A 麻豆传媒映画time travelogue brought to you by听.
Alexander Pantages听听into 麻豆传媒映画in January 1908 as he was building one of the biggest vaudeville circuits in the west. A typical Pantages bill consisted of several acts of comedians, trained animals,听, popular sports figures, acrobats, drama, music, and almost any novelty act imaginable. Below are some of the more interesting ones that appeared on Vancouver鈥檚 Pantages Theatre in its first months of operation. (Follow the links for videos of some of these performers).
1. Wallace the Lion
Wallace the Lion, 1910
Wallace the 鈥渦ntamable lion鈥� was the star attraction for the opening week of the Pantages. According to听, Wallace did not disappoint, showing himself to be 鈥渏ust as ferocious and just as dangerous as he has been heralded.鈥� Wallace, the 鈥渓argest and handsomest lion in the world,鈥� was a big hit in circus tents and theatres from here to San Francisco, though his tamer, Frank Hall, was apparently less successful at听.
2. Torcat and Flor D鈥橝liza
Torcat and Flor d'Aliza
Animal acts in vaudeville typically involved large and potentially dangerous African beasts, but less exotic creatures were also pressed into showbiz service, especially animals not known for their trainability, such as听听辞谤听听鈥渆ducated roosters.鈥� Torcat and d鈥橝liza were billed as 鈥淓uropean eccentriques鈥� and had made a name for themselves as a husband/wife comedy duo in France鈥檚听听肠补产补谤别迟.听said their show was
certainly a novel act, especially when it is considered how lacking in intelligence the average member of the chicken family is. Yet these familiar barnyard favourites do all kinds of clever tricks, such as tight rope walking, dancing, climbing ladders, pulling tiny carts, and most wonderful of all, stay in their places on the stage and do their stunts with scarcely any prompting.
Torcat and d鈥橝liza鈥檚 rooster act was popular enough that they听听in 1911, and they continued touring well听.
3. Harry Jolson
Harry Jolson
Harry Jolson was a talented stand up comic and singer in vaudeville theatres around North America, often performing in blackface, a form that thankfully has fallen out of fashion. He graced the Pantages stage a couple of months after it opened.
Jolson got into vaudeville as听, where he earned a reputation for having a great singing voice and a knack for entertaining. 罢丑别听World听newspaper said Harry Jolson 鈥渉as a line of solo talk [stand up comedy] that is all his own, but when he dispenses some of his operatic burlesque he is irresistibly funny.鈥�
His little brother, Al,听听and really hit the big time in the 1927 film听, the first commercially viable talking picture to come out of Hollywood.
4. The Great Lester
Mugshot of Frank Byron Jr, arrest by the Great Lester, 1924
听and his homemade ventriloquist dummy, Frank Byron Jr., were a popular addition to any vaudeville bill. Their fame never reached the heights of their prot茅g茅s,听, but that may be more a testament to the influence of film and television for a later generation than a sign of听听appeal. Bergen was first inspired by Lester, was taught by him, and acknowledged him as the greatest ventriloquist of all time.
5. The Freckled Wonder
Bob Fitzsimmons, "The Freckled Wonder"
Bob 鈥淩uby Robert鈥� Fitzsimmon isn鈥檛 exactly a household name today, but to boxing fans a century ago, he was one of the greats. He began as a bare knuckle fighter and is best remembered as the first person to become world champion in three different weight classes: middleweight, light-heavyweight, and heavyweight. He fought and beat some of the top boxers of all time, including 鈥溙齛nd Jack Dempsey.
At forty-six, Fitz was well past his prime when he came to the Pantages, but he was 迟丑别听听the theatre had had since it opened five months earlier. Rather than merely demonstrating his boxing skills, the act was a dramatic play that included a boxing scene and songs performed by Fitz鈥檚 wife.
Before he became a professional boxer, Fitz was a crack blacksmith, and was only too happy to show off those skills here. He听听at Woods鈥� blacksmith shop on Cordova Street just east of Carrall shoeing horses and making souvenir horseshoes for friends and fans.听听a rumour spread that Fitz was back hammering away at the shop. The crowd that gathered outside was too large for the wooden walkway and it collapsed. It turned out that the blacksmith in question was in fact the owner of the shop, not the Freckled Wonder.
6. Belle Gordon
Belle Gordon, bag puncher extraordinaire
Men weren鈥檛 the only pugilists touring the vaudeville circuits. 鈥溾�� by women such as Belle (aka Bessie) Gordon entertained crowds with their speed bag prowess.听听Minnie听听to be the originators of 鈥渓ady boxing acts鈥� in vaudeville. 罢丑别听World听said little about Gordon in 1908, but when she returned to the Pantages in 1913,听听she had won the title of 鈥渃hampion lady bag puncher of the world鈥� several years earlier. 鈥淪he has continued to improve in her art until she is so adept that no other woman has had the temerity to challenge her. Her work with one, two, or three punching bags will be a revelation to many in her interesting and spectacular turn.鈥�
Sources: Wallace the Lion, 1910,听; 听Torcat and Flora d鈥橝liza,听; Harry Jolson,听; The Great Lester,听; Bob 鈥淩uby Robert鈥� Fitzsimmons,听; Belle Gordon,听
