Hammerstein's Opera House, Part One

A story of an "All Star Cast" touring production in 1927. After the unexpected death of its star, the veteran actor John Drew Jr.,  company member Peggy Wood wrote this detailed memoir of his final tour.

A dramatic reading from the archives of Philadelphia theater history, underscored with evocative musical accompaniment.

For images of John Drew and Peggy Wood, see our blog: https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/all-star-cast-trelawny-of-the-wells-episode-69/

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© Podcast text copyright, Peter Schmitz. All rights reserved.

℗ All voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.

℗ All original music and compositions within the episodes copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.

Broadway tryouts and tours and revues were constantly coming to Philadelphia's many large and luxurious theaters during the 1920s - here's a quick review of the revues!

But even the Moscow Art Theatre came through town - as well as great productions of Eugene O'Neill plays.

Now with such new venues as the Erlanger, the Garrick, the Earle, the Shubert, and the Forrest, as well as the revamped and re-designed Chestnut Street Opera House and the the Walnut Street Theatre, Philly was a real Tryout Town!

For a blog post with images and additional content, go to our website: https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/its-show-time/

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© Podcast text copyright, Peter Schmitz. All rights reserved.

℗ All voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.

℗ All original music and compositions within the episodes copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.

The story of the Shubert Brothers, and how they began to take control over almost every commercial theater in Philadelphia - and in almost every other city in America.

For a blog post with images of the stories and topics we discuss in this episode, go to our website: https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/the-shuberts-and-their-philadelphia-theaters/

If you liked the show, leave a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-theater-history-philadelphia/id1562046673

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© Podcast text copyright, Peter Schmitz. All rights reserved.

℗ All voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.

℗ All original music and compositions within the episodes copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.

The "Little Theater Movement" arrives in Philadelphia, bringing modern plays and surprising new venues  - including the Walnut Street Theatre, where The Green Goddess was given a World Premiere tryout run in December of 1920.

For a blog post with images of the stories and topics we discuss in this episode, go to our website: https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/green-goddess-dressing-notes-to-episode-66/

If you liked the show, leave a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-theater-history-philadelphia/id1562046673

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To become a supporter the show, go to: AITHpodcast@patreon.com

© Podcast text copyright, Peter Schmitz. All rights reserved.

℗ All voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.

℗ All original music and compositions within the episodes copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.

Our annual Holiday episode! Featured are stories about the tightrope sensation El Nino Eddie, "Hitchy-Koo; the Intimate Revue," The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Timbuktu!, Signor Blitz during the American Civil War, and many other tales about Philadelphia theater history.

For a blog post with images of the stories and topics we discuss in this episode, go to our website: https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/hitchy-koo-and-happy-new-year/

If you liked the show, leave a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-theater-history-philadelphia/id1562046673

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To become a supporter the show, go to: AITHpodcast@patreon.com

© Podcast text copyright, Peter Schmitz. All rights reserved.

℗ All voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.

℗ All original music and compositions within the episodes copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.

Stories of seven notable vaudevillians who came from Philadelphia, including W.C. Fields, Ethel Barrymore, and Ethel Waters. (We also briefly profile Ed Wynn, Larry Fine, Walter C. Kelly, and the woman known as "Sober Sue.")

Was Philadelphia "The Cradle of Vaudeville" in the same way it was The Cradle of the Nation? After listening to the show, let us know what you think! Write to us at: AITHpodcast@gmail.com

On our website, there's a blog post with a Bibliography of the sources for this episode, plus lots of images of the many Philly vaudeville theaters we discuss on it  - "Two Ethels, a Juggler, a Judge, a Stooge and a Perfect Fool": https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/two-ethels-a-juggler-a-judge-a-stooge-and-a-perfect-fool/

If you liked the show, leave a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-theater-history-philadelphia/id1562046673

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Our website: https://www.aithpodcast.com/

To become a supporter the show, go to: AITHpodcast@patreon.com

© Podcast text copyright, Peter Schmitz. All rights reserved.

℗ All voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.

℗ All original music and compositions within the episodes copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.

Philadelphia, like all American cities of the day, was home to the exciting energy and show-biz hustle of vaudeville theaters in the first decades of the 20th Century.

On our website, there's a blog post with a Bibliography of the sources for are show, plus lots of images of the Philly vaudeville theaters we talk about on this episode - "The Exciting New Vaudeville Theaters of Sleepy Old Philadelphia":
https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/the-exciting-new-vaudeville-theaters-of-sleepy-old-philadelphia/

If you liked the show, leave a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-theater-history-philadelphia/id1562046673

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Our website: https://www.aithpodcast.com/

To become a supporter the show, go to: AITHpodcast@patreon.com

© Podcast text copyright, Peter Schmitz. All rights reserved.

℗ All voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.

℗ All original music and compositions within the episodes copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.

In the fall of 1915, D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation was booked to play at the Forrest Theatre - a "legitimate house," not a movie theater - but would Philadelphia's city authorities allow it to be shown?

After all, the film's racist source material, Thomas Dixon's play The Clansman, had been officially banned in the city back in 1906. But was this a "movie" or a "photo-play"? Could it be legally censored at all? How did this controversy result in plays and movies being regarded as two different types of entertainment?

There is a blog post on our website ("Birth of A Nation in the Birthplace of the Nation") to accompany this episode, which examines a 1915 newspaper ad for the film, and how the film was marketed to Philadelphians at the time.
Link is here: https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/birth-of-a-nation-in-the-birthplace-of-the-nation/

For earlier episodes about Thomas Dixon and his play The Clansman - and how the Philadelphia African-American community organized against it in 1906 see our series "The Fight Against the Clansman" -  Episodes 42, 43, and 45.

If you liked the show, leave a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-theater-history-philadelphia/id1562046673

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To become a supporter the show, go to: AITHpodcast@patreon.com

© Podcast text copyright, Peter Schmitz. All rights reserved.

℗ All voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.

℗ All original music and compositions within the episodes copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.

We begin our third season  of adventures! Here we learn about the historical originas of the "Tryout Town" in American showbiz of the early 20th Century.

We discuss the movie 42nd Street and discuss many touring shows that came through Philly on their way to and from Broadway - including George M. Cohan's Little Johnny Jones, which introduced the song "Give My Regards To Broadway" at the Walnut Street Theatre in 1904.

But we also learn that the real place that Philadelphians needed to travel, in order to catch tryout shows, was not the theaters of Broad Street but along the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey while they took their summer vacations!

A blog post about the excursions and theaters in Atlantic City can be found on our website: https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/but-i-dont-want-to-go-to-philadelphia-theaters-of-atlantic-city/

For a free online viewing of the film 42nd Street - including the scene we reference in the podcast which comes about 40 minutes in, go to this version on the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/42ndstreet1933_201908/42nd_Street_1080.mp4

If you liked the show, leave a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-theater-history-philadelphia/id1562046673

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To become a supporter the show, go to: AITHpodcast@patreon.com

© Podcast text copyright, Peter Schmitz. All rights reserved.

℗ All voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.

℗ All original music and compositions within the episodes copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.

Actress, director and educator Penelope Reed sits down for an interview with us, and shares fascinating memories of her long career in Philadelphia area theater. In particular she discusses her lifelong involvement and eventual leadership of the Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania.

This episode can be seen as a continuation of our Episode 36, "Jasper Deeter and the Hedgerow Theatre" from September 2022. You can find it on any podcasting app, or go right to the episode page on our website: https://www.aithpodcast.com/jasper-deeter-and-the-hedgerow-theatre/

As a special bonus, you can also hear Penelope Reed discuss the history of her amazing theatrical family! In return for a small membership donation on Patreon, you can year this additional 24-minute section of the interview: AITHpodcast@patreon.com

A blog post on our website, with images from Reed's career: https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/penelope-reed/

If you liked the show, leave a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-theater-history-philadelphia/id1562046673

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AITHpodcast

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aithpodcast/

Mastodon: https://historians.social/@schmeterpitz

Our website: https://www.aithpodcast.com/

To become a supporter the show, go to: AITHpodcast@patreon.com

© Podcast text copyright, Peter Schmitz. All rights reserved.

℗ All voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.

℗ All original music and compositions within the episodes copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.