New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Theatre

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in Schenectady

by 1 Comment

Buffalo BillOn the evening of January 11, 1917, the Schenectady Daily Union announced the passing of William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody, who died the day before in Denver, Colorado, at age 71.

The Union Star described Cody as a “remarkable man,” a “hero of thousands of exploits,” and published a photograph of Cody with an extensive survey of his life and career as a guide, trapper, Pony Express rider, stagecoach driver, Civil War veteran, Medal of Honor recipient for gallantry, buffalo hunter (thus the nickname “Buffalo Bill”) and master showman. [Read more…] about Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in Schenectady

Bayreuth & New York; Wagner & Bernstein

by 2 Comments

Richard Wagner’s villa in BayreuthIn 1943 Henry Alexander Murray, a psychologist at Harvard University, was commissioned by William Joseph Donovan (“Wild Bill Donovan”) – founding father of the CIA – to prepare an investigative report on behalf of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS).

Designated as the “Analysis of the Personality of Adolph Hitler,” it became a ground-breaking study in the fields of offender profiling and political psychology. The inquiry into the malignant and narcissistic personality of the Führer was an effort to understand the “charismatic” nature of his leadership and an attempt to “predict” patterns of his behavior and actions. [Read more…] about Bayreuth & New York; Wagner & Bernstein

New Book On 20th Century Broadway Photographer Murray Korman

by Leave a Comment

vintage babes of broadway bookThe new book Vintage Babes of Broadway: Through the 20th Century Lens of Murray Korman (The One Big Name Publishing, 2022) by Clyde Adams and Maureen McCabe includes hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and short biographies about the many celebrities and other theatrical aspirants that 20th century publicity photographer Murray Korman took during his long and successful career. [Read more…] about New Book On 20th Century Broadway Photographer Murray Korman

The WGY Players: A Pioneering Radio Acting Troupe

by 3 Comments

Early performers on WGYA century after the first commercial radio station began broadcasting, 83% of Americans ages 12 or older listen to the radio in a given week. It’s a technology that we may take for granted now, but the rapid development of radio technology and programming in the early 1920s led to significant changes in American culture and communication. [Read more…] about The WGY Players: A Pioneering Radio Acting Troupe

Dan Rice & Spalding’s North American Circus Steamboats

by Leave a Comment

Spaldings North American Circus advert 1847Dr. Gilbert R. Spalding was a pharmacist who operated a drug store in Albany, NY.  Gilbert’s father, Guy Spalding, had operated the drug store starting about 1810. The Spaldings sold different varieties of chemicals, oils and alcohol that they would blend into medicinal drugs, paint, stains, varnish, cleaning fluids, and popular drinks.

They could make up a cure for almost anything from a headache to piles, consumption to lumbago. Their ability to blend medicines led their Albany neighbors to nickname both Guy Spalding and, later his son Gilbert, “Doc” Spalding. Gilbert Spalding operated the drug store from about 1840 to 1845. [Read more…] about Dan Rice & Spalding’s North American Circus Steamboats

The Albany Museum: Curiosities, Circus & Performing Arts

by 3 Comments

1848 painting of State Street in Albany by John Wilson, the Albany Museum is on the right in the building with the colonnade (courtesy Albany Institute of History and Art)Albany’s first museum was started in 1798 in a building on the corner of Green and Beaver streets. In the summer of 1808, two royal tigers were housed at the Thespian Hotel, a circus pitched its tent, and Ralph Letton started the Albany Museum.

The Albany Museum was located in the Old City Hall (Stadt Huys) on the northeastern corner of South Market Street and Hudson Avenue (today’s Broadway and Hudson Avenue). The Old City Hall was built in 1741 and was the site of the 1754 Albany Congress meeting where Benjamin Franklin first proposed the Albany Plan, a plan of union of the colonies that later was a basis for the U.S. Constitution. On its steps, the Declaration of Independence was first read to Albany on July 19, 1776 by the order of the Provincial Congress. With the construction of the new building on Eagle Street in 1808, the Old City Hall was converted into the Albany Museum. [Read more…] about The Albany Museum: Curiosities, Circus & Performing Arts

The Smith Family of Acrobats and Clowns & Saratoga Springs

by 8 Comments

Eddie Fritz Smith, 2nd Generation ClownIn the year 1900, York Avenue on Saratoga’s East Side was a quiet working-class neighborhood with a mix of young families, as well as older citizens, all living side by side. Listed on the street in that year’s census were laborers, painters, liverymen, and surprisingly, actors.

The neighborhood folks representing the theatre were Edward “Eddie” Fritz Smith, his wife Kitty Sharpe, and their children, Catherine, Sidney, Eddie, Jeal, and William. This couple was no stranger to the life in the spotlight, for even as they settled into a quiet life in Saratoga Springs they were still known across the globe as international celebrities. [Read more…] about The Smith Family of Acrobats and Clowns & Saratoga Springs

Millia Davenport & The Book of Costume

by Leave a Comment

crossroads of rockland historyOn the June 2022 episode of Crossroads of Rockland History, we turned our attention to the life and legacy of Millia Davenport (1895-1992).

David Bisaha, Assistant Professor of Theater at SUNY Binghamton joined host Clare Sheridan to discuss this remarkable and trailblazing woman who lived most of her life in Rockland County. Among her many contributions include writing the definitive book of theatrical costume history, The Book of Costume. Published in 1948, it remains the gold standard. In 1991 the Costume Society of America established the Millia Davenport Publication Award recognizing excellence in costume scholarship. [Read more…] about Millia Davenport & The Book of Costume

The Architecture of Joseph Urban: Mar-a-Lago & The New School

by Leave a Comment

Joseph UrbanJoseph Urban may be a somewhat forgotten figure in America’s annals of culture, but during his lifetime he enjoyed an almost legendary reputation. An all-round creative talent, Urban was a prolific Gilded Age illustrator, set designer, and architect of private dwellings, theaters, and a university building in the city of New York. His Gingerbread Castle was built for a fairy tale themed amusement park in Hamburg, New Jersey.

His feeling for color and choice of materials did much to revitalize American stage design and architecture. The contrast between two of Urban’s extant buildings shows the range of his talent as an architect. It goes beyond that: the marked stylistic difference seemed to foreshadow the divisiveness of contemporary society. [Read more…] about The Architecture of Joseph Urban: Mar-a-Lago & The New School

Wilhelm Grosz: The Red Sails of Forced Migration

by Leave a Comment

Wilhelm Grosz towards the end of his life courtesy The Wilhelm Grosz EstateOne of the top-grossing American films of 1940 was the western Santa Fe Trail, the seventh Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland collaboration. The story concerns John Brown’s campaign against slavery just before the outbreak of the Civil War. Starting out on an acting career, young Ronald Reagan appeared in the story line as George Armstrong Custer. [Read more…] about Wilhelm Grosz: The Red Sails of Forced Migration