Ray Comstock
   HOME
*



picture info

Ray Comstock
F. Ray Comstock (27 August 1878 – 15 October 1949) was an American theatrical producer and theater operator. He pioneered the intimate musical comedy, staging several successful comedies at his Princess Theatre, New York City, Princess Theatre in Manhattan. He also produced spectacular musicals, variety shows and serious plays by authors such as Henrik Ibsen and Maxim Gorky. Early years F. Ray Comstock was born in Buffalo, New York, on 27 August 1878. His first job was as a theater usher in Buffalo. He moved to New York City, New York, and became assistant treasurer at the Criterion Theatre. In 1905 he presented ''The School Girl'', which ran for 150 nights at Daly's Theater. The original show ran for 400 nights at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London. In 1905 Comstock held the lease at the Hippodrome Theatre. That year he entered into a partnership with Morris Gest. Gest was of Russian Jewish origins, an immigrant to the USA. In 1907 Comstock put on his first Broadway theatre p ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Southern Ontario. With a population of 278,349 according to the 2020 census, Buffalo is the 78th-largest city in the United States. The city and nearby Niagara Falls together make up the two-county Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which had an estimated population of 1.1 million in 2020, making it the 49th largest MSA in the United States. Buffalo is in Western New York, which is the largest population and economic center between Boston and Cleveland. Before the 17th century, the region was inhabited by nomadic Paleo-Indians who were succeeded by the Neutral, Erie, and Iroquois nations. In the early 17th century, the French began to explore the region. In the 18th century, Iroquois land surrounding Buffalo Creek ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




Very Good Eddie
''Very Good Eddie'' is a musical with a book by Guy Bolton and Philip Bartholomae, music by Jerome Kern, and lyrics by Schuyler Greene, with additional lyrics by Elsie Janis, Herbert Reynolds, Harry B. Smith, John E. Hazzard, Ring Lardner and Jerome Kern, and additional music by Henry Kailimai. The story was based on the farce ''Over Night'' by Bartholomae. The farcical plot concerns three couples and a sex-crazed voice teacher who board a Hudson River Day Line boat in Poughkeepsie, New York. Chaos ensues when two of the couples cross paths and accidentally trade partners. The vaudeville-style adventure continues at a hotel, where guests pop in and out of rooms while an inebriated desk clerk tries to sort through the madness. The show was the second of the series of "Princess Theatre musicals" and was a hit for Bolton and Kern, running for 341 performances and leading to revivals and further successful collaborations. Background Early in the 20th century, American musical theatr ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Leopold Wharton
Leopold Wharton (September 1, 1870 – September 27, 1927) was an American film director, producer and writer. He directed 37 films between 1911 and 1922, including the 1915 film ''The New Adventures of J. Rufus Wallingford'', which featured Oliver Hardy. In 1920, Wharton joined The Lambs Club. He was the brother of Theodore Wharton, who was also a film director. He was born in Manchester, England, and died in New York City. Selected filmography * ''The Exploits of Elaine'' (1914) * ''The New Adventures of J. Rufus Wallingford'' (1915) * ''The New Exploits of Elaine'' (1915) * ''The Romance of Elaine'' (1915) * '' The Lottery Man'' (1916) * '' Patria'' (1917) * ''The Great White Trail'' (1917) * ''The Eagle's Eye ''The Eagle's Eye'' is a 1918 American serial film consisting of 20 episodes that dramatizes German espionage in the United States during World War I. The stories are based on the experiences of William J. Flynn during his career as chief of the ...'' (1918) ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Rida Johnson Young
Rida Johnson Young (February 28, 1875 – May 8, 1926) was an American playwright, songwriter and librettist.IBDBRida Johnson Young Retrieved November 21, 2007 In her career, Young wrote over thirty plays and musicals, and over 500 songs. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. Some of her best-known lyrics include "Mother Machree" from the 1910 show ''Barry of Ballymore'', "Italian Street Song", "I'm Falling in Love with Someone" and "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" from '' Naughty Marietta'', and "Will You Remember?" from '' Maytime''. Early life and career Young was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She was an actress early in her career with both the Viola Allen and E. H. Sothern Broadway (New York) companies before working for the music publisher Isidore Witmark. As a playwright, her first work, ''Lord Byron'', was produced in 1900 by actor-producer James Young, to whom she was married from 1904 to 1910. He was later married to the silent film actress Clara Ki ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


The Lottery Man (1916 Film)
''The Lottery Man'' is a 1916 American silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy and produced at the Whartons Studio in Ithaca, New York. A print of the film exists in the film archive of the Library of Congress. Plot Cast * Thurlow Bergen as Jack Wright-a son * Elsie Esmond as Miss Helen Heyer-foxeys cousin * Carolyn Lee as Lizzie Roberts-Mrs Peytons pet goat * Allan Murnane as Foxey Peyton-his chum * Lottie Alter as Mrs. Wright-little mother * Ethel Winthrop as Mrs. Peyton-foxey's mother * Mary Leslie Mayo as Hedgwig Jensen-physical instructor * F.W. Stewart as Mcquire the newspaper publisher and the local constable * Oliver Hardy as Maggie Murphy * Edward O'Connor as The Butler * Malcolm Head as Vegetable cart man in accident * Louis A. Fuertes as Lottery drawing host * Clarence Merrick as Chauffeur * Joseph Urband as Newspaper workroom clerk * Frances White as Mrs. Peyton's maid See also * List of American films of 1916 * Oliver Hardy filmography __NOTOC__ These are th ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Evidence (1915 Film)
''Evidence'' is a 1915 silent film drama directed by and starring early film actor Edwin August and released by the World Film Company. It is lost film. Some or all of the film may have been shot in color as one of the locations was the Kinemacolor Studios in Flushing, Queens, New York. The film is based on a Broadway stage play, ''Evidence'', performed in 1914. Actress Haidee Wright reprises her role from the play in this film.''The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1911-20'' by The American Film Institute, c.1988, p.251 Cast *Edwin August - Curley Lushington *Lillian Tucker - Lady Una Wimbourne *Haidee Wright - Duchess of Gillingham *Florence Hackett - Mrs. Ebengham *Richard Temple - Captain Pollock *Lionel Pape Edward Lionel Pape (17 April 1877 – 21 October 1944) was an English born stage and screen actor. His acting career begun in his native UK with eventual migration to the US. He appeared on the Broadway stage in over 20 productions between 1 ... - Ber ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




Margaret Dale (actress)
Margaret Dale (born Margaret Rosendale; March 6, 1876 – March 23, 1972) was an American stage and film actress. She performed on Broadway for over fifty years and occasionally did films in the 1920s. She appeared in a large number of Broadway hits over the course of her years as an actress. Early life Margaret Rosendale was born on March 6, 1876 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, although some sources give her birth year as 1880. Her father was Julius Rosendale, a wealthy physician, jeweler and translator who died in 1911. She was interviewed in Munsey's Magazine in 1903 where a brief noting of her career had her living in Germantown at one time and was currently single and living with her mother. Theater career She began her career in Charles Frohman acting company in 1898, often in support of the leading actors such as Henry Miller. She became the leading lady of John Drew from 1902 to 1905. She appeared in the George Ade western ''Father and the Boys'' 1908-1911. Dale per ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Vivienne Segal
Vivienne Sonia Segal (April 19, 1897 – December 29, 1992) was an American actress and singer. Early years Segal was born on April 19, 1897, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the elder daughter of Jewish parents Bernhard Segal, a physician, and Paula (née Hahn) Segal, who encouraged Vivienne and her sisters Vera and Louise to seek careers in show business. Her obituary in ''The Guardian'' reported that her father "underwrote a local opera company in order to give her the chance to sing." She studied singing with Estelle Liebling, the voice teacher of Beverly Sills. Career Segal's career began when she was 15 years old and began performing with the Philadelphia Operatic Society. Her Broadway debut came in ''The Blue Paradise'' (1915), a production that was underwritten by her father. In 1924 and 1925, she was a member of the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. She was also a performer on the CBS Radio program ''Accordiana'' in 1934.Sies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Ra ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Oh, Lady! Lady!!
''Oh, Lady! Lady!!'' is a musical with music by Jerome Kern, a book by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse and lyrics by Wodehouse. It was written for the Princess Theatre on Broadway, where it played in 1918 and ran for 219 performances. The story concerns an engaged young man, Bill, whose ex-fiancée arrives unexpectedly on his wedding day. Bill works to convince his old flame that he was not worthy to marry her, but his clumsy efforts do not make him look good to his new fiancée, whose mother already dislikes Bill. A couple of crooks cause further complications. The original cast starred Vivienne Segal as Mollie Farringdon. The songs include "Not Yet", "When Ships Come Home", "Greenwich Village", the innovative "Moon Song" and "Our Little Nest". The song "Bill", later famous in ''Show Boat'', was cut before the production opened. Background The Princess Theatre was a small Broadway house that seated only 299 people. Theatre agent Elisabeth Marbury urged composer Jerome Ker ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Edna May Oliver
Edna May Oliver (born Edna May Nutter, November 9, 1883 – November 9, 1942) was an American stage and film actress. During the 1930s, she was one of the better-known character actresses in American films, often playing tart-tongued spinsters. Career Born in Malden, Massachusetts, the daughter of Ida May and Charles Edward Nutter, Oliver quit school at age 14 to pursue a stage career. She achieved her first success in 1917 on Broadway in Jerome Kern's musical comedy '' Oh, Boy!'', playing the hero's comically dour Aunt Penelope. In 1925, Oliver appeared on Broadway in ''The Cradle Snatchers'', costarring Mary Boland, Gene Raymond, and Humphrey Bogart. Oliver's most notable stage appearance was as Parthy, wife of Cap'n Andy Hawks, in the original 1927 stage production of the musical ''Show Boat''. She reprised her role in the 1932 Broadway revival, but turned down the chance to play Parthy in the 1936 film version to play the Nurse in that year's film version of ''Romeo and J ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Tom Powers
Thomas McCreery Powers (July 7, 1890 – November 9, 1955) was an American actor in theatre, films, radio and television. A veteran of the Broadway stage, notably in plays by George Bernard Shaw, he created the role of Charles Marsden in Eugene O'Neill's ''Strange Interlude''. He succeeded Orson Welles in the role of Brutus in the Mercury Theatre's debut production, ''Caesar''. In films, he was a star of Vitagraph Pictures and later became best known for his role as the victim of scheming wife Barbara Stanwyck and crooked insurance salesman Fred MacMurray in the film noir classic, ''Double Indemnity'' (1944). Career Thomas McCreery Powers was born in 1890 in Owensboro, Kentucky. His father, Colonel Joshua D. Powers, was a banker; his uncle was sculptor Hiram Powers. Tom Powers' mother loved the theatre and enrolled him at ballet school at age three. He entered the American Academy of Dramatic Arts at age 16, and he studied drama, wrote and produced plays, and practiced ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Justine Johnstone
Justine Olive Johnstone Wanger (January 31, 1895 – September 4, 1982) was an American stage, and silent screen actress, pathologist and expert on syphilis. Working under her married name, she was part of the team that developed the modern intravenous drip technique.Autumn Stanley, ''Mothers and Daughters of Invention; Note for a Revised History of Technology'', Rutgers University Press, 1995 Early life Johnstone attended Emma Willard School in Troy, New York. An account from a classmate's journal describes her classmates being awed by Johnstone and her acting career. This admiration led to her classmates nicknaming her Ju-jo. She was active in her school years as she was in the drama club and acted in the senior play; was an active editor of ''Gargoyle''; and a member of the basketball team, glee club, operetta, and the choir. She briefly was a model during her time at Emma Willard as well. Acting career Johnstone appeared in three Broadway shows between 1911 and 1914, ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]