The Explorer, the Vampire Woman, and the Furniture Tusslers: An Evening of Vaudeville
On November 6, 1916, the Majestic Theater in Utica, NY reopened under new management. The evening’s entertainment, proclaimed the Utica Observer, had been “selected with great care.” Topping the five-act vaudeville bill was Dr. Frederick A. Cook, self-styled discoverer of the North Pole. “It is not often that a personage of Dr. Cook’s fame and renown comes to Utica,” asserted the Observer.
In fact, this wasn’t his first visit to Utica. Cook had appeared at the Shubert Theater in September 1914, bringing his “unceasing fight” to the middle of New York State. The Observer’s correspondent didn’t take a side in the Cook vs Peary debate. However, the writer described Cook’s lecture on his polar adventures as “entertaining, educational and amusing.” The citizens of Utica, the article suggested, could hear Cook speak and judge his truthfulness themselves.
Cook’s 1916 Utica lecture was “illustrated with slides,” though it’s unclear whether or not he incorporated his film acting debut, The Truth About the Pole. Quite possibly, the Majestic was not equipped to show motion pictures. Regardless, the lecture was a hit. Throughout Cook’s engagement of November 6-8, both the matinee and evening performances were “crowded,” and the explorer “received the esteem accorded to every hero by Uticans.” Cook claimed that he went into vaudeville because it allowed him to share his story (and make his case before) the widest possible audience, and in Utica, that decision paid off.
Variety was the heart and soul of vaudeville, and the other acts on the bill reflect that. Cook was the main attraction, but he had to share the spotlight with another star: Theda Bara. Bara did not appear onstage, but onscreen, in the feature film Under Two Flags. Born Theodosia Burr Goodman in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1885, Bara was a major movie star of the 1910s, famous for her femme fatale “vampire” or “vamp” roles. In Under Two Flags, she plays against type. Her character, named Cigarette, is described as sweet, sincere, and self-sacrificing. The popular film fan magazine Photoplay notes that Bara played the role with “complete success.” “No more of the snake in the parlor, the scorpion among the roses, the tarantula in the bananas,” writes reviewer Julian Johnson of Bara’s performance. “I don’t know of anyone among the film women who would have done better with the role,” he concludes. Unfortunately, modern audiences cannot appreciate Bara’s versatility as an actress. Under Two Flags, like so many other films from the silent era, is lost. Only a few production stills and reviews, like the one in Photoplay, document its plot and reception.
Aside from Bara’s film and Cook’s lecture, there were four other acts on the bill:
- The Newsboys’ Sextet, presumably a musical group
- “Mlle. Elimna [sic] & Co., who juggle pianos and furniture with amazing ease”
- Weber and White, “classy dancers”
- “The four Musical Kleisos, who present a composite of catchy music and Charlie Chaplin comedy”
The second act caught my attention, so I decided to see what I could learn about them. After a bit of trial-and-error searching, I figured out that the Utica Observer misprinted the act’s name. Its star was Elmina, her performing partner was alternately Gregoire or Gregory, and they received good reviews in the New York papers. The New-York Tribune of August 31, 1913 calls them “versatile artists” and identifies them as “the Furniture Tusslers.”
The New York Clipper of October 10, 1917 provides the following description of Mlle. Elmina and Gregory’s act—an impressive spectacle. I can see why they captivated audiences night after night.
The people of Utica, like the people of Manhattan, loved the “Furniture Tusslers,” who “might be described as a riot,” per the Observer of November 8. “One of the men trips along the aisle among the audience with a heavy leather couch balanced on his forehead. Seeing is believing.” The paper called all of the acts “entertaining and highly diverting.”
Did Cook have a chance, once his lecture was finished, to slip into the audience and take in the music, dancing, slapstick comedy, and feats of strength? What did he think of Elmina on her ladder, and Gregory with his sofa traipsing up the aisle? When he left town after the final performance, was he humming the “catchy music” of the four Kleisos? I hope he did, and he was, and that he took heart from the warm reception he received in Utica. After the headache of his disputed North Pole claim and the mudslinging that followed, I’ll bet he needed a good laugh as he continued to fight his fight.
Whether or not the vaudeville audiences believed Cook’s version of events, they were enthralled by his story, as are we all, 108 years almost to the day when he took to the stage in Utica.
