Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: theaters

See the front of this ticket for more information. Richland House Hall Saturday and Monday, 7:30 P.M. Feb. 22-24.

The Nickelodean , a trade magazine for the early film industry, included a state-by-state listing of news "Among the Picture Theaters" in its issue for March 4, 1911. Under the section for Pennsylvania (p. 260), it noted, "A moving picture theater has been opened in the Richland House Hall at Richland." The Richland House was a hotel in Richland , Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, but I haven't been able to uncover any other information about this ticket or the moving picture theater held in the hotel's hall. Searching for "Braden & Funny Little Tommy" didn't yield any results either. The back of the ticket gives the dates of the shows as Saturday and Monday, February 22 and 24, without specifying a year. Thanks to Time and Date's Weekday Calculator , I was able to determine that February 22 and 24 fell on Saturdays and Mondays in the years of 1902, 1908, 1913, 1919, and 1930. Since the theater at the Richland House evidently opened in 1911, I'm guessing that this ticket dates to 1913. The Braden Entertainment with Edison Talking Moving Pictures Two hours of good show. Fun, travel, industrial, Wild West, cowboy, and lots of others. Braden & Funny Little Tommy. Bring this ticket first night only as you will have a chance to secure a Kalba diamond stick pin absolutely free. Admission, 10 cents. Free! Back of ticket: Richland House Hall. Saturday and Monday, 7:30 P.M. Feb. 22-24.

"You are invited to attend a Hallowe'en party to be given by the employees of the Lancaster Stanley-Warner Theatres at the Capitol, Saturday nite, November 1, 11:30 p.m. This invitation admits one. Fifty cents." For other vintage Halloween party invitations, see Witches Watch Halloween Party Invitation, October 31, 1914 , Halloween Party Invitation with Bat and Witch , Come to a Hallowe'en Party , and Yooooo Are Invited to a Halloween Party (below),

"The Divine Odalisque, Omene! Original Turkish dancer. Bijou Theatre, week August 27." A small ticket (or perhaps just part of an advertising card on heavier paper stock) for a performance by Omene the Divine Odalisque, an "original Turkish dancer," who appeared at an otherwise unidentified Bijou Theatre during the week of August 27 in an unknown year (see below, however, for a newspaper article that may reveal the location of the theater and the year Omene was there). The Odalisque When I first purchased this ticket a few years ago, I looked up the definition of " odalisque ," which Wikipedia describes as "a concubine in a Turkish harem." A writer discussing Omene in 1891, however, chose to provide a more oblique explanation of odalisque for newspaper readers: "You don't know what an odalisque is? Well, I might have expected it, but it is very embarrassing, nevertheless. It places me in a most awkward predicament. My duty, however, shall be done. I will tell you as mildly and gracefully as I can. An odalisque is a Turkish harem beauty, who wears very unconventional clothes and beatific smiles--with more of the latter than the former." (Alan Dale, " Askin and the Odalisque ," Evening World [New York], June 23, 1891, p. 3.) The Belly Dancer Although the meaning of odalisque was easy to track down, it was only recently that I was able to uncover much information regarding Omene herself. Rebekah Burgess Abramovich, who authored an article that appeared on a Metropolitan Museum of Art blog, summarizes the dancer's career this way: "Now entirely forgotten in the history of dance and entertainment, Omene achieved an incredible level of celebrity in the national press of the 1890s as an early practitioner of belly dancing on the American stage. She was best known, however, for inciting scandal." ( Forgotten Scandal: Omene, the Suicide Club, and Celebrity Culture in 19th-Century America , posted May 4, 2016.) Omene's belly dancing became so popular that she was featured on cigarette cards (see the 13 cards that Abramovich discusses in her article ) and sheet music covers (see the one for Omene Turkish Waltzes , which was "Dedicated to the Divine Turkish Odalisque"). Who Was She? Newspapers described Omene's scandalous dances and told about her romantic encounters and turbulent life, which supposedly ended in 1899 when she died from cancer (see, for instance, " Her Dance Is Ended: Omene, the Divine Odalisque, Breathes Her Last ," Spokane Daily Chronicle , April 27, 1899, p. 6). Abramovich's article points out, however, that Omene's claim that she was born in Turkey and other details about her life (and maybe even her death) were probably embellishments designed to promote her stage performances. It's not even clear what her real name was! But back to the ticket. After some more searching, I did locate a newspaper article (see below) that seems to match the details on the ticket. It announces an appearance by Omene on August 27, 1894 (same month and day on the ticket) at the Bijou Theatre (same venue name) in Reading, Pennsylvania (a city located in the same south-central area of the state where I purchased the ticket). Most of the article is an unattributed "eyewitness" account of Omene's dance. "Omene" at the Bijou Theatre The season at the Bijou Theatre will be opened on Monday afternoon, Aug. 27, with one of the greatest and costliest attractions that has ever appeared at this popular resort--"Omene" the wonderful dancer. An eye witness has described her performance as follows: "Beautiful, graceful, dazzling, fascinating, with the perfect form of a Venus, and all the tempting symmetry and velvety softness of the oriental beauty. Omene, the Circassian belle, has taken high rank as a danseuse and has scored the hit of her life in N.Y. She is described as 'the divine adalisque,' whose handsome face, matchless charms, and winning grace have made slaves of thousands. "Omene is a native of Stamboul [Istanbul]. She is the only Turkish danseuse now before the public. She executes the sensational dances of her native land with abandon and grace. It is the dance of the Turkish harem that Omene excels. This she accurately reproduces, even down to the costumes and scenery. She appears in a gorgeous costume that fairly dazzles the spectator, and brings to mind the highly colored pictures of the radiant east. "The scene reveals her with veiled face and jaunty fez, wrapped up in a long robe of gold, red, and black. She is attended by Eunochs, who suddenly take one garment after the other from her, even removing her sandals, leaving her entirely free for the dance. Omene enraptures every spectator on the stage [with] seductive dances of the harem and the wild voluptuous dances of her native land. Her whole appearance is an illustration of grace." (From the " Amusements " column, Reading Eagle [Reading, Pa.], Aug. 26, 1894, p. 2.)

"The London Stereoscopic & Photographic Company, 54 Cheapside and 110 & 108 Regent Street. Photographers to H.R.H. The Prince of Wales and to H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh. Sole photographers to the International Exhibition, 1862. Berlin, London, Dublin, New York. This negative is preserved for further copies. Enlargements can at any time be produced without another sitting." Reverse of a hand-tinted CDV of British stage actress Clara Rousby:

"Mrs. Rousby. Stereoscopic Co." Clara Rousby (1852?–1879), a British actress who played Joan of Arc and other roles on the London stage, in a hand-tinted CDV by the London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company (see backmark below).

"Mrs. General Tom Thumb, compliments, Trenton Theatre, ladies' and children's matinee, Friday, February 16th, 1912." See also Mrs. General Tom Thumb Co., Admit One : For more information, see Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thumb in Their Wedding Attire :

For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

"Nicollette at Boswell, Pa." Sign: "Come In. Only 5¢." I haven't been able to uncover any information regarding this "Nicollette" (or "nicollettes," perhaps, if there were others besides this one), but my best guess is that this was an early nickelodeon move theater . See also a cropped version of this photo for a close-up of the entrance and the guys sitting on the steps.

Ticket order form for a college musical staged in 1949 by the Scotch 'n Soda Club , a student theatrical organization that's still in existence today at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. See below for the illustration from the cover of the program for Molecule Man. Excerpts from the text of the order form: Molecule Man, written by Bill Putch and Dick Riebling, directed by Talbot Pearson. * Scotch 'n Soda Club invites you to attend its 1949 stage production, Molecule Man--an exciting change of pace in college musicals. * A cast of over 100 presents a witty satire on comic book writers, against a background of sparkling music. * It's something new--and different! Don't miss it!

"Scotch 'n Soda presents Molecule Man: An Atomic-Zany Musical Satire, 1949, 7th annual production." Cover of a wonderfully illustrated program for a college musical staged in 1949 by the Scotch 'n Soda Club , a student theatrical organization that's still in existence at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The ticket order form (see below) for the show described the production as "a witty satire on comic book writers, [set] against a background of sparkling music."

"Boy Scout Troop No. 11 of Sts. Peter and Paul Greek Catholic Church, Simpson, Pa., presents Dead Man's Eyes , with Lon Chaney, Jr., and Jean Parker, at the Neutral Theatre, Simpson, Tuesday evening, March 20th, 1945. Shows at 7 o'clock and 9 o'clock. Admission (tax incl.), 30c." Ticket for a showing of Dead Man's Eyes , a 1944 film noir mystery, to benefit a Boy Scout troop.

"Free guest ticket. Admit one. This ticket will admit ________. Not good on Saturday or Sunday. Coswell Drive-In Theatre, Appomattox." The Coswell Drive-In apparently closed in 1980 or 81, unfortunately, and photos taken in 1997 show a crumbling movie screen and building.