When not working my part-time day job or helping out at the family business, my head has been buried in book research. I've unearthed an absurd amount of information about J and her husband, R, especially as it relates to what I had previously thought of as a lost decade: the 1930s. Her scrapbook covers … Continue reading Never a Dull Day in Biographyville
Tag: Musical Theater
J on This Day: 25 May 1921
25 MAY 1921: One hundred years ago today, J was still enjoying success in her big professional break: portraying Annabel (Dame Durden's daughter) in a famous touring production of Robin Hood, Reginald De Koven's comic opera masterpiece. The cast and crew were in Richmond, Indiana, for three performances. The star attraction for those dates was … Continue reading J on This Day: 25 May 1921
J’s Places: Victory/Victoria Theatre (Dayton, Ohio)
March 1926 found J in Dayton, Ohio. The Student Prince company gave four performances at The Victory Theatre (now known as The Victoria Theatre). It opened on January 1, 1866 as The Turner Opera House, was renamed The Victory Theatre in 1919 in honor of WWI, and was most recently remodeled in 1989. It went … Continue reading J’s Places: Victory/Victoria Theatre (Dayton, Ohio)
Catching Up
I can hardly believe that is has been a month since my last post! Totally unintentional. I've been incredibly busy, with both J and non-J pursuits. During my absence, I accomplished almost a ridiculous amount of research. I made working on "lists" my priority. Let's back up for a moment. I spent almost three months … Continue reading Catching Up
Milestone! Milestone! Milestone!
I finally finished cataloging the contents of J's main scrapbook (and my eyes are super relieved). I've already added the relevant items to her Master Timeline. This mini-project dates back to January and I'm glad that it's in the rear view mirror. It consumed a substantial amount of time. Moving forward, I can focus on … Continue reading Milestone! Milestone! Milestone!
Wedding Announcement
I just found a wedding announcement for J + R. The information was printed in a newspaper hundreds of miles from her hometown of Memphis. It was tucked into an article about her new husband's theatrical pursuits in said other city. Here is a partial clipping.
A List of Lists
I am an inveterate list maker down to my core. Of all the things that are "my" thing, it is one of the top things. This natural mindset has already come in handy during the early days of my book project. However, I'll need to harness it even more going forward. Writing the biography of … Continue reading A List of Lists
[Research Notes] Setting Up Google Alerts
Researching J also means looking into the lives and careers of her producer-musician husband, R, and his first two wives (both singer-actresses). They're all links in the same chain, after all. Although I'm not to the point where supporting players in her life are the focus of my work, when that time comes I don't … Continue reading [Research Notes] Setting Up Google Alerts
J Having a Ball
This is another image of J from my archives. I don't know what production this photo is from, but I hope to figure it out in time. I'm not sure about the circumstances of this performance, but my instincts tell me that this was likely from a local Memphis amateur production in the years leading … Continue reading J Having a Ball
Begin Anywhere
And so I did... Let's back up. I've been cataloging the contents of J's main scrapbook for nearly a month. It's slow going and hard on the eyes, so it's not an everyday thing. Far from it, actually. There are plenty of other related tasks to do, meaning I'm almost always busy. New things crop … Continue reading Begin Anywhere
