jack McBride, and Minnie Millne.
At one time, Annie was a happy wife and mother. When she receives an Injury that leaves her with a form of aphasia and memory loss, she becomes the business partner of clever swindler, Jimmy Fitzgerald (Vincent Serrano) and together they locate a mark and sell him ‘de luxe’ editions of books. By a strange coincidence, they are stranded at her former summer home and its familiar surrounding bring back her memories.
Originally, author Clark was the director, but producer Hammerstein took over before Broadway. In mid-April, Rita Jolivet was replaced by Jane Grey in the title role.
It opened at Nixon’s Apollo Theatre on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City NJ on May 1, 1917.
From AC, the production moved to Allentown PA. The play then took the summer off, resuming in August with Broadway on the horizon.
After an engagement at the Shubert New Haven, the play opened on Broadway on September 4, 1917 at the Booth Theatre. After five weeks, it transferred to the 39th Street Theatre for two weeks before finally berthing at the Cort Theatre where it closed after 119 performances.
After it closed on Broadway, the production went to Boston’s Wilbur Theatre. At the same time, word came that there would be an Australian production of the play. After Boston, it traveled back to New York for an engagement in Brooklyn at the Majestic, then to Hartford’s Parsons Theatre.
In May 1918, while the play was finishing up its theatrical tour, a film version premiered starring Norma Talmadge.
On June 21, 1918 the film premiered at the Virginia Theatre on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, just a few blocks from where the play began at the Apollo.
The Wichita Daily Eagle, Kansas, January 28, 1921
Celebrities From Whitestone Queens
If you look at a map of New York City, you can easily miss the town of Whitestone in Queens County. Sometimes, the name not even shown, obstructed by the much bigger Flushing and Bayside. Why am I mentioning this particular place? There are two very specific reasons. First, it was a place where some of the top movie and stage stars of the 1910s or 20s were known to live or congregate as well as the birthplace and home of other stars. Second, it is my hometown. I take great pride in coming from Whitestone, because of its suburban ambiance, as well as its seldom spoken place in the annals of entertainment. This post is devoted to those legends who at one time lived in this small, yet bustling place in The Big Apple.
The most famous of the early residents was Walt Whitman. During his time in Whitestone, he taught English in a one room schoolhouse. One of his famous poems had the passage “every morning, I am kissed by the sun coming through my window by the bay of Whitestone.” His house still stands on 150th Street and 6th Avenue. Interestingly, many years later, famous comic book illustrator Tex Blaisdell lived across the street.
(Update: 5/2024, the Walt Whitman house has sadly been demolished)
Even going back to the late 19th Century, many prominent entertainers were drawn to the serene waterfront beauty of Whitestone; especially the upper class enclave known as Beechhurst towards the northeast. There are two particular names that come to mind. The first is Gussie Davis, the first successful African American involved in the Tin Pan Alley circle of songwriters. His songs such as “Down On Poverty Row” and “We Sat Beneath the Maple on the Hill” were tearjerking ballads about being down and out of luck. His influence would be felt on future performers such as Leadbelly and Josh White. His time in the Whitestone area was during the last 6 months of his life as he succumbed to a longtime illness at the age of 35.
The second name is Alexander Herrmann, a French born magician. who was a pioneer in the art of daredevilry and illusionary slight of hand tricks. He lived with his wife in a mansion dubbed “Herrmann Manor where he performed for his guests and operated his yacht. Unfortunately, Herrmann died of a sudden heart attack in 1896 and his wife would continue the legacy as a performer in her own right. “Herrmann Manor” is shown below.
The next wave of residents are definitely household names. Mary Pickford, one of the legends of silent films lived on Powells Cove Boulevard which is one of the top addresses in the area. One of her next door neighbors was legendary magician Harry Houdini (I guess magicians were drawn to the area as well). Her home still stands today, but its hidden away from view. Luckily there is a good photo made available to me. Houdini’s house was demolished in 1995, and replaced with other estates. His house is also seen here.
Rudolph Valentino’s house originally had a birds eye view of Little Neck Bay. With the construction of the Cross Island Parkway, that view is obstructed. He was not the only celebrity to own that house. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia (the namesake for the famous airport) would use the home as his summer residence. After his death, the house remained abandoned until it was turned into a restaurant (below) that has changed names so many times in the last 30 years. One of those names appropriately was “Valentino’s” . Some sources have it as Bayside, but if one looks at a map, the home is right on the border of the two communities, but more towards the Whitestone side. The view of the house from the shore is seen in the second photo. Notice how in the present state, the building was expanded in both directions to accompany restaurant seating.
Arthur Hammerstein may not be as famous as his nephew Oscar II today, but he was one of the most successful Broadway producers of his day. His house which he shared with his actress wife Dorothy Dalton, was called “Wildflower” after his most famous show. The mansion would later be a catering hall called “Ripples on the Water" where many a wedding would take place. After a period of abandonment, the estate was turned into condominiums that still retain the name “Wildflower”.
Harry Richman was a stage legend who wore many hats as an actor, director, musician and comedian to name a few occupations. His claim of fame was being the first performer to sing Irving Berlin’s “Puttin' On The Ritz”, made famous by its use in Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein” and as a Top 10 hit by Dutch performer “Taco”. His house still stands right by the shore, a stone’s throw away from Little Neck Bay. Richman’s then fiancee Clara Bow also lived with him in that house.
Finally, there’s “Beechhurst Towers” located across the street from the Pickford and Houdini estates. This was a lodging place for actors who were filming movies in the area. Legends such as W.C. Fields and Buster Keaton were frequent guests. The most notable resident who lived there for some time was Charlie Chaplin (by coincidence Chaplin’s future wife Paulette Goddard was born in Whitestone). Other people who lived in Beechhurst Towers in later years included philosopher Nicholas Rescher and sci-fi author Murray Leinster. On a side note, during Prohibition, Beechhurst Towers had an underground tunnel used to smuggle alcohol discreetly.
Other people who lived in Whitestone during this heyday included silent film legends Buster Keaton and Fatty Arbuckle, singer Helen Kane who was the inspiration for Betty Boop, film producer Joseph M. Schenck, magician Howard Thurston (yes, another magician) and actress Clara Morris.
As time progressed and these celebrities made their way out west to Hollywood, there was the newer generations and some throwbacks to the old era that were either born in Whitestone or made it their home. Constance Binney was a silent film actress from New York, who after three failed marriages including one to a British war hero, moved to the Beechhurst area where she lived till her death at age 93 in 1989.
According to one of the people on the Whitestone Facebook page, Irish born actress Angela Greene, lived on 16th Road, most likely by the Cross Island Parkway, due to the age of the houses in that area.
Gia Scala who is known for her roles in “The Guns Of Navarone”, “The Angry Hills” and various appearances on “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, moved to Whitestone from her birthplace of Liverpool England as a teenager.
Brooklyn born Sully Boyar, best known for his role as the bank manager in “Dog Day Afternoon”, lived not far where I grew up. He was a regular at Utopia Bagels, which has been a neighborhood institution for years. He died like a true Whitestonian; waiting for the bus on Utopia Parkway.
Eddie Eagan, a retired Narcotics detective was the inspiration for the character of Popeye Doyle played by Gene Hackman in “The French Connection”. He even had a role in the film and went on to a second career as an actor.
Legendary filmmaker John Frankenheimer whose most famous films included “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962) and “Seven Days In May” (1964) was born and raised in the affluent subsection known as Malba.
Andy Kindler is best known to television viewers as Mort the mortician on the FOX animated series “Bob’s Burgers”.
Drea de Matteo has had several famous roles on television such as Adriana on “The Sopranos”, Angie on “Desperate Housewives” and Wendy on “Sons Of Anarchy”
The Vidal sisters, Lisa, Christina and Tanya, all successful in the entertainment field.
So there you go. Whitestone, a suburban town in the middle of the Big Apple, as the center of entertainment. Who knows the up and coming performers currently living in the area who will go on to successful careers in the industry.
JIMMIE
1920
Jimmie is a ‘musicomedy’ by Herbert P. Stothart (music), Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II, and Frank Mandel (book and lyrics).
Jimmie is the story of a waif named James, a tomboy who strives for success in the cabaret world, despite her past.
The original production was produced by Arthur Hammerstein, staged by Oscar Eagle, and choreographed by Bert French. It starred Frances White in the title role.
Jimmie had its world premiere in Atlantic City NJ at the Woods Theatre on on the Boardwalk October 5, 1920, for a three-day engagement.
The ‘musicomedy’ was originally slated to premiere in Boston (one report) and Hartford (another report).
The Woods Theatre was originally known as the Savoy on the Boardwalk between Ocean and South Carolina Avenues. The structure was shared with the Dunlop Hotel (later the Belmont Hotel), which also housed Woolworths.
Jimmie did head to Bean Town right after its pitstop in Wilmington DE. It was billed as sporting “a bankrupting cast and 40 dimpled knees”!
The show began performances on Broadway on November 10, 1920 at the Apollo Theatre on 42nd Street (previously the Bryant, later the New Apollo). Architectural elements from the building were incorporated into the Ford Center in 1998. Jimmie closed on January 21, 1921 after 71 performances.
After its brief run on Broadway, White and those “40 dimpled knees” took Jimmie on the road, starting in Washington DC.
White touring Jimmie, Frances White was sued for $100,000 for luring Herbert Stothart, Jimmie’s composer, away from his wife and family. The suit was dropped when Stothart and his wife reconciled. Four years later, Mrs. Stothart poisoned herself at age 27, leaving behind a five year-old child. So perhaps all was forgiven, but not quite forgotten. Stothart received 12 Oscar nominations and won the 1940 Academy Award for Best Music, Original Score for The Wizard of Oz.
As she was finishing up her tour of Jimmie, White sued a dentist for over-charging for a gold tooth! Her next show, Phi-Phi, was a flop and closed in Washington DC. It began life in Atlantic City, which seems a good place to end this blog.
THE TRAP
1915
The Trap is a four-act melodrama by Richard Harding Davis and Jules Eckert Goodman. It was originally produced and staged by Arthur Hammerstein starring Holbrook Blinn and featuring Martha Hedman.
The play is set in the Yukon, New York City, and the Hotel Astor in Manhattan.
In the Yukon, a young schoolteacher promises her hand in marriage to a rich prospector, but instead marries his no-good brother. After her husband disappears and is reported dead, she marries a rich New York stockbroker, but doesn't tell him about her first marriage. Soon she is contacted by someone who threatens to tell her new husband all about her past if she doesn't pay up.
Arthur Hammerstein’s daughter Elaine also had a role in the play. Her uncle Oscar penned a record-setting series of musicals with Richard Rodgers from 1942 to 1960.
“Miss Hammerstein has the buoyancy of youth, much personal charm, and a remarkably keen sense of histrionic values. Her work in ‘The Trap’ shows remarkable promise.” ~ LOUIS W. CLINE, ATLANTIC CITY PRESS
Despite this ‘promise’ and her familial connections, the play was her last (of just two) Broadway roles. She immediately landed out to Tinseltown, where she had a career that lasted until her marriage in 1926.
The play premiered at the Apollo Theatre on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City on February 17, 1915. It played there on February 18th, matinee and evening, then immediately (next day!) transferred to New York City.
“The butler must have been awfully upset at the happenings to announce as a caller the chap freshly killed in the preceding act.” ~ BROOKLYN LIFE
The play opened on Broadway at the Booth Theatre on February 19, 1915.
“When the third act of the piece was seen, it was recognized as a familiar number in vaudeville programs written by Mr. Davis and produced under the title of ‘Blackmail.' The first two acts and the fourth had evidently been written about the earlier material to pad it out for an evening's entertainment at the legitimate theaters. Unfortunately, the quality of the superstructure was not up to that of the foundation upon which it had been erected.” ~ JAMES S. METCALFE, BUFFALO EVENING NEWS
Hector Turnbull, reviewing the play for The New York Herald, also noticed the cut-and-paste playwriting.
It is as though Mr. Goodman, playwright, had said to Mr. Davis, author:
"Richard, we'll have to do thus and so with the first, second and last act to jibe with your third act situation.".
And Richard had answered:
"Jules, you said something; let's go to it."
And then. In the heat of the exciting moment, both forgot to sandpaper the cracks.
After mixed to negative reviews, the play closed after just 27 performances.
In 1919, a film version of the play was released starring Olive Tell a the schoolmarm. There is no record of the film playing Atlantic City. It is now considered lost. In her second credited film role, Tallulah Bankhead played the role originated by Elaine Hammerstein.
SOMETIME
1918
Sometime is a musical play in two acts, with a book and lyrics by Rida Johnson Young and music by Rudolf Friml. Additional lyrics are by Ed Wynn, who was also in the cast.
The romantic story concerns a couple kept apart for five years after the man is seen in a compromising position with another woman, but it turns out that this was a ruse planned by the other woman, and the man is innocent.
The story was told using the device of the flashback, a novelty for the time.
The musical opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on October 4, 1918, and transferred the following month to the Casino Theatre, running there until June 7, 1919. It was produced by Arthur Hammerstein and directed by Oscar Eagle. Mae West introduced the 'shimmy" dance to Broadway in this successful show which ran 283 performances.
“If the boob can walk, he don’t have to talk. Send me any kind of man!” ~ Mae West in Sometime
“What is a man to do in wartime when he can’t make both ends meet? Make one end vegetables!” ~ Ed Wynn in Sometime
Sometime premiered at Atlantic City’s Globe Theatre on August 26, 1918. From there, it went to Poli’s Theatre in Washington DC, the Auditorium in Baltimore, and finally landing at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre on October 4, 1918. Well received, it transferred to the Casino Theatre on November 11th to complete its run.
Mae West returned to Atlantic City in August 1931 to present her play The Constant Sinner. Fans lined up down the Boardwalk to get tickets.
The Art of Arthur Hammerstein
The Art of Arthur Hammerstein
with wife Dorothy Dalton December 21 was the birthday of theatre impresario Arthur Hammerstein (1872-1955). What with our vaudeville goggles on, we have given Arthur short shrift, having written mostly about the father Oscar Hammerstein I, one of the most important New York vaudeville entrepreneurs, and younger brother Willie, legendary booker at the Victoria Theatre, and father of the beloved…
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