Emma Carus (March 18, 1879 – November 18, 1927) was an American

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...

singer from New York City who was in the cast of the original

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air ...

in 1907. She frequently sang in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and sometimes in

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

features.''Emma Carus Seen In The Wife Hunters'', November 3, 1911, pg. 11. One columnist described her as "a sort of combination of

Sophie Tucker Sophie Tucker (born Sofia Kalish; January 13, 1886 – February 9, 1966) was an American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality. Known for her powerful delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertaine ...

and

Fay Templeton Fay Templeton (December 25, 1865 – October 3, 1939) was an American actress, singer, songwriter, and comedian. Her parents were actors/vaudevillians and she followed in their footsteps, making her Broadway debut in 1900. Templeton excelled ...

with a little of

Eva Tanguay Eva Tanguay (August 1, 1878 – January 11, 1947) was a Canadian singer and entertainer who billed herself as "the girl who made vaudeville famous". She was known as "The Queen of Vaudeville" during the height of her popularity from the early 1 ...

and

Eddie Foy Edwin Fitzgerald (March 9, 1856 – February 16, 1928Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; and McNeilly, Donald. ''Vaudeville, Old and New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America''. Routledge Press, September 2006, . pp. 406–410), ...

thrown in for good measure."

Vocalist in theater

She appeared in the drama ''Rally Round the Flag'' at the

Union Square Theatre Union Square Theatre was the name of two different theatres near Union Square, Manhattan, New York City. The first was a Broadway theatre that opened in 1870, was converted into a cinema in 1921 and closed in 1936.(8 October 1921)Two landmarks to ...

in August 1897. The venue at 50 East 14th Street was owned by Benjamin Franklin Keith and

Edward Franklin Albee II Edward Franklin Albee II (October 8, 1857 – March 11, 1930) was an American vaudeville impresario. Early life Albee was born on October 8, 1857 in Machias, Maine to Nathaniel Smith Albee and Amanda Higgins Crocker. Career He toured with P. T ...

, who purchased the theater in 1893 to host vaudeville performances. Carus was described as a ballad singer prior to her performance at the Olympia Roof Garden,"Notes Of The Week", ''The New York Times'', September 12, 1897, pg. 20.

Broadway (Manhattan) Broadway () is a road in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Broadway runs from State Street (Manhattan), State Street at Bowling Green (New York City), Bowling Green for through the Boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan a ...

between 44th Street and 45th Street, in September 1897. The following month she shared a program at the Pleasure Palace with the Dunbar Sisters and

Henry E. Dixey Henry E. Dixey (born Henry E. Dixon; January 6, 1859 – February 25, 1943) was an American actor and theatre producer. Dixey was born on January 6, 1859, in Boston, Massachusetts. He made his stage debut in Boston in 1868, joining the variety ...

. The entertainment hall was managed by

Frederick Freeman Proctor Frederick Freeman Proctor (March 17, 1851 – September 4, 1929), aka F. F. Proctor, was a vaudeville impresario who pioneered the method of continuous vaudeville. He opened the Twenty-third Street Theatre in New York City. Bio Frederick Fre ...

and was located on East Fifty-Eighth Street between

Third Avenue (Manhattan-Bronx) Third Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan, as well as in the center portion of the Bronx. Its southern end is at Astor Place and St. Mark's Place. It transitions into Cooper Square ...

and Lexington Avenue (Manhattan). A varied lineup of acts was presented by Sam T. Jack's Theatre,"Notes Of The Week", ''The New York Times'', June 12, 1898, pg. 9.

Madison Street (Chicago) Madison Street is a major east–west street in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to human intervention, the Chicago River emptied into Lake Michigan at the present day intersection of Madison Street and Michigan Avenue. Per a 1908 decision by Chica ...

State Street (Chicago) State Street is a large south-north street, also one of the main streets, in Chicago, Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, United States, USA and its south suburbs. Its intersection with Madison Street (Chicago), Madison Street () has marked the base poin ...

, Chicago, in June 1898. Carus joined Troja,

Jennie Yeamans Jennie Yeamans (born Eugenia Marguerite Yeamans; 1862 – 28 November 1906) was a child actress and singer popular in the 1870s and 1880s, and later a famous adult singer and actress. She was the younger sister of early silent film character ac ...

, and the Washburn sisters on a bill. In October 1905 Carus appeared on Broadway at Proctor's

Fifth Avenue (Manhattan) Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...

Theatre. This was her first Broadway engagement since a show at the Wistaria Grove,"Concerts At Proctor's", ''The New York Times'', October 29, 1905, pg. 25. which was located on the roof of the New York Theatre. The ''Follies of 1907'' took place at the

Jardin de Paris Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Oly ...

on the roofs of the New York Theatre and the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began development ...

. Produced by

Florenz Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

, a large audience observed the thirteen parts, which were vaudeville acts. Carus headed a cast that was supported by a chorus quite similar to an earlier one that assisted

Anna Held Helene Anna Held (19 March 1872 – 12 August 1918) was a Polish-French stage performer on Broadway. While appearing in London, she was spotted by impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, who brought her to America as his common-law wife. From 1896 through ...

in ''The Paris Model''. She was in a production of ''The Wife Hunters'', a musical play in three acts, in which she sang in a ''pleasant, deep-throated way, and with a suggestion of a sense of humor of sentiment as occasion may require.'' Her comedy number was "Girls, Keep Your Figures". The

Herald Square Theatre The Herald Square Theatre was a Broadway theatre in Manhattan, New York City, built in 1883 and closed in 1914. The site is now a highrise designed by H. Craig Severance. History The Park Theatre opened in 1883 (also known as the New Park Theat ...

, 1331 Broadway (29 West 35th Street), produced the play which was based on a book by

Edgar Allan Woolf Edgar Allan Woolf (April 25, 1881 – December 9, 1943) was an American lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-author of the script for the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz''. Early years and education Woolf was the son ...

. In 1911, Carus is said to have been largely responsible for helping introduce and popularize

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russi ...

's first major hit song, "

Alexander's Ragtime Band "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is a Tin Pan Alley song by American composer Irving Berlin released in 1911 and is often inaccurately cited as his first global hit. Despite its title, the song is a march as opposed to a rag and contains little sync ...

". In Chicago, it especially became identified with her, and soon it worked its way back to New York where

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jews, Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-bi ...

picked it up and it quickly caught on in popularity. Carus sang at the Palace Theatre in a production which starred Bertha Kalich in March 1914. Also entertaining were the ''Beauties'' of

Jesse Lasky Jesse Louis Lasky (September 13, 1880 – January 13, 1958) was an American pioneer Film producer, motion picture producer who was a key founder of what was to become Paramount Pictures, and father of screenwriter Jesse L. Lasky Jr. Early life ...

and George White, noted for

George White's Scandals ''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W. C. Fie ...

. Carus returned for a fourth year on the interstate vaudeville circuit in 1914. This time she was accompanied by a dance partner, Carl Randall. She had a new stock of songs that included ''An Irish Suffragette''.

Personal life

Carus fainted at the Great Northern Hotel in Chicago, Illinois, after hearing of her lover's suicide in June 1897. James Burrows killed himself in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, where he managed a theater. Carus tried to commit suicide with a revolver after learning of Burrow's demise, but was prevented by her friends. She believed that his mother tried to influence Burrows against her. In April 1913 Carus secured a judgment against W. Lewis Stevens, a broker. Stevens and his partner, James W. Henning, were accused by her of embezzling more than $2,200 of her money for their own use when their company failed in 1910.''Emma Carus Sues Broker'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', April 19, 1913, pg. 9. Stevens was arrested at the Iroquois Hotel, 49 West 44th Street, New York City. She was an avid baseball fan who followed the New York Giants of

John McGraw John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873 – February 25, 1934) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager who was for almost thirty years manager of the New York Giants. He was also the third baseman of the pennant-winning 1890 ...

. Carus attended every

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

from 1905 until 1913. In a syndicated column she predicted wrongly the Giants to be victorious over the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

in the 1913 World Series."Emma Carus Tells Why She Expects New York To Win Over Mackmen In World Series", ''Fort Wayne Sentinel'', August 19, 1913, pg. 8.

References

External links

* * *
Photographic Images of Emma Carus
from the New York Public Library Digital Collection
Emma Carus
photo at parlorsongs.com, retrieved on 2-13-08. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carus, Emma 1879 births 1927 deaths American contraltos American musical theatre actresses Music hall performers Singers from New York City Vaudeville performers Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 19th-century American actresses American stage actresses