Milwaukee Theater History II
1882 West-side Turner Hall
(pix 1864 bldg.)
(Exterior of
three bldgs)
The Milwaukee Turners Society, Socialar
TurnVerein, were founded in Milwaukee on July 17, 1853. This society became a political and social
force in the young city and issues
were constantly the subject of heated
debate within the membership. But all
Turner groups agreed upon the premise for which the society was born,
"healthy body, healthy mind."
Activities of all sorts were encouraged by the society with athletics
being paramount. Music and theater where also highly prized endeavors among the
membership. With three facilities capable of providing adequate theatrical
productions, The South-side Turners at 4th and
National, North-side Turners, 10th and
Walnut and the West Side group on 4th Street, south of State Street, amateur
German drama thrived. By 1882 the
West-side Turners had
outgrown their 1864 meeting hall and it was
replaced by an impressive new structure only two doors to the North on 4th
Street. The new headquarters provided a gymnasium,
restaurant, offices, meeting rooms and a
magnificent grand ballroom. The previous facility had been an adequate space
which had been used occasionally for music, dance and
theater, including occasional appearances
by the Heinrich Kurz company, but
rather than being a theatrical hall of any description it simply provided a
large open floorspace.
(pix 2 interiors ballroom)
The 1882 building remains active today
with a fine casual restaurant which entertains large afternoon crowds. Framed pieces of art which were cut from
within original panoramas,
as well as original paintings are
displayed there. On the second floor
can be found one of Milwaukee's best kept secrets. Following a small fire during the depression years the grand
ballroom was sealed and never reopened to the public. It remains dark but in
much the same condition as when it was Milwaukee's most elegant ballroom. The past 60 years have dimmed the lustre
but the beauty of this historic gem shines through. Two "sunlight" gas light reflectors remain fixed to the
domed ceiling of the great hall. Over
one-hundred gas flames circled the
eight-foot polished metal dishes to reflect warm bright light around a
room decorated in the exquisite taste of
the era. Faint stencils are still
readily visible and the carved woodwork remains a testament to German
craftsmanship. An ideal location to
enjoy the popular melodies of Christoper Bach's regular Sunday afternoon
concerts could be found in the balcony which overlooks the oval hall. One pillar has been restored to demonstrate
both what was and what can be a historic monument to the Greatness of Milwaukee's
German theater. (Ad Chs. Bach
MPL prog.)
Time has loosened the floorboards of the
historic raked stage. The stage floor
tilted down toward the audience so that those seated at the rear of the hall
would be provided
with a better overall view of the entire
stage. This alone is a priceless
heirloom of nineteenth century stagecraft. A "Sunlight" reflector
also hangs above the stage where it
provided the necessary illumination for
the Pabst German Stock Company in
1894. This became the home of the
resilient acting company that "Papa" Kurz built, while the
Pabst
Theater was being
crafted upon the ashes of the New
Stadt. Joseph Kurz' son Lewis was
the first theatrical director here as a member of the Turners. One of the most
popular songs of the late 1800s, "After
the Ball," is said to have been inspired by a dance which
composer, Charles K. Harris attended in
the Turner Ballroom in 1892.
(pix charles harris)
CHAPTER VII
Theaters
for a Community
1882 Ward Memorial Hall
With the personal dedication by General
William Techumseh Sherman in 1882 The
Ward Memorial Hall was presented as a gift to America's Civil War veterans,
many who would live the remainder of their lives there at the Old Soldier's
Home on a small government owned hospital campus, Woods, Wisconsin. The money for this marvelous bijou was
donated by the Ward family of England who were likely inspired by anti-slavery
sentiments. The residents of St. Louis,
Mo. added to the building's splendor with a huge stained glass
window which pictures General Sherman seated on horseback
(pix - Int. Ward MPL)
(pix - Ext.
Ward)
Built in the same style as many of the
small variety theaters of Milwaukee the Ward
provided parquette and balcony seating which overlooked an ample stage. The rigging for scenery and curtains was
controlled manually from above by burley stagehands who were called
flymen. A single timber was hand hewn
into a heavy horizontal beam with batons inserted along its length to which
hemp rope was tied, quite like the rigging of a sail ship. The
Pabst Theater shares the same such historic artifact. Aside from the ornate little theater of about 300 seats the building also housed
a canteen type store which dispensed personal items such as candy and tobacco as well as railroad
tickets for visitors to Woods and the rare fortunate residents who were allowed
to leave or had somewhere they could go. In a climate of extreme patriotism
following the Civil War there was little difficulty in enticing traveling
artists who were appearing locally to provide free entertainment for the
veterans who had given so much to their country. But as the years past by, prior to the First World War which
rekindled that patriotism, the quantity and quality of shows became somewhat
diminished. What had been an active USO
type theater depended upon the generosity of local musicians to provide the
aging vets with their only real entertainment.
The Milwaukee Musicians Union can be credited with much of that
benevolence. Both of the great World
Wars provided the Woods facility with many new residents who were typically
disabled to the extent that theirs was a long term or lifetime admission to the
veterans hospital facility. During
those war years Ward Memorial Hall
was once again a focus of patriotism by
many visiting entertainers, but following the Second War the facility again
became somewhat forgotten by all but those who remained in residence there.
(pix Ward today )
In 1961 The Milwaukee Players, a community acting company who had for many
years struggled to find affordable performance space attempted to occupy the
theater, if only as a rehearsal space, to finally establish a home theater of their own but the costs of
satisfying building codes were to prohibitive,
The Ward Memorial Hall remains
as a marvelous monument to Milwaukee's grand theatrical legacy and speaks
volumes of what community theater was in the mid-1800s. The structure stands precariously as an
unoccupied wooden structure which our federal government has thus far ignored
but could easily decide to raze. If that should happen Milwaukee would
surrender one more of its few remaining unrestored architectural gems.
1886 Standard
Theater
In October of 1886 Milwaukee's South-side
was able to boast their own quality playhouse.
The location of Reed Street (South 2nd) and Pierce chosen by Mssrs.
Miller and Nicolai was considered odd
by some since it was surrounded by shops and plants of industry.
The managers pointed out that all trains traveling south went right past
their door, obviously hoping to draw from the population center to their north
The original seating capacity was only 850 with the same type of patented chairs
with spring retractable cushions that were installed in Peoples Theater. Private
boxes flanked the stage on either side and French style mirrors were positioned
on the walls of those boxes allowing the audience to achieve a better
perspective of the more affluent patrons who normally occupied the exclusive
confines of the early day luxury boxes.
The managers of this new playhouse held true to their promise that this
would be a family theater with a then novel concept of producing theater for
children. The new Standard Theater wasn't open long before it was announced that a
fund raising drive was planned to
greatly expand the theater's facilities, providing the South-siders with a
playhouse of comparable comfort to some of the larger downtown venues.
(Eng. Proposed Interior )
(Eng. "
Ext. TMS 5-9-90)
The Sentinel reported in 1890 that of the
$20,000 needed that $18,000 had been collected and a public sale of stock would
not only raise the remainder needed but
alsoserve to give the local community a sense of ownership and
involvement.
When asked why he didn't use the money to rebuild on a street with
better local accessibility such as
National Avenue, Mr. Nicolai pointed
toward the Clinton Street train station a block away and explained that the
Milwaukee City Railway ran right passed his door. Evidenced
by the Standard's advertisements there
was little doubt from which direction Nicolai wished to draw his audience. "All cars going south pass the
doors."
With limited information about this
theater beyond the August 17, 1890 Milwaukee Sentinel announcement that the Standard would begin its full season in
a remodeled theater, No photographs or further information has been found,
aside from constant advertisements which document the theater's activity well
into the next century. If the extensive
alterations pictured were achieved the South-side was home to one of the best
kept secrets in Milwaukee's theatrical history.
(AD - Standard "trains")
1886 People's Theater
(masthead
PEOPLES)
(Busy W. Water
St.)
It is not clear whether it was out of a
deep felt concern for the common man or if it was simply promotional blustering
but in 1886 a businessman convinced Milwaukee
that he was going to finally bring good
professional theater to the average citizen.
James P. Thompson acquired The
Variety and spent a large sum of money remodeling the
limited little playhouse into a
substantial 1,100-seat theater.
Plush were the carpeted
parquette and dress circle which offered 500 seats. These patented chairs offered more comfort than
patrons of such variety theaters were accustomed to. With padded backs and fitted with hat and umbrella racks this was
the sort of luxury normally provided to the Plankingtons and Mitchells at one of the finer theaters. All other seating in this theater was on
wooden benches but even the cheap seats of the gallery were provided with plush
railings, an adornment normally reserved
for the higher priced sections. The
auditorium was lit warmly with gas fixtures as was the enlarged stage. Thompson removed
the roof
from above the old Variety
stage and raised it to a respectable
height to allow room for a fly space which concealed large scenic drops and
scenery. These hung, unseen by the
audience until such time that they were
flown (lowered) into view, creating the appropriate setting. The theater commissioned Lorsman and Landis
of Chicago to paint all of its canvas drops and two or three standing scenic
flats. The fact that the theater went
to such expense fabricating scenery
should have been the first indication that this theater was not intended to
provide entertainments of the same quality as The Grand Opera or Music Hall. The better touring shows carried their own
custom scenery by 1886. Variety and
vaudeville houses needed a selection of scenes from which the acts could
choose. The proscenium was with a
figure of "Night" raised in
relief against a gold
background on the stage left side, and
morning on the right. American Indian dancers.
Beneath the stage Thompson provided dressing rooms, reportedly well
ventilated, a necessity in an era where bathing was an extravagance. Miss Mattie McVickers and Co. provided the premier performance on May 31,
1886. On January 17, 1887, less than a
year after Thompson opened his low priced,
"for the common man "
theater, he was bankrupt. Val Blatz, of
the brewery by that name paid $5,605 and forgave Thompson's indebtedness of
$11,000 to acquire the theater.
1938
Blatz Temple
Son of Milwaukee brewer, Val Blatz, Emil
Blatz endowed the music and theater community with an interesting performance
facility. Located at Washington Park,
the site of the City's zoo, a summer concert season was inaugurated as a Works Progress Administration (WPA)
program . In 1938 "Music Under the Stars" opened the
new facility with Jessica Dragonette, a famous soprano and favorite of Emil
Blatz, accompanied by Dr. Sigfrid Prager's orchestra of unemployed musicians.
Over the years this program was continued by The Milwaukee Parks with John
David Anello, Sr. as music director and later by his son John David Jr. No publicly sponsored program is
remembered as fondly by so many as "Music Under the Stars."
(pix Anello)
(Pix
Brigadoon Wis Hist Soc)
(Pix Martin Luther King MPL)
Of the notables who performed at The
Blatz Temple, and there were far to many to list, were Placido Domingo, Ezio
Pinza, Jeanette McDonald, Robert Merrill, Artur Rodzynski, Xavier Cugat and
Charo, Roberta Peters, Jose Greco and Nana Lorca, Louis Armstrong, Itzhak
Perlman, Sergio Franchi, Karen Morrow, Mahalia Jackson, Gordon MacRae, Miriam
Makeba, John Gary, Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop, Liberace, Dennis Day, Charles
Nelson Reilly, Victor Borge,
Oh, did I mention? Admissions to all "Music Under the Stars" concerts were free!
CHAPTER VIII
Variety to Vaudeville
1884 Grand Avenue (Dime) Museum
Both P.T. Barnum and Jacob Litt launced their careers with the successful
management of their own dime museums.
These simple houses of entertainment were deceptively complex in marketing and
highly competitive . Similar
establishments dotted Grand Avenue.
Both men understood that success lay as much with creative advertising
as performance but that in order to succeed they must provide everything as
advertised, somewhat. Jake Litt studied Barnum's New York theater and the art
of humbug. In order to remain ahead
of the competition it was necessary to provide enticing deceptions in such a
creative way that the audience would laugh with the gimmick rather than feel
cheated by it. If convinced to pay
one's dime admission to see a "RARE
AFRICAN MONKEY-FLY, THE SIZE OF A LARGE DOG" perhaps with clever
paintings outside of the theater depicting a large monkey with the head of a
House fly, the stage show might then conclude with a live monkey flown over the
audience. The audience always accepted this sort of obvious deception as good
nature "humbug" and left happy.
If on the other hand a costumed animal of some sort was represented as
the advertised giant insect the audience would cry foul! Humbug
was a tricky business., Litt's, Schlitz Park Museum earned enough summer
business to turn a small a profit but he knew that his success was dependent
upon the traffic generated from across Walnut Street at the great park. Winters were pitifully slow. So upon learning of two Chicago businessmen
who were quite motivated to sell their failing Grand Avenue Museum Litt
immediately relieved the gentlemen of their white-elephant and scheduled an
August 25, 1884 opening. Winter traffic
would no longer be a concern as the museum was situated across from the
Plankington Building in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, on Grand Avenue
(Pix - GRAND AVE MUSEUM)
(Wisconsin Avenue) near 1st Street. The new owner was surprised to find that the old building had
only been failing rather than falling , as its decrepid appearance suggested,
and immediately brought crews in to inspect the structural integrity, prompting
the total renovation of the building's four floors. Water tanks were provided on each floor to satisfy thirsty
customers and toilets on the lower floors replaced out-houses. The young
impresario paid particular attention to
the ground floor stage. A new drop
curtain and scenery were painted and for an elegant touch private boxes were
installed near each side
of the stage.
The very presence of these seating compartments suggested to his
audiences that some very important people must attend shows there. With several
museums within a short walk from his
establishment Litt knew that a fresh coat of paint and some creative carpentry
alone would not distinguish his
place. With every museum
competing for the same artists and
touring freak show entertainers that the luck of the draw would determine
whose show was best each week. Jake Litt traveled to St. Louis
where he contracted for a steady supply
of top quality variety acts and leases on an ever changing array of curiosities
to be exhibited on the upper three floors.
Aside
from the stage show a successful museum
needed to offer a few crowd stopper
displays which patrons might talk about
for days after their visit, like
Americans viewed moon
rocks in the 1960s. Of the most popular Grand Avenue curiosities
was Litt's display of knives and axes which were "certified" to have been the very weapons used to commit
famous historic murders. Two headed frogs, giant African insects and
other natural oddities were mounted along the walls of the museum. The stage shows given each hour offered such
fare as "The Dog Faced Boy,"
"The Frog Child," and"Burt
Burton
and the Human Salamander," to curious spectators along with variety
talents of song and dance such as "Ritter's Swiss Warblers" and
Jake's own productions.
"Living
Impersonations of Famous Women" was one of Litt's best. Costumed actresses paraded around the stage
and revealed secrets from that character's life that perhaps
otherwise would have never been known, or
so the audiences thought.
Since Jacob Litt also was the promoter and manager of Schlitz Park and The Academy of Music where he too installed private boxes for
special guests. Observing the activity
which often occurred outside of the stage door of these theaters Litt became
aware of the
growing
fanatic interest in show business that Milwaukee's young were beginning
to exhibit. Exploited that enthusiasm
Jake established a weekly talent show on his Grand Avenue stage. In
hopes of being discovered by a New York producer who just might happen in to a
Milwaukee museum, these aspiring thespians sang, dance and provided dramatic
readings. Youthful comedians had to decide if they were to risk the stage and
take the good natured abuse from the audience or stay out front where a good
heckler usually got more laughs. How
else could he fill his theater seats while providing entertainment from free
talent, Litt wondered? Soon he created
annual contests
which were staged every few months.(It's
Humbug,remember?) A "Roundup of Richly Robed
Rotundity!!" The fat lady
contests were perhaps the favorite but proud mothers from every corner of the
town entered their little angels in the "Prize
Baby Show," with three categories of: "Units, Twins and Triplets." "What a fine looking unit you have there
lady!"
(Ad - Prize Baby Show TMS)
Other contests of most every description
were held and Litt always won.
Dime museums were always on the edge of
what polite society saw as acceptable entertainment. Advertisements of harem dancers and Egyptian queens always
brought a skeptical eye from Milwaukee's wives. Jacob Litt possessed Barnum-like
qualities when it came to the press. Rarely did the competing museums receive any
news copy what-so-ever while Litt seemed to enjoy an endless stream of
favorable copy.
Newspaper accounts of Litt's activities
were reported just as Jake had written
them, or so it would seem. He pulled
off a promotional coup when it was pointed out by the paper that The Roman
Catholic Church had purchased 800 tickets which were to be distributed among
Milwaukee's students.
Litt insured that this news leak also
included the assurance that his was an establishment above reproach. The Republican-Sentinel
noted that firemen were always on duty at The
Grand Avenue and policemen were hired to patrol the upper floors against "mashers" who "reportedly
pestered guests at other museums."
In 1866 a touring dime show was assembled by Litt which traveled its own
circuit through Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Minnesota. Aside from the profitability of such a
venture, performers were signed to long term contracts which spanned months,
rather than the usual one week. Such
security was unheard of for these nomad troupers who normally spent as much
time looking for and traveling to work as they did performing. Many of the better quality dime acts signed
exclusive contracts with Litt. Later
this same concept would establish Jacob Litt among the top of America's
vaudeville and Broadway producers.
In 1889 The Bijou Opera House was opened as primarily a vaudeville house
with Jake Litt as its manager. He
expanded with theaters in Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis and St.
Paul.
With little time left for the museum business he closed The Grand Avenue. A couple of years later he sold his props
and costumes to Milwaukee's The
Wonderland Museum. There, in November of 1883 a 17 year old named Ehric Weiss approached the Wonderland's owner, Byron Burton.
The young man explained that he had just moved to Milwaukee and asked to
audition his magic act. On November 7,
1883, "The Houdini Brothers and
Their Mystery Box" pleased an
audience and launched the career of Harry Houdini.
1889 Bijou Opera House
(pix -
Exterior TMJ )
In true Jake Litt fashion the press was
not allowed into his new theater during the weeks which preceded its grand
opening. Not until "Davy Crockett" with all its scenery and
props were carefully set on stage were
the reporters allowed in, just hours
prior to the theater's doors being opened to the public. In this way the press would be exposed to a
more theatrical aura as they marveled at
the gorgeous new Bijou Opera House on
August 19, 1889. This was noted as the
first grand hall to be opened west of the Milwaukee River,
just south of Grand Avenue on 2nd
Street. With six-hundred incandescent
light bulbs burning brightly they more
than amply illuminated the 1,800 seats which were of the latest
patented design for comfort and
convenience. Each padded seat provided
its user with a coat rack on the seat before it and a hat shelf beneath. The ceiling was frescoed with
cherubs flying between a large star
pattern of lights. The main curtain was
painted to represent Gerome's, "The
Sword Dance" and the proscenium arch above was of a Moorish design
which worked well with the theater's decor.
Side loges
(illus. floorplan MPL prog.)
(eng. interior - WIS HIST Soc.)
descended down the walls of the theater
from the three balconies to staircases which provided for convenient outside
access in case of fire.
Such an extreme angle
of view from these side positions was
quite unusual as normally a theater's back stage activity would provide too
much of a distraction to audience members.
But Litt had
installed the new state-of-the-art stage
rigging. Giant "bull-wheels"
were mounted on the grid-work some 60 feet above the stage. These six or seven
foot tall wheels where
used for leverage to hoist heavy wooden
scenery into the air, and out of the audiences view. Litt had commissioned the construction and artistic painting of
twenty-five such
scenic flats. While the "flying" of scenery is
expected of today's theater, to that
time scenic "flats"
(decorated wooden walls) were pushed onto and off of the stage, often with
stagehands having to stop and nail one in place while in full view of the
audience. Scene changes then were as
disrupting as television commercials became years later.
With the necessity to maneuver large
wooden walls around the narrow wing space during the performance, in order for
them to be at the ready on cue, theater patrons seated off to the
far sides were given quite a different
performance. With the ability to "fly"
these walls the wings no longer needed to be left totally unobstructed.
Wood-wings were installed at
the Bijou.
These were very narrow walls which
stood maybe twenty feet high. When
three or four were lined in the wings with the narrow edges facing on-stage,
they effectively
created a baffle which masked the
wings. Much like standing at the end of
a road and looking at houses set closely together. It isn't until one travels down that road that it
can be seen that there is considerable
room between the homes. The 30 foot
tall flats at the Bijou, when landed on the stage hid slightly behind the
twenty-five foot high proscenium arch.
While probably weighing several hundred pounds each, with the aid of the
bull-wheels a couple of burley stagehands were able to smoothly lift the set
pieces with relative ease.. One
bull-wheel remains high above the Pabst
stage where it was installed to aid scenic artists who painted large scenic
drops there. There hasn't been any reason to use that
antique in many years but the painter's
frame still hangs along the Pabst's
back wall.
Boundless energy seems the only
description for the then 29 year old Jacob Litt on this opening night. Featured
at the Bijou was an American standard, Frank Mayo's, "Davy Crockett." The
Hess Opera Company performed for Litt at Schlitz Park and Rice's
Corsairs were featured at The Academy
of Music which Jacob Litt also managed.
One of
America's most successful touring plays,
"The Stowaway" was Litt owned and playing to full houses around the
country. The Grand Avenue Museum and the "
Dime Tour" where still in
business and performing that evening.
Soon Litt had established his
headquarters at his, The Broadway Theater of New York. Rather than attempt to fight the New York
Syndicate's strangle hold on American theater
Litt joined it, managing the mid-west
operations for producer Charles Frohman, the Syndicate's leader.
Forced to retire young due to a nervous disorder Litt died a
Millionaire at the age of 45.
(letterhead)
Milwaukee'sBijou became The Garrick
after Litt's death, providing a stage for many of the Pabst German Stock Company's smaller performances and for awhile
the headquarters of The Wisconsin
Players. This theater was torn down
in 1931.
1896
Alhambra Theater
(Pix - Interior
Wis hist Soc)
(pix ext. TMJ Alhambra file)
Opened in December of 1896 with the name Uihlein Theater, Milwaukeeans were awed
by the Schlitz Brewery response to that of a rival brewer. At a cost of over one-half
million dollars the luxurious French
decor of this theater was as elegant as thePabst
Theater, but much larger. Like the Pabst it was all-electric. Its 4,000 light bulbs provided more than
ambiance for the commodious hall. This
3,000-seat vaudeville house was quickly renamed The Alhambra, as the Uihlein
(E'-Line) brothers, Henry, Alfred and August realized that their good
family name was about to become You-line on
the vaudeville circuits. But the building
which housed the theater as well as many shops and offices
retained the Uihlein name. The
Alhambra Stock Players became the in-house acting company. Any hope of
booking major New York plays before 1910 had been limited when The Davidson became affiliated with the
Syndicate of New York. Vaudeville was
the real intent of the Uihleins for this theater and one of America's best
variety
( 2 pieces - Met opera program MPL Prog.)
(Wizard MPL prog.)
managers, Oscar Miller was hired to book
the acts and manage the theater. Under
Miller the theater added some nice touches for the audience's comfort. Free tea was served for
those who didn't care to stop at one of
the four Schlitz bars and for those who left their horse at home, a bicycle
check room was provided on the second floor.
Miller died
suddenly in 1905 and The Alhambra
struggled without Oscar's ability to cast superior shows. In 1911
"Roxy" Rothapfel came along
with the advice that the only hope for this
theater was to convert to straight
movies. "Roxy" was hired by the Uihleins and managed what is said to
have been, for awhile anyway, the world's biggest straight movie theater
with its 3,000 seats. "Roxy" provided a day-care for
mother's who wished to enjoy a movie matinee and was the first locally to enlist a corps of uniformed ushers. In 1960 the Alhambra was removed to provide downtown Milwaukee
with another much needed vacant lot.
1915 Palace Theater
(Jimmy Durrante
Ad)
In 1915 the same Schlitz brewery who had
turned The Alhambra Theater into a movie house now teamed with a national
vaudeville chain named The Orpheum. Together they built the
Palace
Orpheum Theater. The brewery built the theater and the Orpheum provided the talent. Without question this national chain
possessed the finest stable of vaudeville
talent in America and toured them pretty
much as a unit from city to city, playing the Orpheum circuit.
(pix - orpheum sign)
Ben Marcus ownedThe Palace in 1960 when he announced that he intended to bring a
full season of Broadway musicals to his theater. Since the Davidson Theater had closed in 1954
the Pabst
had remained Milwaukee's only active legitimate theater suitable for such shows
but offered 900 less seats than The
Palace. Broadway tours had
become quite expensive and it was folly to attempt to stage those shows with
less than the 2,587-seat Palace. When The
Performing Arts Center opened in 1969
it became apparent that while it was an ideal facility for legit
productions that its committment to The
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra would prevent it from offering enough
available dates to schedule long running plays. The palace continued to
provide Broadway for a few years but the tired building eventually yielded to
demolition in 1974.
1929 Riverside
The new Empire Building was completed in
1928 at the corner of Plankington Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue. The 2,558-seat Riverside opened within that building in the next year. As the new outlet for RKO Orpheum it immediately became what was known as a combination
house. RKO was a film company and
Orpheum was vaudeville. Every
vaudeville show staged at the new Riverside was accompanied by a
movie. Fighting to stay alive in their
war with the ever growing film industry, vaudeville lived out its last years in
combination.
(pix int. TMJ)
The Riverside
is no longer a movie house but rather provides live music and comedy artists
regularly with a few Broadway shows given there each year. Both producers and touring stagehands would
much prefer the far greater facilities of
the Marcus Center for the
Performing Arts but The Milwaukee
Symphony Orchestra schedule leaves few full weeks which could accommodate
major productions. The late
1990s has seen the
Marcus
Center better juggle
schedules so that more Broadway
could be staged there.
CHAPTER IX
Golden
Age of Theaters
1890 Davidson Theater
The theaters which Milwaukee saw built
just prior to 1889 were hardly more than neighborhood playhouses with the Standard and Peoples standing out front of the rest. That was the year that
John and Alexander Davidson brought a proposal to Milwaukee which would provide
the city with a $350,000 hotel and theater complex. As the brothers laid their plans before Mayor Brown they
petitioned the city to provide two variences from city code. The first was that they wished to construct
a hard canopy over the Grand Avenue
(W. Wisconsin Ave.) sidewalk. The Davidson boys argued that this was
befitting their deluxe hotel and theater since the city's elite should be
provided with a means of exiting
their carriages unabated by what
Milwaukeans have grown to know as measurable partly cloudy. The Mayor immediately agreed to such a cover
over the 3rd Street side of the
theater but Grand Avenue was quite
another story. Merchants up and down
main street would surely assert that they too deserved that priviledge. The theater alone would not have
merited much consideration but the luxury
hotel finally tipped the scale and the varience was allowed. The second request again raised the question
of how all of Milwaukee's other business' would react? The brothers asked for propriatory rights of
the public alleyway behind the stage.
With the convenience of rail travel theater was becoming increasingly
more sophisticated. Touring companies had begun to carry heavy scenery, props
and wardrobe crates. Local stagehands were routinely dispatched to the train
yard in order to off load this equipment onto flat horse drawn wagons. They
then would haul full loads of gear to the theater where the tedious process was
reversed. Meanwhile the stagehand known as the property master was instructed
as to the specific styles of furniture needed for the play,
often period pieces. He was the wheeler and dealer who knew where
to lead his horse drawn wagon, often to local second-hand stores, or the to
home of a willing theater
patron where he bartered show tickets and
a mention in the program for the use of a parlor settee or Victorian bedroom set, complete with
chamber pot. Broadway shows traveled on
a very tight schedule the Davidsons
explained, unnecessary delays at the loading dock would leave little time to
set up the show. But at the risk of losing the grand proposed
structure the city refused, asserting that when theaters or other
merchants needed long periods to load their wares that the street was used,
leaving the alley open to commercial
traffic. Frustrated, the Davidson
Brothers returned to their home in Chicago.
(3 pix - 2 int. 1 ext. Davidson
Journal )
As disapointed as anyone was Jacob litt
who had immediately applied to lease the theater from the Davidsons. With the understanding that the proposed 3rd
Street theater project
was dead, John Johnson went ahead with
his plans and began construction of his 2nd Street theater. Jacob Litt contracted to manage Johnson's
smaller theater instead. Shortly after
the Bijou theater construction began the Davidsons returned from Chicago and
agreed to the city's terms. The
location where they began construction was not unfamiliar to them as it
was the site of their fathers stone
quarry many years before. Soon
construction on their
85 foot by 150 foot six story building
was underway. Their hotel fronted on
Grand Avenue with the theater situated on the south end of the structure. A luxurious marble and onyx
hallway which guided theater patrons from
the covered Grand Avenue sidewalk back to the Davidson Theater gave a hint of
the splendor which was to be found within.
A similar but
more direct access was achieved from the
covered 3rd Street entrance. The entire
building was wired with electricity with no dangerous gas fittings
installed. Sherman Brown, a
twenty-two year old Oshkosh man became
the theater's first manager and perhaps the only manager to be paid by an act
that played there. The Emma Juch Grand
English Opera
Company was detained for a couple of days
causing Brown to reschedule his gala premier plans. Ms. Juch handed Brown a $1,500 check upon her arrival to
compensate the manager for the inconvenience. Emma Juch performed Meyerbeer's
distinguished opera, "L'Africaine" on September 8, 1890.
(Sent. ad - Emma Juch
9-7-90)
Some 1,500 artists and productions were
to follow. The list of stars who
performed there would constitute another volumn but a short list could include,
Sarah Bernhardt who
performed there twice, all of the
Barrymores found the Davidson stage to their liking at one time or another
including grandpa John Drew, Helena Modjeska and Otis Skinner provided
Shakespeare together, Alexander Salvini performed the role of D'Artagnan in
"The Three Musketeers," and Richard Mansfield was "Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde." Names more familiar
to a younger crowd might be, Boris Karloff, Edward G. Robinson, Henry Fonda,
Irene Dunn, Helen Hayes, and the heartless scarecrow, Bert Lehr.
Not yet four years after the new theater
with the words, "ABSOLUTELY FIREPROOF" painted high on its western
wall cought fire during the night of April 9, 1894. Harry
Deakin's, Lillipution Opera Company was
the act currently playing but the theater had been closed for hours.
(Pix Absolutely fireproof wis
hist. soc)
( 2 pix - fire Wisc. hist. soc. )
The building was of fireproof materials
but the architect forgot that bare electrical wires were run around wooden
beams in a crawl space above the auditorium.
Nine firefighters were killed as the theater's roof collapsed upon
them. The attached hotel and offices
were in no danger because of the brick walls of the theater which contained
most of the flame after the roof fell.
A Milwaukee firefighter had personally achieved "15 minutes"
of
international fame when during the
Newhall House fire, several years
earlier, he had braved the flames and
located a diminutive guest named Charles Sherwood Stratton who was also known
by the stage name of General Tom
Thumb. The burley firefighter
reportedly tucked the renowned P.T Barnum star under his arm and descended the
stairway like a newsboy with one last delivery. Firefighters and civilians alike at the Davidson fire scene may
have reacted to the tiny carriage parked outside of the hotel next door. It was
well known to Milwaukeeans that the owner
of that carriage was Lavinia Warren Stratton,
Mrs. Tom Thumb. Despite the fact
that the Lilliputian cast was sleeping safely, star
struck rescuers stormed the hotel and
carried the diminutive cast to "safety." Among the would be heros
was a star in his own right.
Charles K. Harris, a Wisconsin song writer
who had penned one of the biggest hits of
the 1890s, "After the Ball," reportedly inspired by a Westside
Turners Ball.
(pix - Lilliputions - co. Hist,)
In September of that year comedian Eddie
Foy re-opened the theater. In 1896 The
Davidson Theater became one of thirty-three charter members of the New York
Syndicate.
This was a heavy handed organization of
theater owners and Broadway producers who wished to gain an unfair advantage by
monopolizing New York productions, actors, writers, and the better theaters
accross America. Artists, for example,
who refused to agree to the Syndicate's terms were then black-balled and
excluded from what The Syndicate hoped
would be all major opportuities. Those
actors who signed with Syndicate were forced to accept the terms and working
conditions which were offered. The need
for such an
organization was justified in the Syndicate
member's minds by the fact that in the late nineteenth century even the most
successful Broadway shows rarely expected to make
money. (Chicago Tribune 11-4- 1890) The
producers used the good press a show would garner with a successful run on
Broadway to insure profitability on
tour. Since The
Syndicate could not control weather,
illness and natural disasters such as fire and floods, they attempted to take a
firm grasp on every element that they could, in order to
insure a profit. Members of the New York press were also
targets of Syndicate control. By
organizing and obtaining exclusive booking rights for better theaters accross
the U.S. and Canada they could book their own schedule with economical short
hops from town to town. If no theater
was available to them they would simply built one for themselves. Theaters who did not join the organization
became hard pressed to find adequate touring acts to fill their season. Undependable second rate touring companies
attempted capitolize on the situation and many theater owners elected to switch
their interest to the not yet
controlled vaudeville circuits. Milwaukee's Pabst Theater was able to
prosper during this era as it sent its managers to Europe, not New York, in
order to book its seasons.
It is not known if The Academy of Music
was offered Syndicate affiliation but such a move would have taken the freedom
of booking its own symphony dates from them, leaving
only fill-in slots in which The
Milwaukee Musical Society could perform in its own theater. It is reasonable to assume that the
Syndicate took its toll on The Academy as it
was sold to J.J. Shubert shortly after
the turn of the century. As a Shubert
theater it survived with productions from the Shubert Brother's own stable of
New York
productions. The National Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the
stagehand's union was formed on July 17, 1893 in New York. Milwaukee's stagehands were admitted a year
later. This organization put controls on
The Syndicate as they demanded reasonable working conditions for not only
themselves but for musicians and actors as well. This organization, soon to become The International Alliance of
Theatrical Stage Employees, with the addition of Canada, all but shut down Broadway some years later
in order for the actors to organize their own union, Actor's Equity. Between the stagehands and The Shubert chain
The Syndicate was defeated in the early 1900s. Through the years competent management professionals such as
Sherman Brown, James Higler, Greg Spooner, Cyril Grody
and Floyd Scott have placed their
thumbprint on the Davidson's legacy. Asher Levy took the theater out of
bankruptcy in the 1930s but sold his interest in the late 40s, several years
before The Bosten Store announced that the stage portion of the theater was
soon to become a parking lot. Having
been operating on a month to month lease since 1947 the 1954 announcement
didn't come as a great shock but certainly a disapointment. (TMJ 3-2-54)
The final act to appear on this stage was
The Canadian National Ballet who ironically were the first ballet company to
appear at Milwaukee's Performing Arts Center, some fifteen years later.
Countless stories attach themselves to each theater but one with Davidson ties
bears repeating. Touring productions rarely carried with them a full compliment
of actors. Additional performers were
quickly auditioned and hired in each town to fill various minor
roles.
Prior to the First World War actors would routinely gather at the
Davidson stage door in hopes of landing a role which would pay varying
amounts depending on whether it was a speaking role or not. Among these young hopefuls was a young
Milwaukee man, Pat O' Brien, the film star.
After he returned from the war he attended Marquette University where he
registered to study law. Another war
veteran whom O'Brien had grown up with also enrolled at Marquette electing to study medicine. Both of these men felt
the pull
of an acting career where they might earn
a respectable living but the Wisconsin
G.I. Bill required students had to attend school in Wisconsin. These two young
men agreed that
the only place to study the acting craft
was New York City and they petitioned the State for a rare varience, which they
were granted. The State provided the two a total of sixty dollars per month so
Pat O' Brien and his friend, Spencer Tracy, boarded the train together and left
for careers in the big apple.
1890 Das Neue Deutsche Stadt Theater
( Pix New Stadt Prosc.
arch. Pabst Arch )
(pix - " interior MCHS
#8089)
In October of 1881 the Mlwaukee Sentinal
reported "confirmed" reports
that The Phillip Best Brewing Company was close to finalizing a deal which
would have them
constructing a major theater at the
corner of Grand Avenue and West Water (Plankington). These unfulfilled rumors would not be significant except that the
report detailed
Captain Pabst's plans for this new
theater, details which bear a strong resemblance to those of the ultimate Pabst
Theater. On April 8th of 1889 the Milwaukee Herold broke the
story that Captain Pabst had agreed to
purchase Heinrich Kurz's Stadt Theater and planned to replace it, on that 3rd
Street site with a new and larger
theater of his own design. Captain Pabst did confirm on this occasion that
plans were already being drawn. Mr.
Pabst also acknowledged that the Kurz actors would be employed by his
theater. Meanwhile, this announcement
must have sent Herman Nunnemacher into a panic as his Grand Opera House was
only a few blocks from Pabst's intended new theater site. The tired and dilapidated old Grand Opera,
which already was barely profitable,
would suffer greatly from the competition of a shiney new theater. Shortly thereafter it was announced that
Pabst had also purchased The Grand Opera and the brewer's plans to build a
new theater had been put on hold.
Instead, Pabst elected to renovate the Grand Opera with the Chicago
architectural firm of Adler and Sullivan
given the job. Pabst's respect
for
their Chicago Auditorium design was
perhaps what earned them the assignment but it leaves one to wonder what
brewery architect Otto Stack was doing during this period. As it
turned out, upon the completion by Adler
and Sullivan, Strack was immediately called in to correct some problems. One
explaination for Strack not being allowed this project
was that he was given time to complete
the theater plans he had begun. The
plans that he retrieved upon Captain Pabst's orders to him, "Rebuild
Immediately" in 1895. Captain
Pabst and family were among the first to arrive for the grand opening of the
new Stadt Theaer on
September 17, 1890. More than equal to Milwaukee's most
beautiful theater was Beethoven's overture to "Egmont", provided by maestro Christopher Bach and his
talented
orchestra. It became apparent that the hall's fine accoustics had actually
improved with the renovation by Adler and Sullivan. Among the talented cast that evening where Julious Richard, the
lessee and manager of the theater and Ferdinand Welb the play's director. Actors had historically handled the
technical details backstage, under the direction of the stage manager. And actors to this time, were responsible
for their own stage blocking, that is knowing where to walk and where to
stand. The Kurz actors had always
performed in the traditional configuration, a semi-circle facing the audience
with the actors in-turn
steping forward for important
speeches. A director needed to be cautiously diplomatic since his suggestions
to other actors often were regarded as insults to their professional
abilities. Therefore, successful
directors needed to be well respected actors.
Directors who didn't act would come with the sweeping changes that were
beginning to revolutionize
European theater. The new Stadt served
as a platform for the former Kurz actors, now the Pabst German Company. They shared the stage with touring artists
and companies which
certainly furthered their education. The
theater itself was quite workable and the attached tavern/cafe on the East end
was a welcome lounge for working male actors to enjoy a free
lunch, although a tavern to the north of
the Stadt, Martini's, became a popular retreat for actors of
either sex. In 1893 an arsonist had targeted this theater and at least ten
fires had been set during the course of a year. Finally the "madman"
was captured and sentenced to a
six-year term in the State
penitentiary. With that thret
eliminated fire was the furthest thing from the minds of managers Welb and Leon
Wachner. The third manager, Julious
Richard had passed away in 1893. But while attaching bunting to a chandalier
which hung over the stage, the spark from a short circuit caused some hanging
scenery to catch fire. Ferdinand Welb
felt that the blaze would be contained within the flies of the stage and
opted not to pull the fire alarm which
was available upon a stage wall.
Assessing the matter as a minor inconvenience Welb walked to the cafe on
the East end of the
building so that he could call the fire
chief on the telephone in order to explain the problem. Matters where made worse as Welb
experienced some delay in obtaining a telephone connection with the fire
department. The theater was finally
surrounded by fire wagons and a fire fighting tug boat sprayed a steady stream
of water but it was too little too late, the theater was a total loss. The Milwaukee Musical Society had their
music library stored in
their office which was north of the
auditorium and once again they suffered a total loss. The pharmacy and tavern on the East end
excaped the flames but suffered great water
and smoke damage. By the close of January 15, 1895 all that remained of the theater were a
couple of twisted walls. When Captain Pabst was notified, while vacationing in
Germany, he responded with a telegram to
architect Otto Strack. "Rebuild
immediately" was the Captain's instructions. Since Pabst and Strack had worked closely on the plans for the
theater they had indended to build five years earlier it is only logical to
assume that the plans had remained, or could be easily updated and Captain
Pabst was instructing the architect to implement those plans as soon as
possible. A building permit was issued
three months later which would place Milwaukee's landmark Pabst Theater upon
the original foundation of The Grand Opera House.
1895
Pabst Theater
(pix - color of prosc. pabst arch)
The Pabst Theater was not built in hasty
response to the Stadt fire. This marvel
of engineering and artistry was built because its time had come. Had it not been the
January 15th fire in 1895 it may have
been the wrecking ball of 1896. Pabst's
famous reply to, "Rebuild immediately" was not an order by Pabst to
duplicate the theater that had
burned, as the command might
suggest. The resulting theater did not
resemble the one that had preceeded it.
Nor was Pabst issuing complete freedom for brewery architect Otto
Strack to design a theater from a clean
sheet of paper Pabst was not only too good of a businessman but also too deeply
commited to Milwaukee's German theater.
Pabst and
Strack had meticulously designed a
theater five years earlier and the Pabst telegram to Strack was an order to
update the plans immediately. Strack
quickly boarded a
train and traveled accross America where
he had an opportunity to observe first hand the newer technologies of
theater. A building permit was issued
in April and Milwaukee's historic Pabst opened in November, ten months after
the fire. The question has been asked why Captain Pabst would award such an
important commission to a brewery architect with no theater design
experience? It should first be
understood that the position of brewery architect was a prized one which
required a man of exceptional abilities.
Strach was not kept on reatainer in case a new storehouse needed to be
built. Breweries such as Pabst
were involved in very intense marketing
wars. Brewery owned hotels, restaurants
and beer gardens insured that only their own brand would be served and Pabst
actively constructed
those buildings accross the Nation. The genious of Otto Strack cannot be
overstated. The design of the Pabst
Theater presented three distinct challenges. First was Frederich Pabst's
mandate that the theater be fireproof. With the flaming roofs of two major
Milwaukee theaters crashing down upon their stages within the past two years
this concern was understandable. Secondly
was a need for audience comfort followed by the ability backstage to
provide as flawless a presentation as was technically possible. The ingenious innovations of otto Strack
which produced America's finest theater on all three counts provedCaptain
Pabst's choice to have been a wise one
( Pix- Pabst Ext.)
The Davidson Theater was thought to be
fireproof but its architect had overlooked the building's Achilles heel and
several lives were lost fighting the blaze.
Stack
recognized that the only sure way to
guarantee the building to be fireproof was to eliminate all combustable
materials. Since virtually all nineteenth century buildings used wood
as their primary component architect
Strack would have to find another technology with which to frame his
theater. He elected to use the
relatively new one of cantilevered steel.
The Pabst opened its doors on November 9, 1895 as the World's only
fireproof theater, constructed exclusively of steel, concrete and plaster. The only wood within the
building was necessarily the floor of the
stage. And those planks were heavily
treated with fire retardants. Along
with all of the difficulty that came with a new science of
engineering came new benefits which
addressed old problems of theater design.
One of these involved the placement of pillars. All large theaters featured at least on
balcony
level which needed to be supported from
below. The placement of these supporting pillars invariably were a great
distraction as they blocked the view of those seated behind
them.
Builders had no choice but to eliminate dozens or more seats due to this
problem. But with cantilevered steel
Strack was able to suspend the Pabst's balcony without
the need of bracing from below. This was a quantum leap in theater
design. Unfortunately Milwaukee's
audiences were not yet familiar with or willing to accept cutting edge
technology. Strack was befuddled as theater ushers began to report audience
members who refused to be seated below so much unsupported steel and
plaster. Strack reluctantly
inserted four spindly pillars which
cosmetically remain positioned where they would least affect sight-lines.
(pix aud. cantilever test)
Caption: So advanced was
cantilevered steel in 1895 that it wasn't well understood by engineers thirteen years later. Pictured is a naive and inprecise
strength test performed by the City Building Inspector of the time
during construction of The Milwaukee Auditorium in 1908. The writing at the top
of the picture explains that 18,000 pounds of brick, bags of concrete totalling
3,000 pounds and 23 men were placed along 30 feet of the balcony in order to
determine its weight bearing capacity.
(pix - Pabst interiors front &
back of house)
Warned by his contemporaries that a
theater auditorium could not be constructed of the hard, refelective surfaces
of steel and plaster without soft absorbant materials such as
wood and draperies to prevent echoes
Strack flew in the face of popular wisdom.
He recalled something that he had learned years before as a music
student. Otto Strack
designed the theater's rear walls with hollow chambers within them,
like a piano's sounding board. The crisp resonance of Stracks innovative
design was heralded as one
of America's most acoustically perfect
music halls.
Comfort for a crowd of 1,600 presented
quite a challenge in 1895. Since
bathing was regarded as a " try"
annual event in those days and deodorants unheard of, ventilation
was
of prime importance, especially during
the summer months. Not only did Strack invent the system of theater ventilation
which was still installed in theaters through the 1950s, but he provided a fairly effective air
conditioning plant as well. Two
enormous fans featuring 12
foot blade spans were mounted above the
auditorium's dome. As outside air was
sucked into the building it was blown through a heavy waterfall which cleansed
it. In the winter
that air was then heated over steam pipes
and piped through the prosceneum to the auditorium below. In the summer the process was the same
except that the air was blown over tons of ice. During the winter months blocks of ice were cut from the
Milwaukee River.( Before civilization began to add anti-freeze to the river it
did dependably freeze over.)
Tons of ice were hoisted up above the
theater where they were stored for use in the summer. A Pabst program dated June 29, 1908 provided the following
explaination:
ONE
THEATER IS COOL
With the coming of real summer weather the management has placed in
operation again the device which makes the Pabst theater the coolest playhouse
in the world. Hundreds of
tons of ice now fill the resevoirs in the
dome of the building and the air which is swept over it by huge electric fans
is forced through pipes to every part of the playhouse, making a delightful
cool temperature that patrons have been quick to show their appreciation of. The cooling device is operated from the
electrician's room and less than an hour's
notice is required to give the theater a
most refreshing temperature. Steam and electricity were provided the theater,
as well as several other downtown buildings by the
Pabst owned power plant on Broadway
Street. It is interesting to note that
upon acquiring that Broadway street building in 1891, Pabst evicted Wisconsin's first Humane
Society from within, (Evening Wisconsin
6-24-91) along with Richard D.
Whitehead its Supervisor whom Pabst had originally brought to Milwaukee to care
for the brewery
stables. (TMJ Nov. 17, 1957)
(pix Pabst crew WIS HIS SOC)
Technically the Pabst stage was likely to
have been among the most advanced in the world. It would be many years before theatrical lighting would become an
art form but
sophisticated electric lighting which
isolated individual instruments was becoming appeciated for the dramatic
effects it offered. Pabst had built his
Broadway Street
power plant in 1892, insuring that this
would be a 100% electric hall. Showing
caution, Strack installed small oil lamps above each exit, in case of power
failure. No gas
lines were allowed to be run into the
theater. An electronic switchboard was
mounted in the rear of the stage left proscenium wall which ordinarily would be
curious since the stage door is located on the right side. The stage manager
customarily was situated near the stage door so as to monitor the arrival of
actors and guests, but the stage manager would certainly want to be in close
contact with the electrician so as to execute timely lighting cues. The
explaination for locating the light board
on the "wrong" side is that on stage left was to be found Strack's
most innovative and important contribution to theater. This was
a revolutionary new rigging system for
the expedient flying (raising into the air and lowering) of scenery. Normally the stagehands who handled that
chore were situated high
above the stage in the fly loft. Since there was no direct communication
between the stage manager and these flymen, scene changes were sometimes
clumbsy and even humerous, not
an effect called for during a production
of "Hamlet" Strack, seeing
this problem, addressed it with his
trademark innovativeness. He designed a
t-bar/arbor counterweight system; what he called, "90 foot slides."
This technology is today used in virtually every major theater in the
World. The method it replaced was
called "hemp and bag." Simply
explained: in order to hoist a 200
pound piece of scenery out of view from the audience, a stagehand, also called the flyman when assigned to this job,
was required to exert two hundred pounds of pull. When a 100 pound sandbag was added to the flyman's end of the
rope the required force needed was reduced by 100 pounds, since
(pix - Flyfloor
TMJ)
( Take photo T-Bar)
the weight of the sandbag
exerted 100 pounds of pull. In
theory no weight was too great to be lifted providing the flyman had enough sandbags. Unfortunately though, it was
not practical to hang 600 pounds of sand
onto a single rope set and such procedures were quite unsafe. Moreover the flymen who worked the hemp and
bag system were stationed in
a loft high above the stage. It was quite difficult to co-ordinate the
simutaneous flying in and out of scenery at precisely the correct moment if the
stage manager couldn't give a direct cue. Otto Strack's system mounted t-shaped
rails side-by-side vertically up the wall.
So looking from the top down one would see, T T T T T . With the
bottom of the T being the wall one can imagine channels between each pair of
Ts. Into these channels were inserted tall steel cages, called arbors. And to
each arbor a number of steel bricks could be added, to equal precisely the
amount of weight being hung to the scenery batton on stage. With one arbor for
each batton scenery could be safely counterweighted with the weights encased in
a steel cage and run tightly against a wall. One flyman could then quickly
in turn lift several pieces of scenery,
each weighing hundreds of pounds.
(pix-renov. organ loft Pabst arch.)
(ad - New Pabst TMJ 11-30-28)
For reasons that may never be explained,
the t-bar system was removed during a major renovation in 1928. Perhaps to create more needed wing space on
stage left. A Milwaukee stagehand
named Gustov Knickelbein created a hybred system which utilized Strack's arbors
and the existing hemp and bag rigging of the stage right fly loft. Since communication was not so much of a
problem in 1928 the system could and was effectively operated from the loft
high above the stage. In 1975 plans were being made to renovate the Pabst in
order for it to be a workable showhouse for community groups as well as touring
artists. Among the recomendations
being made was to discard the historic Knicklebein system in favor of a
"modern" T-bar system. Were
it not for the efforts of Pabst board member, Eugene Kemmer, the
historic system would have been discarded and forgotten. For his efforts Kemmer was widely criticized
by the press. Since he was also the business agent for the Milwaukee Stage
Employees Union it was assumed that he wished to retain a system which only
professional stagehands could operate. The truth was that he championed the
idea of having both systems in working order. A t-bar arbor system was installed by Michael McDonald of
Milwaukee's Mid-West Scenic during the 1976 renovation with
the Knicklebein system fitted with fresh
ropes. Major productions, such as The
Milwaukee Repertory's annual, "A Christmas Carol," simutaneously use both fly systems to their utmost
capacity. Of the many theaters which
were adapted to Knickelbein during the 1920s the Pabst is beleived to be the
last to actively use the system with The Milwaukee Auditorium still so
equipped.
(pix T-Bar Arbor personal photo)
(pix Knickelbein ropes TMJ)
At the time of the 1976 renovation of the
Pabst Theater it was beleived that Otto Strack's original blueprints were
forever lost. When August Pabst found
them some years later
it was revealed that the new t-bar system
was designed and installed identically in size and specifications to the
original system, despite the fact that through the years it had been completely
forgotten that such a system had ever existed there. As researchers had, through the years, read references to the
Pabst's unique counterweight fly system; The Evening Wisconsin of November 9, 1895 and The Milwaukee Journal of the same
date, these descriptions were
automatically attributed to the Knickelbein system which
didn't even exist for another 33 years.
Other technical innovations, though not
of Strack's invention, were the bull wheel which remains mounted on the steel grid high above the stage. This is a winch with an
extremely tall drum, giving it the
appearance of a large wheel. This was
another device used to handle the great weight of scenery and was the primary
system of the Bijou
Opera House. The bull wheel was installed at the Pabst to handle the weight
of the paint frame hung against the stage's back wall. To this huge wooden frame were stretched
canvas or muslin sheets often measuring
50 feet wide and thirty high. By
standing on a cat-walk some thirty feet above the stage a scenic drop could be
painted from a standing position. The
bull wheel allowed the painters to raise or lower the work as necessary.
The stage floor was divided into horizontal sections with two sections capable of mechanically raising
and lowering. This allowed for the stage to be arranged at different
heights,
creating scenic effects such as the look of a mountain top or the grade
of a hill rising toward the rear of the stage.
Choirs were quite popular among the German
population and the stage was easily
configured to accomodate rows of singers at ascending heights. The back wall of
the stage has long been a curiosity since it runs at a strange angle, not parallel with the edge of the stage or
the building's east wall. The Pabst
was set upon the original foundation of The Grand Opera House, so that angle of
the back wall was pre-determined in 1871.
With props, scenery and large musical instruments being delivered by
carriage on unpaved roads, the loading doors of the theater were
designed to run as close as possible to what had been River Street, and later
Edison. The Pabst features two
such doors on the West wall. One is twenty foot high and only two feet
wide. This was designed for the loading
in of tall scenic flats without allowing too much of the
building's heat to excape. The other door was more conventional as it
is almost as wide as it is high and is used exclusively today. In 1895
an open platform elevator was installed just inside that second door
with the stated purpose of transporting baggage and scenery anywhere from the
basement to the grid, 90 feet high. The
stagehands agreed that other than providing a convenient ride to the fly loft
the lift served little purpose and was
discarded in 1928.
Since the 148 foot by 80 foot Pabst was
built upon the same foundation stones as the Stadt the two theaters were
approximately of the same dimensions. A
noticeable difference was that the Pabst had a lobby while the Stadt had
none. Lobbies were not really
considered necessary until the advent of movie palaces and popcorn. The Pabst
lobby, formerly a pharmacy in Nunnemacher's Block, was designed to accomodate
the large white marble staircase which ascended in a T-shape to the balcony
level. No doors seperated the lobby from the auditorium since it was not
regarded as another room but rather just the rear of the
theater. A heavy red curtain was hung to isolate the noise of footseps on
the marble staircase from the lower level of the hall. Metal plates were sometimes used, like
horseshoes, to save wear on the heels
of boots and were quite unwelcome during quiet dramatic moments. It is safe to assume that the curtain was an
after-thought since it
was more than likely flammable and
therefore not a part of Strack's original plan.
The buiding's exterior is constructed of
light grey sandstone and St. Louis pressed brick, with a much cheaper brick
used on the north (back) of the theater. Ornamentation is added with the
occasional use of brick, terra cotta,
pressed metal and gold leaf which sparkles of
historic magnificance. Especially the
golden lyre which to many is a trademark of the Pabst. Four sets of bronze doors are provided on
the east end but a pair of doors which face east originally led to the Pabst
Cafe in the remaining Nunnemacher's Block building. In order to acquire the
space needed for the Pabst lobby Strack incorporated a portion of the Block
building which had been occupied by a pharmacy. This is a fact which must have been intriguingly irresistable to
a glib critic or two through the years.
The hall is laid out in a fan shape allowing exceptional views from
virtually every seat. As the eye is drawn
upward the auditorium becomes round with a crystal chandalier accentuating the
high center dome. Surrounding the theater, and almost looking down with pride,
are emblazed in gold leaf the names of immortal composers, playwrights and
musicians, as well as one gold leaf
installer. The balcony was originally allowed the same quality chairs which
were normanlly reserved for the more exclusive parquette level and dress
circle. These were unqestionably state
of the art seats which were produced for Pabst in Manitowoc, Wis. The gallery, normally the home of cheap
bench seating was provided with specially designed
cusioned chairs. With the angle of that level so severe, the
same seats as below would not have worked.
Above the proscenium arch, and hiding the name of Conrad Schmidt
Studios (who did the gold leaf) is the
statue of Apollo with Tragedy and Comedy.
The original prosceneum arch has been replaced by a taller and far more
ornate one but suffice it
to say that the original adornment was
superior to anything this town had known.
(pix - present
prosceneum)
All of Milwaukee's rich and famous
comprised the opening night audience.
There had been many theater openings in this city but none to compare
with what this new castle
symbolized as this proud young town emerged from the wilderness on this
evening. Often the Milwaukee residents
would find areas in which to compare
themselves favorably
with the big cities of the East. Milwaukee had become the largest grain
exporter in the world. Its breweries
had distinguished Milwaukee in that regard, but this theater
demonstrated that Milwaukee's culture was
developed to a quality level comperable with any in America. Maestro Christopher Bach composed "The
Pabst Theater
Festival March" for this auspicious
occasion and by all accounts the work was noteworthy.
(Sheet music)
(AD - "Dedication")TMJ 11-9-95)
The play was an intersting choice. "Zwei Wappen" or two shields, had premiered in Berlin a year earlier and had been mildly appreciated. But Leon Wachner had chosen this
play because it spoke volumns to a
German-American audience The story was about a pretty young girl from a wealthy
American family who visited Germany and fell in love with a
handsome young German baron. Ferdinand Welb played the boy's snobbish
father who was
penniless and coveted the girl's family
wealth yet placed his noble family shield above all others, pointing out with
aristocratic arrogance that his family tree dates back to
the crusades. The comedic twist occured when the father discovered not only
had the girl's family been German peasants who emigrated to Chicago and struck
it rich running
a pork packing house. The audience laughed heartily all evening as
it might well be expected. Who could
better enjoy the foibles of German aristocracy than a German-
American audience? The superb cast was selected from the 25
member Pabst German Stock Company.
Milwaukee was pleased to learn that beginning with their very first
season in the new theater these actors
would not only provide quality German plays but would also present English
spoken theater as well. The new Pabst
German Stock Co. begain a tradition which allowed it to be Milwaukee's theater
rather than the German
theater. This is particularly important
as many of America's German theaters failed to survive the First World War.
Only a few days after the Pabst's gala opening the accoustics
were given their first great test as The Milwaukee Musical Society performed
on Friday the 15th. After their beloved Albany Hall had burned, the Society resigned itself to the fact
that sound was a science that had not yet been mastered and that such an
acoustically superior hall may never again present itself in Milwaukee. They
had built their own theater,
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